pest control service?

[97guns]

im looking out my front window right now and Orkin just pulled up to my neighbor across the street, once a month like clockwork, another neighbor just 1 house from him gets it monthly also.

my house is rodent and for the most part insect free except for some termites and occasional spider, no ants and no roaches. here in california we do have termites but they are not nearly as aggressive as other parts of the country and i do not see it as wise spending.

now it i was infested with ants or something then yes i MIGHT consider it but probably would try to handle it myself first. im curious if anyone here uses a pest control service because having 2 people within a 3 house section is a really high percentage

[Nutria]

now it i was infested with ants or something then yes i MIGHT consider it but probably would try to handle it myself first. im curious if anyone here uses a pest control service because having 2 people within a 3 house section is a really high percentage

Once a year from Terminix for termites.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I would not be comfortable having regular chemical treatment of my home. Hard to imagine it is necessary. If we had some godawful infestation and it had to be done to save the house, well okay. I'd feel horrible about it, but I'd do a regular treatment if that was called for.

Every August except the last two we have gotten these bugs (like giant roaches?) that just disgust me. But a few traps takes care of it. Last two years, no problems. Then beginning with the drought year of 2012, we had ants coming in each spring. Again, we were able to take care of it by a supermarket purchased spray outside across the threshholds. From 1993 to 2011 we did not have that problem, and again this year, no problem.

No way would I sign up for regular treatments without a clear need for it.

[Jluke]

diatomaceous earth

[Spiffster]

Just grab some Cy-Kick CS off Amazon and do your own pest control for a small fraction of the cost of these services. Thats what I do and the only bugs I find, are dead ones around the outside of the house. They rarely make it into the house.

[disneysteve]

I go to Home Depot and for about $15 buy a bottle of off-brand bug spray in a gallon sprayer jug. I use it 3-4 times/year as needed when we start seeing more than a modest number of critters. I see no reason to pay a pro to do essentially the same thing.

Termite treatment, yes, and we've done that a couple of times, but regular everyday treatment, do it yourself as needed.

[creditcardfree]

We used Terminex one year when we had a bad infestation of water bugs. We stopped after four treatments. We have always done our own spraying when needed for far less than commercial companies charge. We now live in a rental in the Southeast and yes there are a lot more bugs here! The owners have a service that comes out to treat pests quarterly. I don't know what they pay, but I think they feel it is an investment in the home. I still find more bugs in this house than I ever have in any home, so I'm thinking it would be a lot worse without a service. Or maybe the service company is really bad.

[bjl584]

I do it myself. I bought a bottle of Ortho Home Defense at Home Depot for less than $20. I go all around my foundation, doors, and windows a few times a year. It keeps the critters at bay. The bottle will last about 2 years.

[Fishindude77]

We live in an old farm house with a history of termites due to the many old wooden barns and structures that used to occupy the property. We have the termite bait stations places around the house and maintained by a company who comes once or twice annually. So far, so good.

I also spray Home Defense around the perimeters of the house and other buildings a couple times annually as a preventative.

[maryadavies]

For most people, spray from the store will prolly keep out the bugs. But then you have your ...bad problems...

I grew up with us having quite the cockroach problem. So much so, if I see one even today, I'll take a shoe off..to kill it. We bug bombed, we sprayed, we swatted...but we couldn't get rid of those critters !

Finally, Mom got in a local pest control company that had high reviews before she died. They eradicated the roaches that had been bothering us for many years. We still have them "on retainer" which means we pay them to come in twice a year to inspect, and if we see bugs/mice, we can have them come in and exterminate them for no additional charge. I'd say it's worth the money.

From our experience; I can say bug control can be like finding a mechanic. Make sure you got a bad enough problem to need it, and if ya need it, make sure you find a honest one. You won't be sorry!

[Drake3287]

We started quarterly ant spraying 20+ years ago and have never seen an ant since. At $80. a quarter it's worth not dealing with coming down stairs in the morning and dealing with an army of ants crawling on my counters.

Seems to also cut back on any other pests also such as spiders and such.