There you have it, if you want to be less annoyed, to have your things not destroyed, and to be grossed out on a much less frequent basis, then it’s important for you to have a solution for the pests surrounding your home.

Wait, you think I’m being too simplistic!? Okay, I can see that. Let me break it down for you. Let’s start by going to the dictionary.

PEST | pest | noun

1. an annoying or troublesome person, animal, or thing; nuisance.
2. an insect or other small animal that harms or destroys garden plants, trees, etc.
3. a deadly epidemic disease, especially a plague; pestilence.

After just one backyard BBQ in early Summer you’ll probably find yourself online with “Local Pest Control Companies” typed in the Google search bar! Few things are more annoying than when the ants start running off with Grandma’s homemade chocolate chip cookies and the flies start having a pool party in your fresh squeezed lemonade. I remember as a kid, playing outside with my cousin while sippin’ on our grape soda. Right when he picked up his can to take a drink, out flew a now purple bee and stung him on the lip. He was none too happy! (I should not have laughed… I realize that now… I’m sorry John…)

According the Texas Department of Agriculture, the organization that governs companies that provide pest control services in Texas, a pest can be anything from a bug, to a bird, or a nematode or bacteria. The list of what can be a pest is pretty long and something that is a pest to you (like, let’s say a rat) may not be a pest to your next door neighbor (you know, the teenage rat breeder). The term “pest” and what qualifies as one is subjective, even according to the state regulators. So if it’s something that is annoying you, then it qualifies as a pest that either you or one of your local pest control companies need to take care of. Check out this article on how to control pests without pesticides.

There is an episode of Looney Tunes where Porky Pig’s house gets taken over by a termite and destroys everything wooden in his house! (It’s pretty funny, you can give it a watch here) The exterminator’s pest control services included missapplying pesticides, filling the walls full of water, and lastly, blowing him up with a stick of dynamite. In this case, the exterminator in the video turned out to be the more destructive pest, ha! Among some of the most destructive pests are termites, carpenter ants, moths, and beetles.

Back in 2014, we had a brand new customer that had not had pest control in many years call us because she was noticing sawdust like stuff on her baseboards. I went out to do an inspection on the home and found that the entire back wall of the house was over run with termites. After we performed the pest control services, she had to have some pretty extensive repairs done to her home which ended up costing her not only a lot of money but also a lot of time!

Over the years we have had customers call us because of ruined rugs from carpet beetles, leaking windows seals because of carpenter ants, and entire pantries of ruined goods because of Indian Meal Moths! We even had one customer who had to have of all their attic insulation replaced, their attic sanitized, and all of their eaves sealed because of a rat infestation!

T

hat may not be the most professional way to put it, but I don’t care, my 10 year old knows what she’s talking about! I have a friend named Matt. Now, although I am a grown man, one of my favorite things to do in life is to find a big ol’ tree roach and place it on his shoulder. Even though he too is a grown man, every single time I do it, he screams louder and runs faster than any child you can imagine! It is pretty much the funniest thing you will ever see in your life! They don’t call them “Creepy Crawlers” for nothing!

However, on the not so funny side, pests can also stink and cause sickness and disease. Two of the most common calls pest control companies get are for german roach infestations in the kitchen and a flea or tick outbreak in the yard. According to Penn State, german cockroaches are known to carry “different forms of gastroenteritis (food poisoning, dysentery, diarrhea, and other illnesses)”. Also, fleas have been known to carry lyme’s disease. The list is nearly limitless to the amount of “Yuckiness” transmitted by rats, roaches, and other pests.

As we have established, pests are not things that are welcome in our homes for various reasons. So now you need to decide if DIY or a Professional Pest Control Service is right for you and your family.

Thanks to YouTube and blogs, there is a huge database of online learning for those of you that are more hands on. A few years back, the A/C went out in my car and I didn’t have the resources to have it professionally repaired. So, 4 hours of YouTube, 5 trips to the auto parts store, and a whole day of hanging out with my friend later we got it fixed, and for a third of the price! On top of that, it has now been 4 years since we used up our entire Saturday and the A/C is still blowing cold! That was a worthwhile investment.

DIY can be a great option for pest control also. If you have the time and energy to devote, you could be able to do it. Keep in mind, you will need to actually learn about the products you are using because safety is very important and if you choose the wrong products, apply them in the wrong way, or simply do not understand the habits and behaviors of each pest you are trying to control, you will have very little luck. Pest control is both an art and a science, with a lot of learning and some practice and perseverance, you can do a good job. However, don’t think that just adding 5 minutes spraying “bug killer” to you grass cutting day will do the trick; it will take an intellectual understanding of the pests you’re having issues with and intentional application of the correct products or control methods.

If that seems like a lot of work, you’re right, it is. That’s why many people choose to have a professional pest control service to take care of their needs. Changing the oil on your car is easy, but it takes time and the right tools to get the job done. Pest control companies are staffed with many different experts on various pests, and are equipped with every tool and resource they need to serve you and your family and help you enjoy your home. If you need help with choosing the right company, here are 5 things you’ll want to keep in mind.

Find out more about our pest control services