In this article, we will be discussing do-it-yourself pest control, and every other thing related to it. Here is how to do pest control at home by yourself.
Unlike dogs, pests are everything but “man’s best friend”. They constitute a nuisance, they destroy property, and they can even cure diseases.
How To Do Your Own Pest Control
Luckily, there are many ways by which we can get rid of them. Some may decide to hire a professional pest control service, while others aren’t scared to handle the task themselves.
Keep reading.
What Is DIY Pest Control?
This is pretty self-explanatory. DIY pest control simply means taking the necessary actions and using the right substances and methods to control pests in your home or yard, all by yourself.
DIY pest control means you won’t be hiring a professional pest control service to help you get rid of whichever pests invade your property.
While DIY pest control has many advantages, it also has its disadvantages. We will discuss them below.
Pros Of Do It Yourself Pest Control
Below are some of the advantages of DIY pest control
It Saves You Money
If you have a pest infestation and you were to hire the services of a professional pest control company, you would be required to cough out a substantial sum of money as payment for services rendered.
On the flip side, if you were to take on the responsibility yourself, that money would be saved.
This is not to say that DIY pest control won’t cost you anything, because it will. The materials you need to fight the pests still have to be bought.
These include traps, pesticides, repellants (organic & inorganic), your time, and the effort. Nonetheless, it is significantly cheaper than hiring a pest control service.
It Is Great For Urgent Pest Control
Hiring a professional pest control service would require a few processes.
First, you have to spend time searching for a reputable company that can get the job done. Secondly, they have to come over and assess the situation and map out a plan for exterminating the pests.
Lastly, they will tell you when they would begin disinfestation, which would most likely not be the same day of assessment.
DIY pest control on the other hand will allow you to fight the pests as soon as you notice their activities in and around your home. You do not need to wait to find the right pest control service to hire before you begin. You also do not need to make an appointment.
Using homemade pest control products, you can start fighting the pests immediately after you notice them. If some of the materials you need to fight them aren’t readily available at home, you can simply visit a pest control store and buy them.
Imagine being bothered by bed bugs or roaches at night, and you have to wait for a pest control service to come to your aid, that would mean you will no longer have a good night’s sleep.
But if you were to tackle the problem yourself, you can make significant efforts in getting rid of as many pests as you can, at least to be able to sleep that night.
In an emergency pest situation, DIY may the best bet.
It Improves Your Pest Control Skills
If you’re a first-time DIY pest control person, there’s a possibility you will not get the best results on the first try. However, the more you do it, the better you become at it.
Experience gained from several trials will teach you what substances and methods work best for certain pests. With such experience, your pest control skills will be improved and you will have better results in the future when you try to control pests around your home.
Simply hiring a professional pest control service would teach you little to nothing about pest control. Most people would just vacate their homes and return after the pros have taken care of the problem.
You will find DIY pest control skills useful in a situation where professionals cannot be reached.
Why wouldn’t I be able to reach a pest control service? You may ask. Well, there are situations where the power lines may be snapped or mobile service is terrible and you simply cannot place a call through. This may be as a result of a storm or a fire accident.
In such a case, you would wish you had learned some pest control methods in the past.
You Can Choose The Products You Like
While professionals will use the products that they deem fit for the job, you may not be a fan of those particular products. These could be harmful chemicals that can hurt your garden plants and affect your pets.
While you would expect a pro to adhere to the necessary safety standards, you would feel much better if you were to choose the disinfestation products yourself.
Most homeowners would rather opt for organically made pesticides. Knowing that these do not harm humans, pets, or plants.
With DIY pest control, the choice of what to use would be completely yours!
Here are some DIY pest control store locations to check out.
You Know Exactly Where The Pest Control Products Have Been Applied
In a case where you hire the pros and you and the other members of your household are asked to vacate the building during the disinfestation process, you would have only a slight idea of where the pest control products have been applied.
The pest control service may apply more of the product in areas of less priority, and apply less of the products in areas of high priority.
This would not be the case if you were to do the disinfestation yourself. You would be able to identify high-priority areas of infestation and concentrate more on your extermination in those areas.
Since DIY methods allow you to choose the pest control products you use, you know exactly what products would be safe in certain areas of your home and dangerous to other areas.
Cons Of DIY Pest Control
Below are a few cons of tackling a pest infestation yourself.
You May Not Get It Right
If you are a first-timer, disinfecting your home would be quite a daunting task. This is because you lack experience in doing so.
The choice of products to use, where and when to apply them, how often they need to be applied and other safety measures may be too much detail for you to cope with.
A professional on the other hand has loads of experience in pest control, and they would expectedly make the right decisions with regards to ridding your home of the pests.
It Is Not The Best Approach For Large Scale Infestation
In a case where your home or yard has been overrun by pests, tackling the problem yourself would be almost impossible, especially if you have little to no experience in dealing with them.
You Can Spread The Infestation
If you are not careful, your methods of disinfecting your home may not only fail, you could spread the infestation.
This all boils down to a lack of experience.
You Can Increase The Safety Risk
Not being aware of the side effects of certain pest control products on humans, pets, and plants may cause you to use the wrong products, which will affect your plants and household negatively.
DIY Pest Control Methods
There are several methods by which you can control pests all by yourself. Before you do, make sure you do some research so you can predict the outcome of whatever method you employ.
The following are DIY pest control methods –
- Introducing natural predators to eat pests
- Using traps
- Using organically made pest control products
- Using chemical-based insecticides
- Baiting
DIY Pest Control Products
These include the following –
- Diatomaceous Earth
- Boric Acid
- Garlic
- Baking Soda
- Cayenne pepper
- Vinegar
- Liquid soap
- Traps
Dangers Of DIY Pest Control
DIY pest control is great, as it gives you total freedom and control of the methods and products you choose. However, it could spell danger to your plants and household if you do not do proper research before you proceed.
Using chemical-based insecticides for instance is a fast way to kill pests, but if you are not well protected when applying them, you could inhale or ingest it.
Storing such products carelessly could also be a problem, especially if you have children or pets around the house. Inexperience with these products could cause you to make terrible mistakes that could prove to be fatal.
DIY Pest Control Safety
Before you begin disinfecting your home using chemical-based products, make sure you have studied the instructions on the container.
Follow all instructions regarding usage and storage to ensure no one is harmed after application.
Is DIY Pest Control Worth It?
It can save you money and teach you new skills regarding pest control, so yes, it is worth it.
Nonetheless, you need to weigh your options first. If you’re dealing with a large-scale infestation, then hiring the pros would be your best option.
Conclusion
I trust this article on do-it-yourself pest control has been helpful.
Good luck!