Pest Baits Versus Pest Sprays
If you’re a homeowner, or even rent, you know the number one annoyance that crawls in and around your home: pests. While there are a lot of options available on the market, many wonder which route to go down: pest baits versus pest sprays. If you think there’s no difference, there’s a few facts you should keep in mind before you make your decision.
The Spray And Pray Method
For sprays, there’s a lot of juggling you have to do to make sure you’re applying the product safely, and within environmental regulations. Sprays have been around for over a century, and many baby boomers remember the days of spray trucks riding up and down the streets releasing those chemicals to keep the bugs away. While those days have changed, and sprays have become safer, some strong advice from an accredited expert may prevent you from just spraying and praying around your home yourself.
Joe Jonovich, an Entomologist with over 20 years of pest management industry experience, writes in his 2016 blog post: “…You need to be sure you are safely applying the product as per the label directions so you do not adversely affect people, pets, or the environment.” Consider this: according to the website Homeguide.com, The average cost for pest control ranges from $250 – $400. And according to that article, that average cost may only end up covering ant protection.
Plus, if you’re thinking of hiring a company to come by your home and spray every month, few months, or year, the cost can vary. Homeguide says the average is $40 – $50 per month, $50 – $60 for every two months, and $100 – $300 for every three months. Plus there’s the additional cost of an initial visit, which Homeguide says can runs around $180.
Pest Baiting 101
So what about baits? Pests look at them as if they’re food, but the product ends up terminating populations of pests that are around your home, after the pests eat it and share it with their nasty families. Slowly but surely, they’ll be gone; but by slowly, that means it can take up to months or years to eliminate all pests in the area.
As Jonovich explains in his blog post, some pests just straight up will not eat the bait, or it may not end up being as effective as possible. According to the Entomology department at the University of Kentucky, although you can buy some pest baits online, it takes a lot of time and effort on your part to make sure it’s done right.
There are multiple items to monitor when using a baiting system. You may need additional stations if one baiting operation fails. There’s also the chance that neighboring colonies reinvade the area after one is taken out. With these factors, it’s best to hire professionals to install a bait system, and that can cost up to thousands of dollars over the course of your home ownership, according to Epestsupply.com.
Research Options – Or Call Us For Help
There are multiple things to think about when it comes to home pest protection. You might want less harsh chemicals or more environmentally friendly options. You might also want to consider should you even be doing this yourself or should you call in an expert. This can all vary in cost, and depending on how much money you want to invest, it can all add up and lead to the simple peace of mind.
Whatever route you choose, it’s best to do your homework and make a plan before running out to the store or heading online and buying something just after reading a few reviews. There are plenty of resources online, as stated previously in this article, that are here to help.
If that sounds like too much of a headache, we’re always here to help with any and all of your pest control needs, we’ll even give you our professional opinion on pest baits versus pest sprays!
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Sources:
Jonovich, Joe “Should I Bat or Spray: Which is Better??” EPestHero, 11 October 2016, https://www.epesthero.com/blogs/news/bait-spray-which-is-better
W, Daniel “How much does pest control service cost?” HomeGuide, https://homeguide.com/costs/pest-control-prices
Potter, Michael F. “Termite Baits: A Guide for Homeowners” College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, 5 September 2018, https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef639
“Termite Bait – How Termite Baiting Works” EPestSupply, http://www.epestsupply.com/termite_baiting.php#how_much_cost