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Q: I currently have a big ant problem in my home and am not sure how to handle it. Plenty of DIY products are available at my local stores, but I don’t know if I should call in a professional pest control service instead. Is pest control worth it?
A: As hard as one may try, keeping pests out of the home is a challenge for any homeowner. While some pests are easy to detect, manage, and remove using DIY methods, finding critters in the home could be an indication of a larger pest infestation behind the walls and in the bones of the home. In these instances, homeowners may wonder, “Is pest control worth it?”—and in many situations, it is. Pest control costs average between $200 and $600, but homeowners often find that that money is money well-spent.
Pest control companies’ trained experts can quickly identify and eliminate lingering pests in your home while critter-proofing it to avoid future infestations, ultimately shielding homeowners from costly damage and further problems.
Professional pest control can help identify and eliminate pests.
Unlike the average homeowner, pest control professionals have a trained eye for quickly identifying pests that have made their way into the home—ranging from rodents to cockroaches and everything in between—and work fast to get the infestation under control.
Enlisting the help of a professional can take the guesswork out of what pests homeowners are dealing with and make for a swift and effective pest-elimination process.
Pest control services have access to and knowledge about the most effective treatments.
Experts with pest control services are trained to handle infestations using commercial pesticides and products not readily available to the average consumer. Professionals know how to safely treat infestations while handling chemical pesticides—an important aspect when working with potentially dangerous chemicals, especially around one’s family, pets, and property.
Professionals combine chemical pesticides with pest control plans to address infestations over time, leading to more effective and quicker results. Pest control plans may require the professional to return for follow-up visits to ensure the preventative measures are working as intended; however, others may find that a one-time visit is all that’s necessary to rid their home of lingering critters.
Pest control can help prevent future infestations.
Oftentimes, the DIY measures homeowners take to get rid of a home pest infestation only treat a small part of the problem, rather than targeting the root cause. For example, if a homeowner is dealing with rodent infestations, even using one of the best mouse traps to catch mice as they enter the kitchen won’t stop them from breeding behind the walls and within the home.
By enlisting a professional for help, homeowners can get preventive pest control services that provide long-term solutions. That’s because experts are well-versed in the types of pests that exist in their clients’ geographic areas and understand how to track them and eliminate them at the source.
Treating a pest problem quickly can help prevent damage.
Addressing a pest problem is crucial at first sight of the issue, particularly if homeowners are dealing with the type of pests that cause structural damage like mice or termites. Otherwise, homeowners could find themselves dealing with major problems within the home, such as property damage.
Calling in an expert quickly is the first step to preventing damage and getting control of an infestation. The earlier pest control services can begin removing the infestation, the easier it’ll be to manage. In contrast, ignoring a pest problem will not make it go away—it’ll only make matters worse behind the scenes, which can lead to long-term damage and significantly higher costs than if the problem was promptly handled.
Some pests can pose health risks, so it’s important to treat infestations effectively.
As pests like rodents, fleas, ants, and cockroaches make their way into the home, they carry germs and bacteria and have the potential to spread infectious diseases and viruses to inhabitants in the home. Additionally, those who struggle with health problems, such as asthma or allergies, may find their symptoms worsening due to an infestation.
Professional pest control saves homeowners time over DIY methods.
While homeowners may have access to DIY products to treat pest infestations, they don’t necessarily possess the knowledge that the best pest control companies (great options include Terminix, Orkin, Aptive, and Ehrlich) have needed to effectively target pests, leading to unaddressed or inadequate treatments that have minimal impact.
DIY products are cheaper in the short term but are generally less powerful and therefore less effective at eliminating infestations. Ultimately, homeowners could end up paying significantly more money on exterminator costs to fix the damage caused by their pest problem than they would have if they enlist expert help right away.
Additionally, DIY products can lead to dangerous exposure to chemicals for homeowners, their loved ones, and their pets if used incorrectly, posing serious health risks.
FAQs
Before you enlist the help of professional pest control services to handle an in-home infestation, discover answers to some commonly asked questions.
Q. How long is pest control effective?
Pest control treatments generally last anywhere from 60 to 90 days. Quarterly visits from a professional can ensure that preventative measures continue to work long-term as intended.
Q. What are the advantages of pest control?
Using pest control services provides peace of mind to homeowners and allows them to feel comfortable in their homes by effectively treating the source of the problem.
Q. How does pest control affect humans?
Professional pest control services have the knowledge and know-how to keep families safe by following EPA-certified practices and using solutions that are pet- and kid-friendly.
Q. Do mice come back after extermination?
A rodent infestation may require multiple visits from a pest control company to completely resolve the problem, as rodents often travel in hard-to-reach places and build multiple nests.
Q. How quickly can pest control get rid of mice?
While the exact time frame depends on treatment and infestation severity, pest control can be effective on mice within one to three months of treatment.
Q. Should pest control be done every month?
The frequency in which pest control is necessary varies depending on the amount and kind of pests in and around the home. While some treatments are only needed once, such as bed bug elimination, others will require more frequent treatments.
Q. How much is a pest control service?
Pest control services charge anywhere from $110 to $260 for a one-time service; however, this price will vary depending on the scale of the infestation and the type of pests.
