How often should a pest control company service my home? You should call a pest control business to come and service your home once a year. According to entomologist, Stoy Hedges, who is also Director of...
According to entomologist, Stoy Hedges, who is also Director of Technical Services at Terminix International, "It depends on what problem you are having. If you are dealing with serious cockroach problems you might need regular applications every month for awhile. If you live in the Northeast, quarterly pest control to keep your home relatively free of pests is quite good. In some cases, like Florida where you are dealing with certain types of ants, you might need a monthly pest control. In other homes and different neighborhoods in the same town, quarterly is fine. Most of our services are provided quarterly, every three months, and the professionals do a thorough exterior inspection."
Many pest control companies have adapted to a bimonthly or quarterly schedule as pest control technology has changed. No longer do companies just spray baseboards with the same materials used several years ago. Now the treatments are more directed at where the pest is located, and the treatments last longer.
One problem pest control companies have with the change is helping customers understand the new trends and why they are better than the typical old monthly treatments. If customers insist on monthly treatments, and expect to get the areas sprayed during each visit, they are unnecessarily exposing their home and themselves to chemicals. If the company comes out each month because of a specific problem they are targeting, that is different. Today's pest control management is a much more refined process, honing in on specific pests, specific locations and specific treatments for them. Some companies will come out to your home every month, to inspect the area in or outside your home for any new signs of infestations. They only apply treatments if evidence of pests is found.
In many cases, if you are set on a quarterly schedule and any signs of further problems develop, the schedule will increase to monthly visits until the problem is in hand. This is especially true where companies set bait-traps for termites. Termites can destroy structures in a relatively short period of time, and evidence of their presence demands prompt attention. When the problem is under control, the schedule will shift back to a quarterly basis.
The important thing about regular service from a pest control company is the flexibility to adapt the schedule to the needs of the home. You don't want blind spraying, just spraying on a schedule regardless of what the pest situation is. You want the service to adjust to the needs you have. Overspraying is not going to help anything. And today's pest professionals don't want to use chemicals unnecessarily. The methods of pest control management have become much more sophisticated than those old days of monthly spraying in general areas, like the baseboards.
If you have a busy schedule, don't worry that a pest control schedule will be too demanding. Many times the visits are to the exterior of the home only, as most insects are found on the outside of the home and can first be addressed from the exterior. Since many visits occur outside the home, you don't even have to be there.
So, the schedule you need may not be the same as your neighbor down the street. You need a plan that is made to fit your needs.
