From its founder, a World War II veteran who became well-known as the “Termite Man” in the area, Starbuck Pest Control Inc. continues today to serve its customers and provide a personal and professional approach in now a four-generation family tradition of service based in Logan County.
The full-service pest control company provides general pest control, nuisance wildlife trapping, and termite protection, for both residential and commercial customers.
The company, at present, is exclusively a family operation, located on west Township Road 30, West Liberty. Starbuck Pest Control is licensed to work anywhere in Ohio, but primarily covers Logan and Champaign counties.
As a family operation, they can customize service as needed, whether a one-time application or a regular protection plan. Starbuck Pest Control has no sales staff, so when employees come to a home or business, it is to address the problem, not to sell something unneeded.
The company’s founder, Chester Deaton, entered the pest control business in 1929. During the 1930s, he traveled around Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, western Pennsylvania, and New York protecting homes and businesses from termites. Several of his high-profile jobs included actor Jimmy Stewart’s family hardware store in Pennsylvania and some of the picturesque homes of Marshall, Mich.
Chester served in the 3rd Marine Division during World War II, and after the war, settled into civilian life in West Liberty, which he chose because he believed it would be a good place to raise a family.
He became well-known for termite work and would sometimes receive mail simply addressed: Termite Man, West Liberty, Ohio.
Back in the days of party telephone lines, Chester had the phone company run a private line for his business, at the price of $100, the first private line in West Liberty.
Over the years, several men learned the pest control business from Chester and established their own companies in Ohio and Indiana. In 1966, Chester relocated to south Main Street in Bellefontaine, where he lived until his death in 1992.
During Chester’s later years, his son-in-law, Jack Starbuck, helped with the business and renamed it Starbuck Pest Control when Jack took over operations in 1990.
After the purchase of Hamm’s Pest Control in 1992 and Brown’s Pest Control in 1993, Jack’s son, Chris, joined the business and they incorporated in 1994.
As the company grew, Indian Lake Pest Control and All Points Pest Control were also acquired, the family reports.
Spider control around Indian Lake became a popular service, so much so that Chris became known as “Spiderman” in the area.
Also during this time, Starbuck Pest Control adopted the Sentricon Bait System as their primary termite control treatment. Sentricon is designed to eliminate termite colonies, differently from traditional treatments that use a chemical barrier between termites in the ground and the structure.
Several employees were dedicated to installing and servicing Sentricon. Today, Sentricon, which protects numerous national sites — including the visitor center at the Statue of Liberty, New Orleans’ French Quarter, Iolani Palace in Honolulu, and the White House — from subterranean termite infestation, is still the company’s primary termite control weapon.
By 2008, Starbuck Pest Control Inc. had established service routes in five counties and retained over a dozen valued employees. However at that time, due to many factors, the family decided to sell the company accounts and assets, as well as the use of the Starbuck name for five years.
Sadly, Jack Starbuck unexpectedly died in 2009. Chris began teaching history at Urbana University, but after three years resumed providing pest control services on a limited part-time basis.
Then in 2018, Gare Starbuck, Chester’s great-grandson, returned from Hawaii where he had been working for Sandwich Isles Pest Solutions as their wildlife manager for several years and rejoined the family business.
Currently, three Starbuck family members staff the business. Chris, the founder’s grandson, services accounts, as well as directs the business. Anne, Chris’ wife, is office manager, and their son Gare works full-time at the pest control operation.
In the local service area, termites are a major problem and still constitute an important part of the business. Spider control, especially around Indian Lake, remains a popular service.
While calls for treatment of cockroaches and fleas have decreased in recent years, bed bug calls have surged, the family reports. Bed bugs, a nationwide problem, are prevalent locally and throughout Ohio.
During the warm months, seasonal pests, such as ants, flies, beetles, and stinging insects, are addressed Nuisance wildlife trapping and exclusion, as well as rodent control and exclusion, have become highly demanded services as well.
As the hometown company moves forward into the age of technology, with new methods of communication at starbuckpest.com and through Facebook, Starbuck Pest Control strives to provide high-value services. The business also can be reached at (937) 593-6131.
“A satisfied customer is the best advertisement,” the Starbuck family said.