$50 a month for bug spray?

[Rage187]

grr, what a racket.

$75 a quarter for pest control
+
$75 a quarter for termite bond
=
$50 a freaking month.

Were not talking rats or roaches. We get the occasional spider, there is not a tree within 5 acres. House is 1700sqft.


Both big national chains want to charge about the same. Do people do better with a local company? Guess I'll be getting a quote from a non chain pest control company.

 

[bignateyk]

Just buy a can of the spray from wal-mart for a few bucks and do it yourself. They use pretty much the same thing. You can even do the termite preventative treatments yourself.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Yeah, I'm paying about $40/month for service. The guy comes out every quarter (I think?) and just sprays around baseboards and outside. They'll come out for free if we have any (covered) pest problems, but we haven't yet. Costs too much.

 

[BoomerD]

Meh...they're all about the same.

We had Clark for a few years. Not only did they do bug control, but they also did lawn and shrub care as well. Unfortunately, (for me) the fertilizer they used was so good, I almost needed to mow twice per week...
We finally cut their services just because of the nearly $100/month cost. I LOVED what they did...but not the cost.

 

[rudder]

Save the money. Take precautions like not using mulch nuggets close to the house. And if you have a crawl space... inspect it once a month for free. if you see little mud lines going up the wood you have termites.

 

[Wyndru]

That's how much terminix charged me, and I saw no results. We originally had termite swarmers each year (although the bait stations found nothing after 2 years), and after general pest spraying regularly (quarterly prevention) we still ended up getting significant carpenter ant damage. Luckily they have insurance to cover it, so they paid for the replacement of the wall, but they basically told me they failed and I had to cancel the service.

I have a company "Cat's Eye" that is much better, they took care of our issue.

Another thing to watch out with terminix, they don't like to fill all of their termite bait stations, they only fill 1 or two, and just rotate the bait around the house. I found that out, and had their service manager come out to look at it. He found that not only were most of the stations missing, they were filled with mold, and should have been changed more regularly. That company sucks, I'm so glad I went with a smaller company.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Were not talking rats or roaches. We get the occasional spider, there is not a tree within 5 acres. House is 1700sqft.

So why are you even getting the service? As mentioned, just get a jug of the stuff from a hardware store and spray it yourself.

When my wife and I lived in Florida, we forced the landlord to pay for such a service because of an absurd ant problem. Insightful as those assholes were, they'd rather pay $50/month for an eternity, rather than $500-$600 from the start to find and kill the source.

 

[Rage187]

I think our mortgage company requires a termite bond because we live in the south.

 

[cerebusPu]

if you have no known bug and termite problems why pay someone else $50 a month to treat it? we pay $100 a year for a termite inspection and they came out to spray and inject the problem areas as part of the yearly fee. the house is on a wooded lot and termites are expected every year.

we also have ant, spider, crickets, and mice. We dont pay anyone to treat these. i just put out ant bait, spray around the outside of the house and in the basement, and put out mouse traps. A jug of spray is like $20 and they last for more than a year. I have to keep spraying every two weeks so I am considering using some stronger pro-grade chemicals this year. its not hard work and i dont want to pay $400 a year for someone else to do it.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

grr, what a racket.

$75 a quarter for pest control
+
$75 a quarter for termite bond
=
$50 a freaking month.

Were not talking rats or roaches. We get the occasional spider, there is not a tree within 5 acres. House is 1700sqft.

Buy a sprayer and the concentrated chemicals at your local home improvement and do it yourself. If you spray your foundation a couple of times a year, you'll be fine. If you want to spray your indoor baseboards, make sure the chemical is "household safe" but in all honesty, I wouldn't bother if you just have the occasional spider, ant, or centipede.

EDIT: For termites, I'd probably have a professional inspect.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

we also have ant, spider, crickets, and mice. We dont pay anyone to treat these. i just put out ant bait, spray around the outside of the house and in the basement, and put out mouse traps. A jug of spray is like $20 and they last for more than a year. I have to keep spraying every two weeks so I am considering using some stronger pro-grade chemicals this year. its not hard work and i dont want to pay $400 a year for someone else to do it.

We mainly have spiders and centipedes and the occasional earwig. If we start noticing them frequently, I'll spray the foundation and within a couple of days, you won't see any in the house.

Also, OP, inspect your foundation and window caulk and recaulk as needed. I recaulked our foundation last summer and it also had a noticeable effect on cutting down insects getting into the house.

 

[KaOTiK]

I just go to the local DIY place and buy this stuff I think it is called Deamon that is in this water solvable package that you put in the sprayer and fill with water. I spray my yard and border of the house like every 3-4 months and I never have a problem and it is soooo much cheaper and so easy to do.

 

[Rage187]

We are on a slab but I will definitely check where it meets the siding. House was built in 2006.

Someone mentioned Clarks. I just called them and are having them come give an estimate on pest, termite and weed control. I like to mow though, .10 acres using a 42" deck riding lawnmower.

 

[highland145]

I like to mow though, .10 acres using a 42" deck riding lawnmower.

10 minutes?

Buy a sprayer and the concentrated chemicals at your local home improvement and do it yourself. If you spray your foundation a couple of times a year, you'll be fine. If you want to spray your indoor baseboards, make sure the chemical is "household safe" but in all honesty, I wouldn't bother if you just have the occasional spider, ant, or centipede.

Folks had to put the dog on a diet. Dad sprayed the baseboards with a pet safe spray. Dieting dog licks it off. He's fine except for the new twitch.

 

[JMapleton]

Vacuum and clean every square inch of your house, and seal it up from the outside well.

I wouldn't want poison and chemicals all over my house.

 

[trmiv]

This is why I DIY. I had a service for awhile and I wasn't that happy with it. Cancelled and started doing it myself and I haven't had any major bug issues since.

 

[coldmeat]

I just ignore the spiders. They don't bother me, I don't bother them.

 

[Rage187]

thanks for the recommendation for Clarks. I called and they came out the same day to give me an estimate. $200 a year cheaper for termite and pest control! They will also drill the foundation instead of putting in bait stations.

 

[Rage187]

I just ignore the spiders. They don't bother me, I don't bother them.

one jumped on my pregnant wife yesterday. That is what inspired me to go looking around.

 

[Wyndru]

I usually leave the spiders alone too. They actually catch a lot of our other bugs for us.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

one jumped on my pregnant wife yesterday. That is what inspired me to go looking around.

I assume the massive weight of the spider put her in danger.

 

[SunnyD]

We got a "deal" from Orkin - $72 each visit, once every 2 months basically, for 6 visits. First one they came out, inspected, put out traps and shit, then sprayed around the outside of the house, and they'll do the same each time they come out.

In addition, if we have any pest problems in the meantime, they come out and take care of it (unless it's a large pest/rodent or termites - but we have a termite bond through Wayne's).

Wife found a "roach" (looked like an american cockroach) in the house earlier this week, and flipped out - house is clean and stuff. It was under my computer desk which is near the patio door, so I assumed it wandered in, probably at night when we take the dogs out. She called, Orkin came out, checked - said it wasn't a typical cockroach and probably flew in from outside - but sprayed the cupboards anyway. No charge. Life is good.

I'm more interested in the termite bond when it comes up in October though.

 

[DesiPower]

I pay $60 for every 2 months, a local company that serves 3 or 4 cities around here. They have termite service too.

$75-80 for 2 months is pretty standard around here $55 a month sounds a bit high

 

[Bryophyte]

It's sad that people are so afraid of seeing a bug or spider that they will spray poison all over their houses and yards to keep their children 'safe'. I understand wanting to protect your house from termites, but jesus h christ, your kid is better off eating that insect than he is rolling around in chemicals in your lawn.

 

[Rage187]

I assume the massive weight of the spider put her in danger.

Her massive weight put me in danger.