R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Nick Moulds of Beyond Pest Management sprays a treatment on a house to keep crawling and flying insects away.

EDITOR NOTE: The Daily Press will be featuring a series of articles on local businesses, highlighting their history and what makes them unique. The series will run on a regular basis in the Daily Press.

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GLADSTONE — Nick Moulds has been in pest management for about eight years and has been operating his own company, based in Gladstone, since March of last year. As the proprietor and sole technician at Beyond Pest Management, Moulds holds a number of licenses to provide treatments that both kill and prevent insects, arachnids, weeds and more at commercial and residential properties, indoors and out.

After working for larger companies that offered the same services but with more of a corporate mindset, Moulds chose to open his own business that he could run according to his own values — customer service, family-friendliness and flexibility being key.

His wife, Leslie, takes care of finances, paperwork and some of the communication that comes in. They are proud to be family-owned, local, and considerate of their customers, taking time to understand a client’s needs and address any concerns they may have.

Since pest control is an industry that booms in the spring and summer, and Beyond Pest Management opened shop (just a turn of phrase; there is no actual storefront) right as the 2023 season was ramping up, “I kind of started at the right time,” Moulds said.

“We printed 3,500 flyers to start,” he began, explaining that the word got out quickly thanks to friends distributing business cards at the paper mill, advertising in the U.P. Action paper, putting signs in yards and collaborating with Nault’s Green Lawn, also local to Gladstone.

This year, Beyond Pest Management is very busy, with jobs lined up through the end of June.

“And then it starts again in August,” Moulds said. “August is fly season.”

Right now, common treatment requests are for mosquitoes, ticks, ants and spiders, but summer also brings wasps and flies. Some chemicals will work on multiple things, but depending on what specific pest is to be targeted, there’s probably a certain product for it. For weeds and bugs, the answer is probably a liquid; for rodents, bait and weighted traps.

Not all pesticides work the same way, either; rather than eradicating immediately, for example, insect growth hormones trick the systems in such a way that inhibits development or prevents feeding.

In the back of the Beyond Pest Management work truck is a library of concentrated solutions.

“Typically in a summer, there’s about 60 different ones,” said Moulds.

The products get diluted with water in the vessel worn on the technician’s back, then sprayed from whichever is the appropriate nozzle — there are multiple settings on the end of the hose.

Each chemical product, Moulds explained, has specific instructions that must be followed to the letter: “Every bottle has its own label, and that’s law-binding.”

They also have different lifespans, so to speak — some last 90 days while others are good for a year. However, the weather does come into play; Nick explained that certain applications last a lot longer in warm, dry climates than they do in those with hard freezes and wet weather.

Whatever product is being sprayed, though, a four-hour dry time is required. This means that outdoor environments cannot be treated during or within four hours of a rainstorm. It also means that people and pets should steer clear of a freshly treated area for a few hours — and for this reason, Moulds says, he’ll work around the customer’s schedule.

“If I come early in the day, by the time you get home from work to let the dog out and the kids get home from school, it’s dry,” he said.

He added that proper dilution and professional application makes for an effective treatment that kills only the pest; other animals that may eat insects exposed to the chemicals will not be harmed.

Beyond Pest Management has multiple payment options, including bills sent by e-mail that can be paid online, with no extra fee for credit card.

“It’s convenient. That’s the way I wanted to make it for everybody,” Moulds said. He also aims to keep his services affordable.

Beyond Pest Management travels up to 60 miles from its home base in Gladstone and is licensed in Wisconsin, too.

Moulds reported that his business has increased rapidly and that Beyond Pest Management has substantially more customers this year than last. He said he plans to expand, hopefully by next year.