I have a pest control service but they only come 4 times a year. I live in Florida and we get a lot of rain and I don’t think what they spray lasts that long. It just seems the waterbugs and ants come back in a month and if I call, the company does come back but any reason why I can’t do this myself? And how often should I spray? They say what they’re using can last a long time but they don’t come inside and they’re not using much. On the receipt it says they use some granules, like a 1/4 to 1/2 lb and then 1/2 gallon of spray. Whenever I spray I can use 2-3 gallons to get the whole house wet and also a lot of bugs come out when I spray but not when they visit. I guess I just want better results and want to try doing this myself now.
So first, of course you can start doing these treatments yourself and if you follow our guidelines, you’ll be able to keep your yard AND home pest free. We have many customers who do the work without the help of a service company and others who still pay for regular visits even though they’re spraying with our products too. In your case, do what you’re comfortable doing but let us try and explain a few things first so if you decide to take on the challenge, you can do so with clear expectations and a good understanding of what’s involved.
Regarding your service company; most pest control contracts have gone to quarterly visits so what you’re getting is pretty much the “norm” these days. And just like a doctor prescribing medication, they’re not going to use more chemical than what is needed to keep your property and home under control. That said, what they end up applying usually falls way short of what will be needed. Remember, they’re not present at your home or property and so there is no way they can tell with certainty if you have a small or big problem or any pest issue at all.
So for them, visiting the least amount of time per year (once every 3 months is way more preferred compared to every month) AND at the same time, using the least amount of chemical when they visit is their ultimate goal. Meeting these two goals allows them to be as profitable as possible. But again, this is the norm and if your company is at least responding to your requests for help and actually comes back to retreat in between regular visits? Then you’re doing a lot better compared to what we’re hearing from many of our regular customers.
The irony of these limited visits is that back in the day when products were a lot stronger, companies were visiting once a month. In fact way back in the 70-90’s, there was no such thing as “quarterly” contracts. Companies were visiting their customers once a month and spraying a lot more chemical on their property at a time when the chemicals were a lot stronger and longer lasting. But then after the turn of the century, the industry started trending toward quarterly service, less product and less pests covered under their regular contracts and since then, they haven’t looked back.
So if anything, one could easily argue that more now than ever before, they should be visiting at least once a month because what is being applied now will most likely be gone in 25-40 days!
But lets get back to your questions and concerns. So first, you are right. Whatever they’re applying most likely is gone before 30 days. Combine that with the sun, rain and general environment of Florida, it would be “normal” to see pests returning to the yard within a month of a treatment.
And if you don’t want any pests around ever? You’ll need to treating at least once a month with both our granules and spray. Based on field results, we can say with a lot of confidence that if you apply our MAXXTHOR GRANULES once a month around the home AND spray with MAXXTHOR EC on the home siding, you should be able to keep your yard and home pest free.
To give you a good idea of what’s involved, this short video (less than 60 seconds) will show you what’s invovled.
As you can see in the video, spraying from the gutters down to the base of the foundation wall where it meets the ground is recommended at least once a month. And if you don’t have any active pest issues, this should be more than adequate to keep them out when combined with the application of Maxxthor granules once a month too.
In summary, your home and property is just that: your private property. And if you feel secure treating it once a month to keep pests out/off/away, then proceed. We can tell you with a lot of confidence that if you treat once a month using at least 5 gallons of mixed product and apply granules too, you will be able to keep pests away. But if you don’t treat that frequently all year long (even when it gets cold out), there is a good chance pests will reappear. Mind you its not like they’re “smart” or consciously deciding “we can now invade this home” because they “know” the chemical is gone. Its more that they are always trying and once the treatment is gone, so too is your only line of defense and then just like that, a new pest problem evolves.
Maxxthor Granules: https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/granule/maxxthor-sg-granules
Maxxthor EC: https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/liquid/maxxthor-ec
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