There comes a time in every homeowner’s life where, despite their best efforts, they find themselves battling a pest infestation. When it happens you begin to weigh the options. Do you try and save some money with a DIY option or hire a professional? Ultimately the most important thing is to take care of the infestation before it gets worse but there are a few factors that will weigh into your decision. So which is the better option? In this article, we will break down the different factors that will help you determine whether to DIY or hire a professional pest control service.
Type of Pest
The first step in determining whether you need the help of professionals or can go it alone is to identify what type of pest you are dealing with. For instance, if you are dealing with a pest that doesn’t carry disease, like ants, for instance, it wouldn’t hurt to try a DIY method. Even if you choose a DIY option that doesn’t work, you can still try another do-It-yourself method without any real consequences. On the other hand, if you are dealing with something like termites or carpenter ants, the time spent trying multiple different DIY pest control methods could cause significant damage to your home. IT’s times like these when you may want to contact the professionals right away rather than risking irreparable or expensive damage.
Size of Infestation
Another factor to consider is the size of the infestation plaguing your home. If you are simply dealing with a few random fruit flies or ants there are several safe and affordable DIY methods you can choose from. Store-bought traps, pesticides, and homemade solutions can be effective methods to get rid of rogue critters. It is important to be aware of whether you are simply taking care of the immediate problem or the root cause. If you notice that the problem keeps returning, that likely means that you haven’t eliminated the source. This is where professional pest control services can help by finding and removing the source of the pest problem quickly, safely, and effectively.
Cost
While most choose a DIY option in order to cut the costs associated with pest control, DIY doesn’t always necessarily mean that it is the most cost-effective option. While a DIY method might seem more cost-effective at first, when dealing with a particularly large infestation or a difficult pest to eliminate, DIY methods might have you spinning your wheels time and time again. Pest control professionals, on the other hand, understand exactly what measures need to be taken the first time. This could end up saving you hundreds of dollars in the long run.
Convenience
There are many DIY methods that you can conveniently pick up from your local home goods store or simply make using ingredients from around your home. Professional methods are convenient as well. By hiring a professional pest control service you can leave all the details to someone else. Someone who understands the pest you are dealing with and how to most effectively remedy the situation. It doesn’t get more convenient than that!
Method
Some pest control methods are perfectly safe to execute through DIY options. There are also many options that could be harmful when executed by an amateur.
- Chemical
This typically involves the use of poisons, pesticides, chemicals that could prove harmful in inexperienced hands.
- Physical
Using humane, glue, and snap traps to keep large pests at bay and prevent them from entering a space.
- Electrical
A newer method that usually involves bug zappers and ultrasonic sounds meant to repel pests
Safety
When weighing your options between DIY and professional methods, safety should play a big role in your decision. There are a variety of different chemicals used in pest control that can prove to be harmful, even downright toxic to humans and pets. While there are some chemical options that you can use when taking the DIY route, extreme caution is needed to ensure they are executed in a safe manner. When in doubt, you know that the professionals will understand exactly what chemicals to use in your unique situation and how to use them so nobody gets hurt. Some people, on the other hand, would rather take a more natural approach to keep toxic chemicals out of their homes. If that’s the case, there are many DIY options available that can help prevent, even get rid of, smaller infestations using ingredients you can usually find around your home.
As you can see there are many things to consider when deciding between DIY and professional pest control. Each method has its own pros and cons when considering which one to use. Let’s do a quick recap featuring the pros and cons of DIY vs professional pest control methods.
Pros and Cons
The pros of DIY methods are that they are cost-effective and often safe to use on less harmful pests and smaller infestations. Additionally, there are plenty of chemical-based options that are simple to use, and even sometimes all-natural options will work for small-scale infestation.
The cons of DIY are that chemical solutions can sometimes be tricky to apply without proper training. Also, depending on the size of the infestation, store-bought chemical pest control solutions may be ineffective and costly if multiple different options are used and fail to work.
When it comes to using professionals like Universal Pest and Terminte Inc. you are getting help from people who understand the full scope of your infestation. They can determine exactly how much of a certain chemical is needed to eliminate the pest that has taken up residence in your home. They can do this in a safe and effective manner the first time, with little to no effort on your part. And even though a professional service may cost a little more upfront, it could save you money and time in the long run over having to try multiple DIY solutions that just won’t work.