Whether it’s ants in the kitchen, or a cockroach in the bathroom, these uninvited tenants can make your skin crawl and wreak havoc on your home, but before you call a professional to help get rid of them, there’s a few things you should know.
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As the weather warms up, so do the bugs. But before calling pest control, there are few tips consumers should keep in mind to protect their home and wallet.
Whether it's ants in the kitchen or a cockroach making a home in the bathroom – these uninvited tenants can make our skin crawl and wreak havoc on our home.
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WATCH HEREBut before calling in a professional to help to get rid of them, Consumers’ Checkbook warns that rushing into a contract could lead to big regrets later on.
“Things that pest control companies can do, you can do yourself,” Executive editor, Kevin Brasler, recommends avoiding companies that insist on signing a monthly or annual contract. For common household bugs, that’s usually unnecessary and expensive.
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SIGN UP “You sign up and then they come once a month to treat – whether you need it or not – so it maintains for them a steady flow of revenue. But a lot of homeowners don't need continuous service,” said Brasler. “Ask, ‘can I just pay for one treatment and maybe a follow-up treatment?’ Usually, you're going to do better off financially doing that than paying for a full year's worth of service that you don't need.”
While these bugs can be annoying, having termites shouldn’t be ignored. In that situation, a professional will be the best course of option, but make sure to get several quotes to see who offers the best treatment plan. And make sure it's from a licensed and experienced technician.
“And you really need to make sure that you do have active termite activity because what we find is a lot of pest control companies are happy to sell you thousands of dollars of work to treat for termites, when those homeowners don't actually have an active termite problem,” Brasler said. “And then also make sure that they actually treat the entire perimeter of your home, if that's what's needed. A lot of companies don't do the work that they promised to do, unfortunately.”
It’s important to take preventative measures at home now so you won’t be swarmed with a full-blown infestation later.
It’s recommended to seal cracks and openings, keep your home clean, store food properly, dispose of garbage regularly and eliminate standing water.
“It's important no matter what pest problem you have, if you're gonna hire a pest control company, find out what its guarantee is,” said Brasler.
