DIY? Sure! Projects are fun, but some projects are better left to the professionals. Anyone who’s ever tried to do their own haircuts will tell you it’s not advisable – pandemic home hairdressers, we are looking at you! It’s never as easy as you think, and if you’re not careful, you’ll end up with an even BIGGER problem on your hands (or a large chunk of hair cut out by accident… but that’s another blog post for another time).
Learn more about why you’re wasting your time with DIY pest control services below.
Pest control is not a do-it-yourself task. Pest control professionals use their knowledge and expertise to identify and eradicate an infestation— Economy’s team of pest professionals are licensed in the states of NC and SC. We use our training and up-to-date education to safely get rid of pests in and around your home while keeping the environment and ecosystem healthy. We do this by NOT applying chemicals in and around areas that attract wildlife (like pollinators and other garden helpers), AND we are careful to keep our chemicals away from areas frequented by kids or pets.
All that to say, one of our 45+ year customers alerted us to a pest control subscription service circulating on the web and social media. We thought it was interesting, so we decided to try it ourselves! Please note: DIY products or subscription services could be dangerous to yourself, your family or pets, and the environment because of the chemicals used… or just a plain old waste of time and money.
Our experience with DIY pest control subscription services
We visited the website, took the quiz, and one-click (and our credit card) was all it took to get a monthly subscription box with all the things a homeowner would need to fight pests at home – it seems easy enough, right?
Box One – Month One:
It looks like a nice product! The marketing materials are eye-catching, and the box is well-designed. The box includes a bag with solution, gloves, and an applicator, along with instructions on how to mix and apply the solution. We mixed the chemicals with water, per the instructions, and applied them around our home. The application was a little messy, and the applicator did not have the same acuity as the applicator used by licensed professionals. Additionally, the solution is also not the same chemicals licensed professionals can handle and apply. In reading the ingredients, these are the same chemicals sold at home stores like Lowes and Home Depot and are approved for use by consumers.
Our question… will it take care of our pests?
1st week: No pests that we could find so far!
2nd week: We have ants! The product that came in the mail is not designed to be able to apply indoors, so it does not help with our ant problem.
3rd week: We STILL have ants. We’ve also found a couple of roaches in the upstairs bedrooms at night, which are still very much alive. Yuck!
Box Two – Month Two:
This box looked similar: it was nicely designed and included another bag of chemicals, except in this shipment a wand and instructions are not included. The first box had an application wand, but nothing in that initial box said you need to retain the application wand for future use! Bummer… we can’t even use this! In looking closer, the chemicals are the same as the previous shipment and do not change for the type of pests that are more active in NC during this time of year (like a professional would do).
Our main takeaway: Nicely designed, but a waste of money. The chemicals are not tailored to the time of year or even based on the pests that we have in NC. A professional would do this as well as de-web the outside of your home, monitor your property for termite activity and moisture levels, and assess your property for other areas of pest habitat (like rodents in the winter).
Final thoughts: This product was problematic because it didn’t work right out of the box, and in our professional opinion, it was a waste of time and money. We think it would have been easier to call a professional like Economy Exterminators to do it quickly, painlessly, and even better… mess-free!
How a pro can help | Economy Exterminators
Professionals know pests’ seasonal habits, life cycles, their potential dangers, and — most importantly — how to get rid of them. Pest professionals are trained and licensed to completely eliminate pests from your home, however, to do this, regular pest treatments are usually required as well as removing the pest’s habitat through Integrated Pest Management, to make sure that new activity does not happen. In addition to pest control, Economy Exterminators also offers homeowners pest inspections and reports, crawl space services, and customized pest solutions to fit your unique needs.
Did you know? Economy Exterminators is QualityPro accredited. QualityPro is a national accreditation that sets us apart from other pest professionals, as being the mark of excellence in the pest control industry. QualityPro sets the standards of excellence for professional pest management companies and their employees through education, training and certification, providing consumers protection and confidence when selecting a nationally accredited company.
Call us today to schedule your FREE pest inspection or schedule online on our website.
