There is a whole market for people who like to do it yourself. I am one of them. I enjoy the occasional weekend project around the house like painting, fixing a leaky faucet, or changing out fixtures. However, there are some do it yourself projects that are just not for me. I don’t touch wires, I don’t clean high chandeliers, and I don’t clean out gutters (thank goodness Northwest Exterminating does). Those are the tasks that I leave for the professionals.
In the recent years of the down economy, we have witnessed more people resorting to a do it yourself method of getting rid of bugs. There are certain situations where we agree that do it yourself is a good alternative to hiring an exterminator. If you spot a single bug such as a fly, yellow jacket, or ant, there is usually no need for a professional pest control company to come to your home. But if you spot a termite, a bed bug, or any other insect that can cause damage to your family or your home, it is necessary to call an exterminator.
There are certain things that need to be considered when deciding to DIY or hire a professional:
- Expense
o DIY – A trip to the store and the purchase of chemicals is typically less expensive than hiring a pest control company.
o Professional – Although the initial investment is more expensive with a professional, it may end up being the cheaper alternative. If the in store pesticides are not effective they may result in the growth of your pest control problem. Continuing to buy in store products can get expensive. Not to mention the potential damage to your home that pests can cause.
- Convenience
o DIY – When doing it yourself, you can go to the store, purchase the pest control product, and apply it at your own convenience.
o Professional – It can be a pain to find a time that is convenient for both you and your exterminator to meet at your home for a treatment. More often than not, this is at the inconvenience of the customer. However, a good exterminator will work with the homeowner to schedule the best time for them.
- Knowledge
o DIY – The instructions are on the label. Not only can information be found on the label but it is very easy to go to the internet and do a research on the particular product or insect. Be sure that all instructions are followed exactly as listed on the package.
o Professional – An experienced and knowledgeable exterminator will be able to quickly identify and treat your problem. They are also able to answer any questions that you have about prevention or other issues that you are experiencing. Their experience and expertise can keep your home and family healthier than just reading the instructions on a label.
- Risk
o DIY – Chemicals of any kind can carry a risk. Applying chemicals that you are not knowledgeable about could potentially cause harm to humans, pets, or plants in the area. This is not to scare you but to remind you that we cannot stress enough the importance to read all instructions and follow all directions listed on the product label.
o Professionals – By hiring an experienced and knowledgeable pest control company, most risk is removed from the homeowner. Be sure to read all contracts and get reviews from past customers before hiring a pest control company.
- Effectiveness
o DIY – For small pest problems, store bought exterminating products can oftentimes be effective. For a bigger infestation, it can be more difficult with store bought products. Pests are adaptable creatures and can get become immune to certain chemicals after a certain amount of time.
o Professionals – A reliable pest control company will have up to date information and products to treat your infestation.
- Warranties
o DIY – Depending on the store and product, you can return a product. Check your local store return policies before purchasing.
o Professionals – Always ask about a company’s policies before hiring them to treat your home. Will they return to your home for no charge if your issue is not solved? Do they offer warranties on their work? A good exterminating company will.
When trying to decide if you should tackle your pest control problem, consider the list above. For a small infestation, do it yourself is a good option that can be inexpensive. For larger infestations or a continuing problem, save yourself the time, hassle, and money and call a professional exterminator. As always, the key to pest control is prevention. For pest prevention tips visit this blog.
If you have a pest or termite issue in the Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah, or Nashville area, call Northwest Exterminating.
What kind of do-it-yourself projects do you enjoy?
Have you ever tried to do-it-yourself and had to call in the professionals?
I appreciate your tip about how a professional exterminator will be able to identify and treat your problem. I imagine that it would be important to find someone who can find out what is wrong quickly and be able to eliminate the problem. My wife and I have had some termite problems in our home, maybe its time to hire an exterminator to get rid of the problem quickly.
I appreciate the comparison you have here between DIY pest control and hiring a pro. For me, the biggest plus of hiring a professional is the experience and knowledge they have. Like you said, they can answer any questions I may have, and know how to handle almost any problem.
“Do it yourself” pest control products are becoming more common as people are becoming more educated on the subject. Whether you’re in need of termite control, ant control, bed bug control, crawling insect control, or want to get rid of all those carpenter bees, we have all the professional grade pest products and pesticides you’ll need to get results and protect your home from nearly every kind of bug, rodent, or animal.
It’s scary to think that so many people are trying to do DIY pest control. I know that most people like doing things themselves, but when it comes to chemicals, I don’t dare. I would much rather hire a pro, since they will be more safe.
Thanks for pointing out the fact that vermin can cause you a lot more damage and harm in the long run. My sister recently saw some pests in her house and hasn’t been sure whether she wants to try to deal with them herself or call an extermination service. I’ll be sure to let her know that she’ll actually be saving money by hiring a pest extermination company, considering the vermin in her home could end up costing her a lot more.
I appreciated that fact about how hiring a professional may end up being the cheaper option. I’ve been the fence about whether it would be a good idea to try getting rid of the pest in my house on my own. However, this has convinced me that it would be better to hire professional pest removal services.
I like how you said that you can save a lot of money buying pest control equipment from a hardware store or something like that. My wife and I are a little paranoid about bugs but we don’t want to worry about involving a lot of people in it. Being able to buy a few chemicals to help us keep things down to a minimum seems like a good way to go about things.
Do-it-yourself pest control is best suited for mild pest problems. However, many professional pest control companies offer some type of warranty on their services.
You make a great point that hiring a pest control company is a huge benefit because they will be able to identify and treat the core pest problem. Also, the fact that they can answer questions about prevention and any other issues that I have. It is very important for me to find a pest company that uses chemicals that are safe and good for the environment because this will give me peace of mind that the pest control chemicals will be safe for my family and uses in my home.
It’s good to know more about pest control. I like how you said that using chemicals by yourself carries a risk. I don’t want to mess with that so I’ll hire a pro to help deal with the ants in my kitchen.