Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > North Carolina > Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary
 [Register]
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary The Triangle Area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-21-2010, 11:06 AM
 
98 posts, read 178,520 times
Reputation: 20

Advertisements

I heard a story about a black widow and a cottonmouth....so is an exterminator a regular part of your monthly bills like your mortgage, gas and electric bill?

Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-21-2010, 11:35 AM
 
9,680 posts, read 27,101,356 times
Reputation: 4163
Quote:
Originally Posted by Where'sHome? View Post
I heard a story about a black widow and a cottonmouth....so is an exterminator a regular part of your monthly bills like your mortgage, gas and electric bill?

Thanks!
My landlord has Dodson Brothers every Friday. All you need to do is ask if you need service.

So far, only issues we had in 5 years is ants.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-21-2010, 11:43 AM
 
13,811 posts, read 27,334,235 times
Reputation: 14244
No no real reason to. If you get ants or other insects inside buy some Ortho Fire Ant killer, sprinkle about a 3" section around your foundation. If you want to kill bugs in your yard spread it around your yard with a rotary spreader.

Takes about half an hour total and $15 a year. Do it in the spring.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-21-2010, 11:50 AM
 
321 posts, read 878,182 times
Reputation: 156
Heck no! Our exterminator comes out once a year for our termite protection, and we've had to call twice to spray for ants, but that's it! We use a general bug killer around the outside perimeter of the house on a regular basis and that seems to do the trick!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-21-2010, 12:34 PM
 
Location: Oxxford Hunt, Cary NC
4,477 posts, read 11,587,750 times
Reputation: 4263
Definitely not! I don't like to use pesticides, and will only break out the Ortho Home Defense spray when the ants get bold and decide to invade my house! Other than that, I'm totally "live and let live."
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-21-2010, 01:10 PM
 
98 posts, read 178,520 times
Reputation: 20
I am not worried about ants - just stuff that can kill you. Black Widow spiders. Icky. Cotton mouth snakes - my husband would drop dead on the spot just to see one. (BIG fear of snakes!)

And I suppose termites. I believe they're worse in the south than where I was raised.

So have you seen any black widows? Yuck.

Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-21-2010, 01:25 PM
 
47 posts, read 192,992 times
Reputation: 29
I will throw in that I was down there last week for 6 days and I am TERRIFIED of snakes and spiders. I looked and looked and looked and never saw a snake. Even at Bond Park! I'm not sure if this is typical but I certainly felt good knowing they aren't just running around everywhere you go haha
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-21-2010, 01:47 PM
 
9,680 posts, read 27,101,356 times
Reputation: 4163
Quote:
Originally Posted by Where'sHome? View Post
I am not worried about ants - just stuff that can kill you. Black Widow spiders. Icky. Cotton mouth snakes - my husband would drop dead on the spot just to see one. (BIG fear of snakes!)

And I suppose termites. I believe they're worse in the south than where I was raised.

So have you seen any black widows? Yuck.

Thanks!
I once picked up a broom that was infested by carpenter bees. They stung the heck out of my hand.

Never heard of them until moving to Raleigh.

My son's pediatrician explained them to me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-21-2010, 02:22 PM
 
Location: Poway, CA
2,698 posts, read 12,126,668 times
Reputation: 2251
We have the same people that do our termite work spray inside and out once a season. Matter of fact, they were out today. Good thing, too. The bugs are definitely out and about now.

Mike
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-21-2010, 02:31 PM
 
13,811 posts, read 27,334,235 times
Reputation: 14244
Quote:
Originally Posted by Where'sHome? View Post
I am not worried about ants - just stuff that can kill you. Black Widow spiders. Icky. Cotton mouth snakes - my husband would drop dead on the spot just to see one. (BIG fear of snakes!)

And I suppose termites. I believe they're worse in the south than where I was raised.

So have you seen any black widows? Yuck.

Thanks!
There's not much you can do to keep snakes away short of removing food sources such as rodents.

To keep out spiders and insects get some "Home Defense" spray at Lowes (in combination with the Orthomax fire ant killer), it comes in a white bottle with red label. Spray that around your foundation outside your home and in your garage.

The only black widows I've seen were in my garage before treating the perimeter with the "Home Defense" spray.

Termite treatments are a 50/50, I have a slab and don't bother with a program because typically what they do is just inspect your home for the yearly fee and treat if necessary. For a slab home like mine it's OBVIOUS when termites are present as you can see the tunnels on the outside of your foundation (there is no other place for them to enter). Instead of the once yearly inspection (and paying someone to do it) I just simply observe my foundation when weed-eating around it. Crawl space homes are different, it would be a PITA to inspect them so having someone do it for $100/year might be worth it to you.

If I were to get termites calling on the pros is well worth it though, as the DIY options aren't very good and the "good stuff" is only sold to the pros.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > North Carolina > Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary
Similar Threads
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top