It’s easy to overlook pest control as a critical part of taking care of a house, but without it, you can quickly find yourself in a situation where you are forced to expend far more time, money, and energy dealing with an established infestation. Just like other common household chores like yard work, sweeping, and laundry, pest control has an important place in the roster of activities we need to do to make sure our home stays in good condition, is comfortable to live in, and retains its full resale value.
Generally, a pest control routine once every quarter, or about 4 times a year, should be enough to keep common household pests at bay, although there are a few factors that can affect this.
What Happens During Routine Pest Control Visits?
Before contracting out this work to a professional pest control company, it’s important to understand what they will be doing, so you can make sure that you get all the value you deserve out of it. When done properly, pest control is a smart and economical investment that will save you money and energy in the long term by preventing household damage or costly infestations that can lead to structural damage or health and safety concerns.
On a typical quarterly pest control visit, the technician will perform the following tasks, with some variance due to location and standard types of pests found:
Comprehensive and detailed interior and exterior examination
This is a critical part of the job and one that is best done by experts. There’s an old mechanics joke about an old-timer who fixes an aircraft by simply hitting a part with a hammer, and then sends a bill for $20,000 with the following itemized list: “Hitting with hammer: 2$. Knowing where to hit and how hard: $19,800”.
While your pest control bill won’t be anywhere near $20,000, there’s an important point made in this joke. Namely, it’s worth it to pay the experts to come and check everything out, because they know where to look and how to catch things that those with untrained eyes will not catch. For example, during a quarterly inspection, the pest control expert might notice a slightly discolored piece of drywall or a wall that sounds hollow when tapped on a stud, which are both subtle signs of a termite infestation.
For those who would have never noticed such tiny and almost invisible signs, the termite infestation could have gotten worse and worse unabated, until you are left with major structural damage to the house – which actually can rack up a bill of $20,000 or more.
Traps, baiting, and pesticides
Another extremely important aspect of quarterly pest control is the traps, bait, and other pesticides they will use. Chemical and physical pest control methods like these are considered the most effective means of mitigation, especially when used in conjunction with one another.
Hiring professionals means that you won’t have to worry about using the right kind of traps or chemicals, can rest assured that they know the safety protocols of them inside and out, and that they have experience placing them in the best way to stop pests from getting established. This type of pest control has evolved to the point where professionals can do it in a way that will never harm pets or children, so you won’t have to worry about potential safety hazards from pesticides in your house.
The golden rule of pest control is, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, for the simple fact that established infestations are far harder and more expensive to remove than simply maintaining a proper pest control routine in the first place.
Other Pest Control Benefits
Besides these important procedures, other benefits come with quarterly or regularly scheduled pest control. Usually, you’ll get a warranty that will cover any pests that return before your next appointment. This can be looked at as a form of “pest insurance” that will prevent you from having to pay for the removal of an extreme infestation by paying a smaller amount a few times a year to prevent them from getting established in the first place.
Peace of mind is key, as we all have enough issues to worry about. Let the pest control experts take a load off of your mind by scheduling regular pest control appointments. That way, you won’t have to worry about it, and it will be another thing you can easily check off of your to-do list.
No one likes to deal with roaches, rats, silverfish, spiders, and all the other nasty, dangerous, and unpleasant creatures that attempt to share your home regularly. Contact a pest control company today and experience this peace of mind for yourself!
