Why DIY Pest Control Treatments Don’t Work
Have you ever had a pest infestation on your property?
Maybe it was mice, white ants or termites eating away at the foundations of your house. Or maybe it was a bug like cockroaches or spiders.
When dealing with a pesticide infestation, you may be tempted to tackle the issue yourself.
However, while doing it yourself may seem like a good idea, any mishap could cost you thousands of dollars in repairs and damages.
Research suggests that homeowners are more likely to spend more on maintenance costs due to self-serving pest control treatments.
The simple reason is that DIY pest control treatments don’t work!
They’re generally ineffective at killing the pests and their eggs and can even be dangerous depending on the chemicals you use. Incorrect handling of pests can also lead to infectious bites. Recent studies have shown that insect bites and stings are the most common cause of emergency room visits in the United States, with over 100,000 people being admitted for it every year.
To find out more about why DIYs misfire, keep reading:
1. Pests Can Survive Difficult Conditions
For starters, pests are crafty. A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime. Bed bugs can live for more than a year without food. And cockroaches can survive underwater for 45 minutes! These pests know how to hide and survive in the roughest conditions. There’s no way that you can eliminate them with a one-time treatment.
2. You Don’t Know The Source Of The Problem
DIY treatments might not even be effective at all, depending on the type of pests you’re dealing with.For example, if you’re trying to get rid of bed bugs, but you don’t know where their nest is located, spraying bug spray all over your linen will not affect them.
Bed bugs live in mattresses and furniture, so you need professional treatment if you want to get rid of them. The same issue may come up with cockroaches or mice since they like to hide in small spaces and hard-to-reach areas. If you want to get rid of these pests, hire an exterminator who knows how to track them down to their source and treat them appropriately.
3. You Don’t Have The Right Products
DIY products typically contain pesticides that aren’t strong enough to kill all of the pests infesting your home. While these treatments might kill some pests, they won’t eradicate them completely, which means they’ll continue to multiply and come back bigger than ever before.
Hiring a pest control company is the only way to get rid of pests is to eliminate the infestation, so they don’t return.
Professional exterminators have access to more potent products than those sold in stores. If you want to keep your family safe from toxic chemicals, consider hiring an eco-friendly pest control company that uses non-toxic products and techniques like Xterminator Pest Control.
Our professional exterminators are trained to properly identify pests, and then choose the safest and most effective one-time pest control treatment method to get rid of them.
We also provide termite inspection and bedbug removal services in Columbus, Ohio.
Reach out to us today and schedule an appointment or visit our website for more information about our residential exterminator services.
Termites: How Do They Attack Your Home
Would you be surprised if we told you that termites cause more than a billion dollars in damage every year in the US and can even lead to major structural damage?
Most people are completely oblivious to the numerous types of termites, the long-term effects of their presence in the home, and how they grow and reproduce.
Termites, are also popularly known as silent destroyers, are the quintessential problem that you don’t notice until it’s too late.
Hidden in the dirt under your home, they can eat through the wood in a very short time, damaging your home’s foundation.
If you care for your valuable property, investing in termite protection is a great option.
But before that, it’s best to learn about how termites attack.
What Happens When Termite Attack?
Termites are always looking for food and water. Your home provides both things, making it a prime target for termites.
Termites are naturally blind and don’t have a great sense of taste or smell, so they have to crawl around by feeling until they find something that tastes like food.
There are two main types of termites: Subterranean and Drywood.
- Subterranean termitesobtain moisture from the soil and build tunnels through which they travel to reach above-ground sources of food (structures).
- Drywood termiteslive in undecayed wood with low moisture content. Their nests may be found above ground or in infested wood.
These tiny insects usually enter structures through cracks in foundations or where pipes and wires go into a building. Since they like to stay hidden and out of sight, they’ll often hide in dark, damp places like under a pile of rotting wood or inside a wall cavity.
Once inside, they start looking for wood, cardboard, or paper—anything made of cellulose—which they can chew up and digest. If they find it, they set up camp and start eating it non-stop until it’s too late.
The three main stages of a termite attack are:
1. Incubation
The incubation stage is the time it takes for the eggs to hatch into larvae. This period can be as short as one month or last for several years, depending on the species of termite involved.
2. Colonization
After hatching, the larvae feed and develop into workers, soldiers, or reproductive (kings and queens). Colonies often have millions of members in them, depending on their age and size.
3. Destruction
During this stage, worker termites will have become fully established in your house. They find wood and begin eating it immediately, causing serious structural damage as they expand their nest within your walls or foundation.
What Is The Best Termite Treatment?
Getting immediate professional termite treatment is the best way to eliminate termite colonies by targeting worker termites that forage in the soil for food sources or wood that touches or is in contact with the ground. If a nest is found close to your home, it may be necessary for us to treat it by trenching near it and applying bait to eliminate it.
At Xterminator Pest Control, we use liquid treatments that are long-lasting, effective, and environmentally friendly. We also offer termite inspection and termite prevention services in Columbus, Ohio.
Reach out to us today to schedule an appointment or visit our website for more information about our residential exterminator services.