Pest Control Methods Not Working? When To Hire a Professional
What’s In This Guide
Are you trying to get rid of pests like termites, ants, bed bugs, or rodents from your home but your pest management skills just don’t seem to be working?
If you’re like most people you probably end up with insects of some type in your home every once in a while and you know that it’s not something that you want to happen again—but what are you supposed to do? You may have tried everything you know but you’re just not sure how to keep them out completely.
Pesticides, biological pest control, and other insecticides, eco-friendly pest control, boric acid, soapy water, bait traps… you’ve tried it, but that termite infestation is still there causing damage to your home and the aphids are still demolishing your plants. So, is time to call in the professionals to sort out the pest problem or is there anything else you can do to get rid of these unwanted visitors?
Have You Tried…
First, look at the different things that you’ve already tried in your home. This will help you figure out if you’ve tried everything that you can or if you could be trying a little bit more before you decide to just throw in the towel and give it up. After all, you don’t want to hire a professional (which is going to cost you a whole lot of money) if there are things that you could be doing for yourself, right? You want to make sure that you’re doing the most cost-effective things first and that means going through all of the steps yourself before you go out and hire someone else to take care of things.
Spray the Area
The first thing you can do is spray affected areas around your house. You can spray about a foot away from the foundation of your house to create a strong barrier. Make sure you get a spray that is designed for the type of bugs that you see in your house and make sure that you use it at the right time of day and in the right quantities according to the instructions on the product itself.
If you don’t follow the proper instructions, it’s definitely not going to work for you, so make sure that you know what you’re supposed to be doing and that you follow those rules. That includes things like applying when there’s no rain within 24 hours or making sure that nothing gets into the product before it’s dried.
Check for Holes or Cracks
Walk around your house on the inside and the outside to look for cracks or holes that could be letting bugs through. If you have these it’s going to be extremely difficult to keep those termites and other insect pests out with just a spray or powder or any other kind of insecticide.
You’ll want to fill in those holes and cracks right away with a strong product like an epoxy that will create a strong and tight seal. You’ll want to make sure it’s given enough time to properly seal and then you’re going to want to make sure you spray around the area again to make sure nothing can get inside.
Use a New Product
If you’ve been using the same thing for a while and it doesn’t seem to be working, you want to make sure you try something else. Look for something a little stronger or a treatment that works on a different variety of insects. It’s possible that what you think you have isn’t the only thing you’re dealing with or that a specific product doesn’t work in your area because of wind, moisture, soil conditions or anything else. You could also try a different form of the product such as a powder instead of a spray. This may help you to get rid of more of the pest infestation and avoid the need to hire an expensive professional until you really need to.
Calling an Exterminator
So, when should you call someone to come in and take care of the problem? Well, there are several different things that are an indication that you might need a professional. Once you’ve done everything that you think you can for yourself, you’re going to want to look into the options when it comes to professional exterminators, as well as make sure that you choose someone who can get the job done quickly and easily. That might take a bit of research on your part, but it’s definitely going to be worth it if you can get your family back to your normal lives again.
You’ve Followed All the Steps and It Doesn’t Work
If you’ve been trying to get rid of those cockroaches for a long time and it doesn’t seem to be working, it may be time to call a professional. Maybe you’ve been going through all the different products you can and following all of the instructions properly but it still doesn’t seem to be working. Maybe you’ve looked all over your house and you can’t figure out where they’re getting in—but they definitely are.
A professional will be able to help you when you’re just tired of trying to do it yourself and just not being able to succeed. They’ll make sure that the problem is taken care of a whole lot faster and they’ll make sure you don’t have to deal with it anymore.
You Have A Lot Of Moisture You Can’t Get Rid Of
Bugs love moisture. Just about anything will thrive in the right amount of moisture and will continue to reproduce there as well. If you have plenty moisture around your house and you just can’t seem to get rid of it you may need more professional help to get rid of those bugs because if the moisture is there they are going to keep coming back no matter what you do. Calling a professional to help you out with this can make sure that the moisture problem is taken care of as well and it will make sure that any reproducing insects in that area are taken care of rapidly.
The Infestation Is Too Large
If you have a large infestation, it may be that nothing you do is going to work. This can happen if you don’t catch the infestation soon enough or if your home is in a not so great location when it comes to water or anything else. Infestations can become serious very quickly and if they do then you may not have the capability to take care of it for yourself. You’ll want to look at a professional service that can come in and completely rid your home all at the same time instead of you trying to spot treat different areas that are getting hit the worst.
With larger infestations, you may not even know where all of the insects are and that can mean you just don’t have the ability to take care of them or get rid of them before they’ve spread to another area or increase in size yet again. A professional can actually come in and use a type of bug bomb that will go through the entire house and get rid of anything and everything that might be living inside of your walls. This gets rid of the bugs all at the same time and makes it easier for you to focus on prevention in the future.
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Taking Care of Pets and Children
The important thing when you’re working on getting rid of pests for yourself or with a professional is making sure that your children and pets are going to be safe. Any kind of pesticide is going to be dangerous for them and that means making sure they are out of the house and far away from that product until it’s completely dry or completely aired out. If you’re spraying something you need to keep them away until it’s dry. If you’re using a bug bomb or something like it you need to make sure the house is aired out before you let them back in.
No matter what type of method you need to use in your house it’s important to make sure that you look at all of the available ones. Before you hire a professional it can definitely be prudent to try all of your options yourself but not everyone wants to put that kind of time and effort into it so make sure you’re considering what works for you. Maybe you just want to hire a professional and get it all over with and that can be a great option too.
When you’ve gotten rid of all of those bugs it’s definitely going to be a whole lot easier to keep them out and to prevent them from coming back again but if the infestation is too large or too far along or if you’ve just been putting too much effort into it yourself for too long it can seem impossible to continue doing it for any longer. Make sure that you’re doing something, however, as living with those insects can be dangerous for your family or for your house and you definitely don’t want to be in danger of problems with either of those things.
Sources
http://www.environmentalpestcontrol.ca/blog/why-hire-a-pest-control-professional
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l~ohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l-ch5~ohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l-ch5.5
http://www.footbridgemedia.com/contractor-articles/pest-control/40/hire-pest-control-company.html
https://www.lowes.com/projects/repair-and-maintain/controlling-moisture-and-humidity-in-the-home/article