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Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,930,296 times
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Yes! I tried to do it myself and, while I made some progress, the pros were much, much faster and efficient.
I use a local company (not one of the franchises) and they were worth every single penny. Also, they can tell you exactly how the bugs are getting in and things you can do that work in tandem with what they're doing, so things get better even faster.
We have pets and did not have any issues.
I'd definitely get it taken care of fast. You don't want higher levels of the food chain moving in. You only know about the pests you can see.
Moving into a home that has been vacant for the last 5 years. LOTS of spiders and bugs. Wife wants to pay a couple hundred bucks to have a guy come spray outside and inside. We have a dog, 1 year old, and my wife is pregnant.
I don't think it is a good idea, but she insists. Are exterminators worth their money? And will it be effective?
First, plan on a few weeks time before move in. With a one year old and a pregnant wife you have no choice no matter what you do. You just can't have it both ways.
Rule #1: Pest control is a ripoff. First off, they'll usually only come out if you sign a contract for return visits. Bee ESS! I don't do that. I'll decide whether their spraying accomplished anything and hence, whether or not I want them back. Secondly, when it comes to spiders, bugs, ants and stuff like that, I use Cyper WP. It is a permethrum, water suspended powder that is the only thing that can kill spiders; also good for eliminating ants, and roaches too. Anything that walks through it dies. In your case, I'd first go through the place cleaning and vacuuming thoroughly, every nook and cranny you can reach; then fog the place - buy a few 4 packs, seal off the place, and go to town. Then do your Cyper WP. Spritz it anywhere you think spiders hang out - under sinks, recesses, floor wall junctions, the garage the basement; outdoors I do a 2' perimeter (garden sprayer is good for this) Clean off counter tops and the like, and then you're good to go in. Permethrum is really pretty safe for people (but deadly to spiders). A dusting of boric acid powder (must be kept dry) under sinks and back of stove, refrigerator, is insurance against roaches. You don't know who lived there before. It could be roach infested. There is nothing like boric acid powder to eliminate roaches - like for good. Boric acid powder is cheap and also most easily gotten on line.
This will do way WAY more to bugproof the place then any pest control outfit. I haven't found a living thing in my desert home in years once I discovered Cyper WP. Available on line. Just make sure you get the authentic stuff (I've heard there are imposters; the real stuff is about 50 - 60 dollars a tub, which will last you years).
Last edited by TwinbrookNine; 08-28-2015 at 10:10 AM..
The second home I bought had been lived in by two elderly people who had gone into nursing homes - the house was a mess. I set off a fogger in each room and 2 in the crawlspace and let them sit overnight. The next day when I returned, I figured anything that had been living there would be dead - wrong! There were things that had apparently just been aggravated enough by the foggers to come out of the walls/etc. and were running around the house. I was killing them with the fogger boxes! (I can't step on big insects - they squish.) It took 2 more total foggings to pretty much eliminate all of the insects, although occasionally one would emerge from a baseboard heater months after I had moved in. Personally, I recommend hiring the exterminator.
Oh heavens, yes! At least, they are to me. I can afford one. They are in and out, and no more bugs, period. I would rather do something else with my own time, and don't need the aggravation. YMMV
The thing about exterminators is they aren't very expensive, and once you sign up, your insects are THEIR problem, not yours.
After 5 years in the south, I'd finally reached my wits end with the palmetto bugs. We used to get one once in awhile, but this year we were getting one almost every day. Anyway, after the initial treatment (inside and out) we were still getting one or two a week. So I called and they came back and re-sprayed. My piece of mind is worth it.
I see a lot of comments about customer service issues... that's going to be HIGHLY variable. People claiming their companies clean up (Ha!), the 3 small and locals I tried all made a MESS, from tracking mud through my house (on their boots) to leaving drips down Every wall surface. Others think that it's unlimited service... and that's what actually drove me to DIY. It's frustrating and time consuming to Constantly be calling them every time you need someone out, and then waiting on their "Oh, about X o-clock, within an hour either way" schedule... you Easily waste more time that way.
And the whole nonsense of having more bugs if vacant for a long time... those things need food, humans typically provide their food source and a vacant home is going to have very little of that. What does exist (my own home was a vacant foreclosure) is easily resolved by spraying twice. 2 10-minute sessions about a week apart, ideally one of those will be before moving anything in and after doing the initial cleaning.
But worth it is subjective. From a money perspective, as in how much out of pocket, it makes no sense. What I was spending in a year on service (that was of lower quality than what I can do for myself, with less time hassle), now has bought my reasonably high-end sprayer and chemicals enough for 3 years. From a time perspective, it's still not really worth it ~ you've got people wandering through your home (risk of criminal action, either theft at the time, scoping out and theft later by the same person or because they told a friend about your great TV with a smaller risk of scoping out for personal attack), possibly causing a mess you have to clean, making sure you're available when they might be able to come by, etc... it all adds up. Maybe my risk tolerance is low, not to mention my tolerance for valve received for dollar spent, but this should be a no-brainer. It's not like it takes thousands of dollars in specialized tools and years worth of knowledge like a mechanic, plumber, electrician, etc... This is akin to paying for a housekeeper, it's a Convenience, one that have very little return for the cost when compared to just doing it yourself. Or maybe C-D has a high proportion of people who make so much money that it's just a paltry sum to spend... like tossing some change in a tip jar.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,930,296 times
Reputation: 9885
I think it may depend on your bug problem and tolerance level. I had a cricket problem, but I was able to treat it. Had an ant problem, I handled that, too. Silverfish started to freak me out, but I got rid of them as well. Then, after 20 years, I had a roach problem. That elevates things to a whole new level. I have no tolerance for them or the diseases they carry.
My local guy didn't require a contract and no guarantees. Explained his whole treatment process and said it would probably take 3 months for them to be completely gone. I think I paid $150 for the initial treatment (did my whole house even though only saw them in kitchen), then $50/month for 2 months to spray and apply more bait. He explained the nasty little creatures' life cycles and habits and gave me things to do when he wasn't there. He also offers quarterly treatment at $50/quarter. He is worth every single penny I paid him.
I definitely think it's wroth it - but the thing is most people are lazy and haphazard about choosing an exterminator. When I was starting from scratch I think I called 20-30 places, asking questions, before a chose one. And then, having chosen, when he came over, I followed him around to make sure he was doing a thorough job.
I'm not sure what a one year old dog has to do with things?
With a preggers wife, the ONLY way I would use an exterminator who used toxics was if he did it 2 weeks before she entered the dwelling, giving it plenty of time to air out.
One of the main reasons I wrote the sticky at the top of the forum was to reduce the amount of neuro-chemicals people were needlessly exposing themselves to.
If there are lots of visible bugs, the first thing needed is to have the place thoroughly cleaned, ALL crevices and crannies vacuumed, and all surfaces and wiped down. Then and then only does it make sense to attack any remaining bugs.
A house sitting vacant for five years is OBVIOUSLY going to have a buildup of dead bugs. That does NOT mean the place is infested and needs to be nuked. It means that for five years, almost all bugs that entered have died before they got out, and a few spiders found a place for a buffet.
Any major food source for bugs is probably long gone. Prudent spraying in crevices removal and inspections of electric receptacle and switch covers, inspection of the foundation, and a little boric acid may be all that is needed.
I have nothing against COMPETENT pest control people. My experience has been that well over 50% are not competent and a DIY job allows me to have more control..
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I was killing them with the fogger boxes! (I can't step on big insects - they squish.) It took 2 more total foggings to pretty much eliminate all of the insects, although occasionally one would emerge from a baseboard heater months after I had moved in. Personally, I recommend hiring the exterminator.
Exterminator's, worth the money?
