Lets talk Pest Control

Jims5543 · 07-06-2007, 09:37 AM

Do you have a service, do it yourself, etc..

If a service how much do you pay a year.

We called a service to inspect our vacation house and treat it for general pests. We had not been in it for 4 months and there were what appeared to be carpenter ants wandering around here and there inside the house. That made me nervous.

So the pest control salesman set out around the property and found a log we were to use in the fire pit out in the yard with termite damage. So now he is selling my wife fear, but we are not 100% sure there is not an issue, I saw no evidence of any infestation when I looked around the place.

I guess better safe than sorry, there goes the new kitchen floor.

With us not in the house 100% of the time we really do not want to take any chances so I guess the cost of a service is worth the piece of mind.

Joeaksa · 07-06-2007, 10:09 AM

Have a friend who comes over and charges me $20 a time to spray around the house and yard. Neighbour does it himself but knows more about chemicals than I do.

Clean up any and all food sources and the ants will not come...

pwd72s · 07-06-2007, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Have a friend who comes over and charges me $20 a time to spray around the house and yard. Neighbour does it himself but knows more about chemicals than I do.

Clean up any and all food sources and the ants will not come...

I disagree on that Joe. Depends on the species of ant. Carpenter ants build their home in dead wood. The problem is, they don't know (or care) about the difference between your home or an old stump.

I used to have a pesticide consultant license, but since the Feds have banned both Dursban & Diazinon, I wouldn't have a clue what to suggest.

Tervuren · Tervuren's Garage

Had trouble with carpenter bees and the house I'm living, the poisons pest control can use are not strong enough to do anything about it. Had a field day with ratshot, nailing them as they go into their holes(they hover for a moment). About eighty bees down, haven't seen one around in a long time.

Moneyguy1 · 07-06-2007, 02:34 PM

My house is 9" thick burnt adobe brick with a wooden structure roof. The ouside of the house I do about every three months with a pressure sprayer filled with Triazide(sp?). The foundation and the area where the roof structure meets the brick. On the inside I use Home Defense and get my one palmetto bug per year but it is usually pretty close to dead by the time it comes in. I do the lawn with the same stuff. No nasties that I can find.

Jims5543 · 07-06-2007, 03:48 PM

The pest control guy said the Carpenter ants were bad news. They follow the termites and eat them and clean up after them.

We have a service here in Florida and decided on doing the same in NC. The first year hurts bad but every year after only costs $250. So we will just bite the bullet and go on board with these guys.

since we are not in this house too much I do not want to see it get eaten by bugs while we are gone.

Like I said, we had plans to redo the kitchen and bathroom floors (the only original floors in the house) but this pretty much negates that or a year.

Dixie · Dixie's Garage

First, are you sure they're carpenter ants? If you’re in doubt, take some to your local county agricultural service. They'll tell you what type of ants they are.

Be wary of the sales tactics. National companies, like Terminex, will prey on your lack of knowledge and fear. Did you buy the house new? If so, you can extend the bond the builder has. If you bought it from an individual, you can extend the bond the seller had. (I'm betting that NC law matches SC law, and your house was required to have a clear termite inspection/bond before it could be sold.)

But on to the root of your query. I have a reputable, local, company do an annual termite treatment/inspection/bond. Mostly so I can show the house has always had a termite bond. A nice selling point if and when I ever sell. As for price, as I recall, the cost is about $200/yr.

Personally I go one step further. I do my own semi-annual termite and pest inspection. For termites, look for dirt tubes extending up any pilings and skirting. The termites you'll encounter live in the ground. They travel through the tubes each day to reach their food source.
Search both in the crawl space, and outside the home.

And never transfer dirt from your yard to around your house. When the house was built they treated the build site with chemicals. The dirt in your yard wasn't treated.

Zeke · 07-06-2007, 04:51 PM

Boric acid. Cheap and safe. Do a little research. I got some off eBay. I have no license to use it, but it works great. I'll never be w/o some handy again. No harm to environment, easy to use and effective.

Jims5543 · 07-06-2007, 05:25 PM

We have Carpenter ants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_ant

This is exactly what we found.

Plus Termites were found within 50' og the house in a wood pile for the fie pit.

Sorry guys, better safe then sorry I am getting the full monty and then the insurance against damage. Plus, next year its only $250 for 12 months. Piece of mind on a house we are not in for months at a time is priceless.

Jims5543 · 07-06-2007, 05:41 PM

Please understand, he reason we called was the alarming amount of Carpenter ants wandering around the house.

I understand about the "Sales Pitch" and if for a second I felt like this is what was happening I would kick them out but, in all honesty, I feel like they were being truthful with us.

I guess we could get a local company out on Monday, since there is a 3 day recision (sp?) on the contract. I'll tell my wife to find a local company to come out on Monday.

Dantilla · 07-06-2007, 05:42 PM

My local company came out and treated for ants I found where some siding failed. I had him treat my old house where carpenter ants were a constant problem every other year. The off years I would do it myself.

This time it was simple moisture ants that were attracted to some bad siding where the gutters were not doing their job.

The local guy didn't try to sell me a continuing plan- He actually told me what products at Home Depot work the best- The same chemicals he uses. He needs repeat business, but he gets it because I recomend him to friends- Not because he's squeezing me for every last nickle.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

We use a Service. I think it runs $450 per year. They spray every 3 months. They come out anytime you call, for no extra money. I do my own work for fireants. I friggen hate those things!