Still need pest service in winter? (home, camper, disposing)

[JustPassinThru]

Originally Posted by Charles

I understand what you are writing.

It seems a lot of people have not pest control at all, and they DIY all year including summer.

Also, how much risk is there of an insect problem in winter? I understand the mice/rodents problem probably increases in winter (we had none this past winter but my neighbors did two winters ago).

If you possess common sense, can follow directions, and have the time, there are many pest problems which can be controlled by DIY. However, without a knowledge of insect and rodent biology, habitat, and behavior, there are many other situations which are beyond the ability of most people, and there is a potential for harming non-target species and even family pets.

Your location is paramount in determing what type of pest problems you might encounter in winter. In SoCal, most of my insect calls were for roaches, followed by foodpests.

[DvlsAdvc8]

I'm prepared to nuke my backyard to eliminate the ant hills that keep popping up.

[gsp4ever]

We have a termite bond and nothing else. Hubby is a big DIY (read: cheap engineer) type of guy. We don't have pest problems inside the house. Knock on wood.

We have seen black widows in the garage and crawlspace so we spray for those and take some extra precautions in those areas. We have been fighting mosquitoes this year (finally sprayed the yard with chemicals) and he just does a little bit of research about the product and how to keep the pets safe. Oh, yeah--he's been known to fight a fire ant or two over the years.

Some of our neighbors have Cooks (and others) coming around regularly and I'm honestly not sure if that's necessary. I guess it's an ounce of prevention.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by gsp4ever

Some of our neighbors have Cooks (and others) coming around regularly and I'm honestly not sure if that's necessary. I guess it's an ounce of prevention.

I'm tempted to suspend until spring Cooks too, but I know the day after I suspend, I'll hear the mice or rats doing Disco Duck in the walls and I'd have to do the icky job of getting rid of the rats myself.

[gsp4ever]

Originally Posted by Charles

I'm tempted to suspend until spring Cooks too, but I know the day after I suspend, I'll hear the mice or rats doing Disco Duck in the walls and I'd have to do the icky job of getting rid of the rats myself.

Use the live trap where the door closes on one end. Then drown them in a bucket of water. Wait 'til the air bubbles stop coming up. Then dump them in the trash can (and scream or go "ew, ew, eeewwwwwww" as needed)

That's what my Dad used to do.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by gsp4ever

Then drown them in a bucket of water. Wait 'til the air bubbles stop coming up.

I don't have the stomach for that.

[gsp4ever]

Originally Posted by Charles

I don't have the stomach for that.

Well, can't say that I've done it myself.
Might be easier to open the wallet then.

[Mawoods]

Hey Charles, even if you have mice, Cooks will come out and put a few traps down like they did for us. They DO NOT come back and get the dead things. That was my husband's job!!!! You can get those traps that you throw away without touching the mouse. Also, the service didn't do anything about closing up the house. That is really up to you. they might make some suggestions but it in the end is up to you. You will end up doing the dirty work anyway. I do bug granules myself all year around on the periphery of the house and we have no problems. My husband is in charge of mice patrol -- making sure they can't get in. And precaution is taen by putting those things outside along the house that the mice go in and eat poison but nothing else can get in. That is what a professional uses , which we used when we first moved in. He also threw a few poison blocks in the attic. All of which you can do yourself. Just use wisdom. We have a cat and we would never endanger him or the birds that I feed or the wildlife around us.

[skinem]

We're in the country with no homes in sight, house in the woods with hay field behind us and horse/cow pasture on one side...DIY for bugs, no issues. Went with Cook's termite control.
The first fall/winter we were in the house we had mice issues. Since then, we've been more proactive. A couple of outdoor cats (which have mushroomed into many barn cats), and about this time of year I chuck a few of those poison bait blocks under the crawl space, make sure entry points are still sealed, and set a few traps at points where we've had issues. We haven't had any in the house since that first fall, haven't heard any in the walls since then, and last year didn't even catch any in the traps, and fewer bait blocks were eaten.

I think that's due largely to the burgeoning cat population--they're stopping them before they even get to the house!

[gsp4ever]

Originally Posted by skinem

...burgeoning cat population--they're stopping them before they even get to the house!

Cat is also a good option, unless they start bringing you "presents". Ewww.

I think one, maybe two (spayed/neutered) would be satisfactory if you lived in a neighborhood. Of course,you might spend more on cat food/litter and veterinary costs than you would on a Cooks contract.