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How often do you really need pest control?

11/16/2021

3 Comments

 
​One of the most common questions we get asked is, “how often do we REALLY need to have a pest control treatment”. Honestly, it depends and we wanted to let you know what it depends upon and what you can do to stretch it out. 

Has something changed?

​Have you just moved in? Have you just renovated? Are you about to sell? Are you about to renovate?
​
These major changes are a good trigger point to organise an inspection and general pest treatment. While the sale of a home requires a pest inspection, you’re best to do your own prior to purchase and a treatment while the home is empty (before you move in). 

Location & how often you need pest control

Unfortunately, Adelaide is known for termite infestations. Live near gum trees or have a house within 100 metres with a termite problem? Then there’s a high chance you will end up with a termite problem.

Location is a selling point for real estate agents and it’s a nightmare for pests. Some pests prefer damp conditions, others enjoy open fields and dry grass. Some pests prefer large pools of water and others enjoy mounds of garbage.

All of these things impact how often you may need to have pest control treatments. If you live in an area of high pest activity you will want to ensure your home and family are kept safe from pests and their diseases, that means a more regular treatment schedule. You may often find that you have infestations of pests requiring more regular treatments.
​
If you’re a commercial client you may have legal requirements on how often and the type of pest control treatment you need. 
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Pest type

Not all pests are created equal. Termite damage can be expensive. Moth damage can be costly too. Not all pests cause expensive damage to property, some can cause health issues such as mosquito borne disease or reactions to spider bites.

Depending on the specific needs of your family, having a certain pest infest your home can be a minor inconvenience or a major concern.
​
If a particular pest is of major concern to you and your family then you may want to consider more regular preventative pest control. 

Size of pest infestation vs how often you  need pest control

Sometimes, no amount of maintenance will stop an infestation.

Perhaps you brought in a packet of pasta not knowing it had weevils, silverfish or pantry moths. Perhaps you left a jumper out to dry overnight and didn’t see the eggs a moth laid on it. Perhaps the termites in a neighbouring street have finally broken through to the roots of the gum tree in your back yard and are quietly gnawing away and killing your tree from the inside out.

When you realise that this is what has happened, it’s generally too late. There is no way you could have known what was going on until one pest became an infestation that caught your attention.
​
The size of and type of infestation will determine the number and type of treatments you will need to control the pests. While we would like to be able to give a number, we just can’t say until we see it and see how the infestation responds. 

What you can do to reduce how often you need pest control services

Monthly
Look for signs of increased pest activity. Perhaps you will see dirt tubes and build up near walls or timber storage that signal termites are active. Perhaps you will see a new web or nest for the spiders. Perhaps it’s a new ant trail into the dog’s kennel, or that your dog is now avoiding where it would normally lie down outside. Or maybe your cat has started scratching more and you think it could be fleas. Notice any of these things, then give us a call.

Quarterly
Do you spring clean your home? Your wardrobe? You should be looking for signs of pests. Are there moth holes in your favourite jumpers or blankets when you get them out or pack them away? Have you found weevils or moths when you’ve done a big clean of the pantry? Notice any of these things, then give us a call.

Six-monthly
Every six months we recommend that you get a pest controller in to do a general spray of your home. This is the most regular, outside of an infestation, that you should be seeing us. Many people like to have their service done at the start of Spring once the major rains have gone.

Yearly
If you’re not having us around twice a year to do a general spray, then you’re definitely going to want us to come around and check your termite baiting system (to keep your warranty active) and to do a general pest spray while we’re there.

We hope this gives you some idea on how often you really need pest control services. If in doubt, please give us a call. 
3 Comments

How to get rid of ants outside the home

11/2/2021

4 Comments

 
​Ant colonies come in huge numbers, so it’s bound to be a problem if you see them marching around your property. And there’s only one reason why they’re ants are building nests on your property - there are enough food and water to support a colony. They’re attracted to food residue, sugar and a source of clean water.

How to get rid of ants outside

There's really only one way to prevent ants from coming inside and that's to get rid of them outside. So what are some of the outdoor ant control measures you can try to get rid of them outside of your home and hopefully be rid of the ants for good?

Pour boiling water into the ant nest

One of the most common DIY ant control methods is boiling water. While some may think that pesticides are dangerous, ours are pet and people safe, boiling water poses more of a risk to people. It's why we don't actually recommend this method.
​There are other complications with using boiling water to control ants. You need to find the nest, it's likely that you won't flood the entire nest, especially if it's a super-colony ant species, you risk seriously burning yourself.

Mix soap and water

Another method to destroy the entire ant nest is to use soap and water. Combine 1-2 teaspoons of dishwashing liquid with 2L of warm water. Find the nest and pour the mixture slowly into it.
​While this method is safer for the person doing the treatment, it still requires you to find the nest and you run the risk of not treating the whole nest.

Make an ant repellant spray

A quick search of the internet will give you hundreds of DIY ant repellent spray recipes. Some with Borax, some without. Some with vinegar, some without. Some with essential oils, some without.
The benefits of an ant repellent spray is that it can be used around the home, especially where ants tend to come into your house. You can follow the ant trails to the nest and treat the nest too.
A word of caution: While it might seem like a handy idea to make your own ant repellent, some of the natural ingredients are actually toxic. For example borax, citrus essential oils, and peppermint/eucalyptus/tea tree essential oils are all toxic to pets.

Use ant baits to get rid of ants outside

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​Ant baits are particularly useful against outdoor nesting ants. The traps contain granules to attract the ants, protein and sugar for both feeding preferences, and a toxic ant bait that they ingest and take back to the nest to kill the remaining colony.

It's important to 
place outdoor ant baits where the ant trails are so that you know that the bait is being taken. Don't be surprised if you see more ants around the bait, this is normal with the granules to attract ants to the bait.

We recommend placing 
ant bait stations at regular 4-5 metre intervals around your home. This way you will make sure that you've cut off all lines into your home and will be baiting the ants' nests you can not see.

Use pesticide sprays to get rid of ants

This is probably the most common way our clients DIY their ant treatment, with a can of bug spray bought from the supermarket. While this is the most common way, there are stronger sprays available to the DIYer.
​Using a store-bought spray can be effective, however, they are not as strong as the sprays available to licensed pest controllers.

Prevent recurring infestations

Ants will crawl to the safest place and will make a nest there. To completely get rid of ants, you need to kill the entire ant colony. Be warned, it's not just termites that live in super ant colonies, there are other ant species that do the same; for example, white footed ants are a super ant colony species.
To prevent recurring infestations and to get rid of ants outside, your best alternative is to tidy up, remove their food and water (that includes cleaning barbecues, securing compost heaps, and clearing pet bowls), and call Michael or book online for a professional ant control treatment.  

4 Comments

    Author

    MD Pest Control (Jim's TTG) are committed to providing the best residential and commercial pest control solutions available.

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