You did your own termite treatment?

Termite treatment is best left to a professional.  In today’s economy many people are trying to save money by “doing it themselves” . In most cases making an attempt to solve a problem yourself is a noble idea but at what point do the skills you have and the equipment at hand fall short?

I used to work with a home inspector who prior to his death repeated a funny line every time he inspected a home that had “homeowner” type repairs; with a laugh he would say “look honey I did it myself! The obvious connotation being it was substandard and in some cases dangerous.

The big box home centers have given all homeowners the idea that they can fix anything. In some cases they can, but many times major or dangerous repairs should be left to the professionals.

So you ask; how does this relate to pest control? Here are a few facts:

1. Most rodenticide poisonings come from store bought materials applied by the general public.
2. Termite treatments on average require 200 gallons or more of finished termiticide to adequately protect a home from termites. These products are delivered with equipment that can cost in excess of $1000.
3. Most homeowners don’t know the difference between an ant swarmmer and a termite swarmmer
4. Most homeowners don’t know how to treat powder post beetles effectively without pesticides.
5. Most homeowners don’t know the difference between a wood roach and a German roach or why this id is important.

Here are the pest control projects you can tackle on your own:

1. Exterior only general pest control for prevention of pests. Put “yourself” on a schedule
2. Rodent control with snap traps or glueboards only.
3. Lawn fertilization and insect control.
4. Wasp control at night.

So go ahead and give pest problems a try on your own, it certainly won’t hurt. You just need to know your limits and when its time to call a professional. You may want to yell “look honey I did it myself”, but you definitely don’t want to be the butt of a long standing joke.

If you need help we can be reached at 1-888-879-6481