Pest Extermination Tips

LESLIE: Elaine in North Carolina is looking to keep some bugs out of the house. What kind of bugs are you seeing?

ELAINE: Oh, it’s just an assortment of different kinds of bugs: maybe some palmettos, spiders, you know; not like termites or anything like that. But if we don’t – so far, if we don’t pay an exterminator to come in and spray, you know, every three or four months, they come in the house.

TOM: Yeah, and that’s a problem because with the way these insects are today, the treatments are very, very specific. You know, pest control has changed to the point where the chemicals that we’re using are very, very specific and you can’t put sort of the generic chemicals down anymore and expect them to do the job. You really need to have the pro come in and spray the right products down to keep the infestations down on the bugs that are inside your house.

So aside from sealing and caulking and making sure you have good screens and things like that, if you do want to keep those bugs away from your house you really need a pro to spray every now and again.

LESLIE: Is it more cost-effective if you sign up for some sort of maintenance service plan with the extermination company to sort of, you know, keep costs down from them coming back every so often?

TOM: I think that it is but I tell you I’m so concerned about the level of pesticides that we put in our homes, I always recommend a pro over the do-it-yourself products because I think people tend to over-apply and actually put themselves and their family at greater risk.

ELAINE: OK.

TOM: Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.