The chief executive of the Mosquito Joe bug-prevention service said Friday that he expects his company’s first Connecticut franchise to be based in the New London area.

Kevin Wilson, who started the Mosquito Joe franchise eight years ago out of Virginia Beach, Va., said in a phone interview that he has been negotiating with a prospective franchisee and expects to announce the latest addition to his chain very soon.

“That’s the one that’s farthest down the pipeline,” he said.

Wilson said his company has identified 11 potential locations in Connecticut, which is one of five new states where Mosquito Joe intends to have a presence by the end of the year. Others include New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The aim, he said, is to increase franchise locations from 170 last year to about 230 this year. By 2018, he expects to hit 300 locations.

“It’s still a young industry,” he said. “We’re only in the second inning. It’s still early days yet.”

Wilson said people over the past few years have become more aware of mosquito control with scares over West Nile virus, Lyme disease and the Zika virus.

“What it’s done is shone the light on the industry,” he said.

But fear is only a small part of the equation. The growth in the industry is mostly a measure of how effective mosquito control can be, he said, now that backpack sprayers coupled with effective spray material that adheres to the leaves of bushes for 21 days can mean long-term relief for homeowners, who can put away their citronella candles and bug zappers.

Mosquito Joe technicians also are trained to point out mosquito breeding grounds, such as overflowing gutters and children’s toys left out in the rain. The technicians use a synthetic pyrethroid spray, according to an online description, but also can apply a natural garlic spray that repels mosquitoes rather than killing them and must be reapplied every two weeks.

Wilson said that while in a perfect world all yards in a neighborhood would be sprayed in a similar manner, the treatment is still effective on a home-by-home basis because mosquitoes all wind up resting on the treated leaves.

“Even if it’s just one home you will still see a significant reduction of mosquitoes,” he said.

Wilson said his business didn’t invent any of the mosquito-reduction techniques, but it put together a package of services that has been embraced by customers thanks to its training of technicians and robust marketing support.

“We’ve created a brand that really engages the customers,” he said.

l.howard@theday.com