When unwanted pests are ravaging your home, there are three options available. One, hire a professional pest control company to eradicate the problem; two, conduct research to find out more about what it is and take care of it yourself; or three, do nothing at all. Unless you’re content with living amongst growing populations of pests, the third option is likely not viable. Instead, it’s important to decide the best way to help get rid of the pests. Which may lead you to wonder: what are the major differences between DIY pest control vs professional pest control?

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DIY Pest Control

Before diving into the pros and cons of professional pest control, it’s important to first discuss the advantages and disadvantages that come with DIY pest control treatments.

Pros

For those with entomophobia, or the fear of insects, there are few things more terrifying than seeing a pest crawling around the home. This is one of the biggest benefits of DIY pest control; you can kill a spider or sweep away an anthill the minute you see one inside or nearby your house. In general, with DIY pest control, it can be faster to take care of the pest problem the minute you notice it, instead of having to wait for the next available pest control technician to arrive.

Another pro is that, when compared to professional pest control methods, DIY pest control is considered to be more easily accessible. Most home improvement stores carry an array of products, like pump sprayers, traps, and pesticides, that can help with DIY pest con trol treatments. Likewise, once you’ve sprayed your home with a DIY spray, you know exactly what areas the pesticides have been applied.

Cons

When attempting DIY pest control, most people r ely on how-to articles and DIY videos. Though some of these resources can be helpful, not all provide accurate or safe directions for using pesticides correctly. This can significantly increase your chances of making an error when applying products to pest or infested areas of your home.

Additionally, because homeowners are not trained to apply these products they might not be applied correctly. This can have the opposite effect of what was intended. For example, it may kill one insect, but it can potentially disturb the entire colony of pests hiding within your home, effectively making the infestation worse. Also, with DIY pest control, while you may know the exact locations that have been treated, these may not be where the pests are living. In addition, amateurs often do not k now all of the risks associated with these products, which can put you and your family at risk. The National Pesticide Information Center highlights that “certain people like children, pregnant women, and sick or aging populations may be more sensitive to the effects of pesticides than others.”

Professional Pest Control

On the contrary, professional pest control offers a different set of pros and cons that are important to consider before choosing the right solution for your home.

Pros

The most obvious ad vantage to professional pest control is that it comes with expert service technicians that can provide advice based on years of related experience. These technicians are trained to address the root ca use of the pest issue, instead of strictly trying to remediate the symptoms. Likewise, professional pest control technicians know which specific treatments are needed for each pest. Considering that different species of pests can require different treatment plans, this advantage can often make professional pest control the ideal option.

Because professional service technicians know the typical habitats and behaviors of household pests, they may be able to detect pests in hiding that an amateur would not be able to see. This helps provide a long-lasting pest control solution, which ca n end up costing less over time.

Cons

Even though professional pest control is a worthwhile investment, there is an upfront cost. Another con is that because each professional pest control company has a limited team of technicians, immediate service is not always available. Especially when pest control is needed overnight or during bouts of severe weather, it’s not always possible for a professional technician to address your pest problem immediately.

Professional Pest Control vs DIY: Which One Wins?

So, which form of pest control is the best option for your home? Even though DIY pest control offers a lower upfront cost and may seem easier than waiting for a service technician to arrive and address the problem, ultimately, professional pest control is the best investment of your time and money. It may not always feel like the quickest solution, but an effective pest control treatment will usually resolve pest issues with a much higher degree of success, and you will receive invaluable pest control advice from some of the top experts in the field.

At Terminix, we call upon our experience serving over 2 million customers nationwide to provide the best pest control services in the industry. If you’re looking to learn more about the benefits of professional pest control services, call 1.877.TERMINIX or contact your local Terminix branch today.