In New Jersey, mosquitoes and ticks aren’t just annoying — they’re a serious concern for families who want to enjoy their yards safely. When choosing a pest-control company, your service experience matters just as much as what’s sprayed. That’s why we’re digging into what happens when a large private-equity-backed firm buys a local business, keeps the name, but changes the customer experience — and why Bite Back keeps things truly local.
The Acquisition Trend: Local Names, Big Ownership
Here’s the story in brief: Anticimex, a Sweden-based global pest-control company, acquired Viking Pest Control in New Jersey in 2017. Later, Viking acquired Last Bite Mosquito & Tick Control as well. Although the local brand names remained in many cases, the ownership and structure changed.
The appeal is obvious: these local companies had strong reputations and trustworthy names. The acquiring firms keep the brand name, promising “same great service.” But customers in New Jersey report something different.
What’s Changing: From Friendly Local Business to Large-Firm Experience
Here are the typical shifts:
- Phone calls answered locally vs. outsourced call-centers: While you used to call and speak with someone in your town, many customers now find themselves chatting with a call-center overseas, waiting on hold, or using online portals. This matters when you have a tick or mosquito emergency and you want someone who gets your neighborhood.
- Technician consistency and local knowledge: A true local team knows your region-specific issues—wooded lots, waterways, tick hotspots, private pools, etc. Big firms may rotate crews or centralize scheduling, which can mean less familiarity and slower response.
- Service quality and responsiveness: Some customers of Last Bite after the acquisition have reported longer delays and less attentive follow-up. For example, on social media a customer stated:
“Anyone else having problems with Last Bite Mosquito control? Ever since they sold to Viking we been getting eaten up … even had a respray…”
That kind of feedback is what many local homeowners notice.
- Decision making and service flexibility: A small family-owned business can tailor to your yard, kids, pets, local weather, and terrain. A larger corporate platform may insist on more rigid plans or automated scheduling.
It’s important to say: the acquisition itself is not inherently bad, but when the “local feel” is lost, you are left with the same name but a different experience.
Why Real Local Ownership Still Matters in NJ
If you live in New Jersey, you know our yards, our seasons, and our pests are unique. Here’s why keeping service local — like at Bite Back — offers meaningful advantages:
- Direct accountability: The owner picks up the phone, the technician reports locally, the reviews reflect local people. At Bite Back, the founder writes:
“My name is Laurie … a resident of Monmouth County, New Jersey. … After years of research and experimentation, I developed an all-natural solution that effectively targets mosquitoes and ticks…”
- Community focus: Local businesses are invested in the neighborhoods they serve. They live there too, their reputation depends on it. You’re not just a number in a national database. At Bite Back, they emphasize they “are always available to discuss any concerns you may have and your satisfaction is our top goal.
- Better service consistency: When the offices, phones, scheduling, and techs are locally managed, you’re more likely to get a consistent tech, to have same-day reasoning, and to avoid long hold times or call-center transfers.
- Transparency and trust: A family-owned business tends to invest in long-term customer trust rather than short-term shareholder returns. When your service provider is your neighbor, accountability is higher.
Case Study: Bite Back vs. the Big-Name Brands
Here’s a simplified comparison so you can see what to look for when choosing mosquito & tick control in New Jersey:
| Feature | Family-Owned Local (Bite Back) | Brand Owned by Large Firm (e.g., Last Bite/Viking) |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership & decision-making | Local owner lives in the community, makes decisions. | Part of a national/international platform; decisions may be centralized. |
| Phone/support experience | Calls answered locally, direct access to owner/technician. | Often call-centers, possibly overseas, longer wait times (reported by customers). |
| Technician consistency & local knowledge | Same team, familiar with your yard & local pest patterns. | Rotating crews, possibly centralized scheduling, less bespoke service. |
| Brand name vs. service promise | Name and service are aligned with local values and reputation. | Name may stay the same but ownership and service model may change. |
| Long-term trust | Owner is accountable for reputation in local community. | Stakeholders may be distant (private-equity, global firm), local touch may diminish. |
If you’ve ever called and gotten stuck in a phone-menu maze, asked for a tech and gotten someone unfamiliar, or felt like you were just another “ticket” in a large system — you’re experiencing the trade-offs of consolidation.
Why We Say: “We Will Never Sell”
At Bite Back Tick and Mosquito Control, the commitment is simple: remain family-owned, local, and focused on customer experience rather than margin extraction. They emphasize using all-natural, eco-friendly solutions, being accessible, and tailoring service to the NJ homeowner.
They’ve seen the industry shift: big players buying local names and promising continuity — but behind the scenes reorganizing to optimize for scale, not necessarily for the small-yard homeowner with questions on a Saturday afternoon.
So when you call them, you’re calling someone who lives and works nearby, knows Monmouth, Mercer, Middlesex and Ocean counties, and will treat your yard like their own.
How to Choose the Right Tick & Mosquito Control Company in NJ
When you’re comparing services around New Jersey, here are some questions to ask:
- “Who answers my call when I need help after hours?” If it’s a local person who knows your county, that’s a good sign.
- “Will I get the same technician or a rotating crew every time?” Consistency is valuable.
- “What’s the service guarantee? If I still see ticks or mosquitoes, how quickly will they respond?”
- “Is the company owned locally, and will its owner be still there next year?” If they say “we might be part of a national chain”, ask for what changes have occurred.
- “Are the treatments tailored to my yard and my county’s conditions (wooded lot, water features, private pool)?” Generic plans may not give full protection.
- “Do they walk the yard, send notes of what was found, and give feedback?” A local company often gives that extra level of service.
Conclusion: Local Ownership = Better Service in NJ
In short: when large firms buy small local names, you may still see the familiar company name on the van, but the service you get can be quite different. The name stays but the experience changes. At a time when homeowners want not just treatments, but trust, reliable service, and an outdoor space they can enjoy — the difference between “local family-owned” and “national chain disguised as local” becomes important.
If you live in New Jersey and want a mosquito and tick control partner who’s invested in *your* neighborhood, someone you can call and speak to directly, someone who treats your yard with respect and knows your county’s quirks — then choosing a true local owner-operated business like Bite Back Tick and Mosquito Control could make all the difference.
For more information or to schedule a consult, feel free to reach out bitebacktick.com and ask how they’ll service *your* property, who answers the phone, and how quickly they’ll respond when you have a question or concern.
