Do it yourself
Sometimes, you might be tempted to think about pest control as little more than “spraying chemicals to kill bugs.” This might be due to the perception that a lot of pest problems seem to be solved simply by having a technician spray your home.
This can be somewhat frustrating for homeowners. After all, it is easy to think that all you need to solve your pest control problems are the pesticides used by the professionals. Occasionally, customers will ask us where we get our pesticide products, presumably hoping to acquire some for themselves.
But the truth is that these types of professional products simply aren’t available on the consumer market due to regulations. To handle most of the more powerful pesticide products, you must undergo specialized training and meet certain licensing requirements.
Why is this? Why can’t you get the “Good Stuff” that seems so effective in dealing with pests?
Pesticide use has not always been as heavily regulated as it is now. In times past, anyone could acquire powerful pesticide chemicals for use in agriculture, home pest control, and other needs. In particular, some of the most popular and heavily used products were organochlorides such as DDT.
However, this led to some issues. These products began to be overused in situations that did not require such powerful products. These types of powerful pesticides are rarely, if ever, necessary to deal with common infestations, but they were used in cases where they weren’t needed in spite of this.
Using pesticides like these for day to day pest control would be something like using morphine to treat a sore throat. They are extremely powerful and unfortunately, they can be an environmental hazard if used in improper places and quantities.
Eventually, it became obvious that something needed to be done to regulate the use of these powerful pesticides, and due to this, the federal and state governments created regulations to reduce and prohibit the use of industrial grade pesticides by non-professionals.
These days, pest control companies that use these products must undergo periodic training to stay up to date with regulations and guidelines about their use. Great care is taken to ensure that proper amounts of pesticide are used and that excessive application is avoided.
The truth is, while pesticides are a powerful tool in the pest prevention arsenal, they are not always appropriate to the situation. Pesticide should be thought of as a last resort, to be performed after other, less extreme measures have been attempted.
Oftentimes, conducive environmental factors are the main reason why you are dealing with pests. These factors, such as water damage, spilled food, and wood-to-ground contact around the foundation, can all contribute to your pest problems.
Pesticide application can only kill existing pests in your home. If conducive conditions that attract pests to your home aren’t dealt with, your pest problems will simply return when the pesticide is no longer effective.
Due to this, the key to dealing with your pest problems is integrated pest management. Integrated pest management is a multi-step process that uses treatment products hand-in-hand with inspection and analysis to identify vulnerabilities around your home that pests can exploit.
A pest expert can identify signs of pest activity and conducive conditions that are allowing pests to thrive in your home. Once these are identified, a targeted treatment plan can be performed that focuses on pest hotspots to ensure maximum treatment impact.
So while you might want access to the powerful pesticides reserved for the pros, remember that the restrictions placed on these pesticides help to keep you, your family, and the environment safer. Pesticide products are an effective tool, but they aren’t the whole picture of effective pest control.
At Canton Termite and Pest Control, our decades of experience in the pest industry have taught us that pest control is a whole lot more than spraying for bugs. We work with homeowners to identify specific problems in and around their homes that are causing regular pest activity. From there, we construct a safe, comprehensive, and effective treatment plan designed to deal with your current pests and safeguard your home against future infestations!
So if you are dealing with pest problems, don’t wait, call us TODAY at 770-479-1598!
By: Tim
