FAQ

What does General Pest Control service include?

I treat complete inside of the home, around the perimeter, the garage and the accessible part of the attic. It does not include the yard, though I will usually treat ant mounds that I notice if they are in areas that would be heavily traveled. It does not include Rodent Control, Fleas or Termites.

Do we have to leave the house?

You generally do not have to leave the house during treatment unless it makes you more comfortable to do so. The label requires that people and pets need to keep away from treated surfaces while wet. The chemical usually dries within 15 or so minutes after being applied. Children need to be kept occupied so they will not handle treated surfaces while still wet.

What about ants?

Ants probably deserve their own complete website! We are definitely in a battle with ants in this area. Most ants enter from the perimeter, so regularly treating around the house is helpful. I, of course will do it when I am there. For the typical tiny ants people get, usually in kitchen or bathrooms, the WORST thing to do is treat with residual sprays such as Raid, Black Flag, etc. Only baits or non-repellants should be used when treating the small ants inside. The spreading around of ants is usually accomplished by using the commercial residual sprays. Unfortunately for Pest Control companies, this is usually what occurs before we are finally contacted. Once the ant problem is spread around to multiple areas, it makes control much more difficult to accomplish. Not impossible, but difficult. Dealing with ant problems falls under the "general" service category with Colony Pest Control. We do pretty much whatever needs to be done for our regular service prices. We don't separate Ants from other pest problems as some companies have come to do. We simply utilize baits or non-repellant sprays where they are necessary in addition to the regular pest treatment.

What about children and pets?

Again, children and pets simply need to be kept away from treated surfaces until they are dry. This is dictated by the chemical label which must be followed by law. Once surfaces have dried, there are no restrictions. Of course, kids toys will never be sprayed on, so there is no need to worry about anything the kids might be playing with after a service.

What if I'm pregnant?

Since the chemical I use inside has a very low atomization characteristic, there should be no problem staying around during a service. The chemical does not float around in the air, so unless you handle a treated surface while wet, you do not come into contact with the spray. Of course, if you are uncomfortable being present during service, arrangements simply have to be made for you to be out of the house for an hour or so.

What chemical do you use and does it have an odor?

As chemicals change from time to time, I would rather give chemical names at the time of service if I am asked. Most chemicals I use are either odorless or very low odor.

What if I have allergies?

The chemical I usually use inside the home does not atomize (float around during application), there is usually no aggravation of allergies. I have never had an issue with any allergy flare-ups during my long tenure in this business.

Do I have to empty out my cabinets?

If you do not have a German roach problem, you usually do not have to empty any cabinets. It doesn't hurt to spray inside cabinets, but I am prevented by law to treat inside a cabinet if it is not empty. Most do not empty cabinets and results are positive. If a German roach situation is detected by me, the cabinets (at least lower ones), will have to be emptied for a later service with special attention to the cabinets. But, generally, cabinets do not need to be emptied.

Will I still see bugs after my service?

The honest answer to this question is yes. Bugs will still be able to enter the house after it has been serviced. The only way to totally exclude insects from a residence is to seal it to the point of being airtight. This is generally not possible, or would be extremely expensive. Since most pesticides are sensitive to ultra-violet light and to heat, (not to mention occasional rain), the treatment around the perimeter is rendered ineffective within a short time. Most bugs you will see inside after treatment that are sick or have died, have been affected by the chemical inside the home. The controlled environment inside allows the chemical to stay active for a long time. The slowest bug to die that will enters will always be spiders. They can run around for up to 24 hours before they even start to be outwardly affected by the spray. Being arachnids, they are much slower to get the pesticide into their system so that that they can be killed. Roaches and other insects tend to groom themselves, so they ingest the chemical rather quickly. Spiders do not. Spraying the lawn from time to time usually will help cut spider population so that there will be less of them to enter around doors and windows. Those lawn chemicals are short-lived, so it is always more cost-effective to do that yourself. We provide no guarantee for outside treatments of any kind.

Do you charge anything for retreats?

If you have a problem between services, we will schedule a retreat, at no extra charge, if it's prior to the month of your next regular service.