Official Home Owners Tips

[DaveDQ]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

What do you guys do for insect control? I'm debating on having a quarterly system contracted with the local exterminator here. For 85 dollars they will come out every 3 months to spray inside, the outside perimeter and the crawl space.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

What do you guys do for insect control? I'm debating on having a quarterly system contracted with the local exterminator here. For 85 dollars they will come out every 3 months to spray inside, the outside perimeter and the crawl space.

We went with a similar system (It was about $100 every three months).

Our house had a pretty cool system installed in which there were perforated tubes running though out the exterior walls of our house that all tied to a central box that could be accessed from the exterior. During our quarterly visit from the pest control team, they would inject poison into the tubes as part of their regular maintenance.

Seemed to work well. In almost six years, I can probably count on one hand the number of spiders, pincher bugs, etc. that I saw in the house.

[Burns11]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

For pest control the sonic things you plug in do work. My brother's house had them when he bought it and we always made fun of them. He finally threw them out last year after having them for near a decade and after they were gone he has cave crickets in his basement, house spiders upstairs and has had to set mouse traps twice, none of which he had before.

Get your A/C cleaned every spring, the coils outside get filthy.

[RockinDaMike]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

What do you guys do for insect control? I'm debating on having a quarterly system contracted with the local exterminator here. For 85 dollars they will come out every 3 months to spray inside, the outside perimeter and the crawl space.

I get the same type of plan rougly the same price. I can't mess around here since there are black widows and scorpions that can kill one of my dogs or bite one of my nephews and neices.

[Holic]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Anyone have experience dealing with Yellow Jackets? We just can't seem to get rid of these things. Two years ago we had a huge nest between the joists under our deck. Last year we had a nest in our wall and had to have an exterminator come because they were getting in the house.

Never had them in my house or around my deck. But I did run over a nest while cutting near the woods on the back end of our property line a few summers ago. They got me 26 times before I could get away and inside my house. Took some gasoline to them right as it was getting dark that night. Haven't had a problem since luckily.

[Burns11]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Same here with the yellow jackets, gasoline + nighttime.

[Stu]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Thanks guys. I'm gonna douse some gasoline on my wall and deck, fire it up and let those yellow jackets have it!!

[C the Lyte]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Thanks guys. I'm gonna douse some gasoline on my wall and deck, fire it up and let those yellow jackets have it!!

Good plan.

What's the worst that could happen, ryte?

[Holic]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Thanks guys. I'm gonna douse some gasoline on my wall and deck, fire it up and let those yellow jackets have it!!

Hope you're insured! lol

[Burns11]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

My nest was underground, hence running it over with a lawnmower. You don't light the gas either, you just let the fumes smother them.

[DaveDQ]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

How do you guys do when there is a minor issue that needs to be addressed but doesn't need immediate attention? I'm battling an earwig problem in what looks to be at the door of my crawl space. Earwigs are harmless but they occasionally get in the house. Nobody wants that, but at the same time I don't want to over react and spend money on an exterminator. I sprayed the perimeter of our foundation with some Ortho home defense and sprayed around the crawl space door real good. Yesterday and today it looks a lot better so I'm going to wait it out.

But I tend to be very reactionary and go over board. I have a really hard time with getting overwhelmed with all that has to be done around the house.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Ortho home defense. I spray outside my house and inside my house. Works wonders. For hornets, wasps, bees.......just hang sacks of moth balls around outside. No insect or rodent like the smell of moth balls. It drives them away.

[Holic]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

I'd recommend an exterminator but you seem to be on the right track with Ortho Home Defense if you are 100% against paying the $80-$100 every 3 months. I second the moth balls, I actually use these under my crawl space after finding a snake under my crawl space when making a plumbing repair. Been a few years no, and have found anything that resembles a snake. lol

[p_rushing]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

I second the moth balls, I actually use these under my crawl space after finding a snake under my crawl space when making a plumbing repair. Been a few years no, and have found anything that resembles a snake. lol

Yeah they are supposed to really work well on keeping snakes away.

[C the Lyte]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

I LOVE Ortho Home Defense and highly recommend it to any one. I've been using it since I first moved in and have had relatively no problems.

Bugs will get in your house regardless. The trick is keeping the numbers down and avoiding infestations.

I'd also recommend scoping out the sprays and concentrated stuff at some of these home improvement stores. They have some pretty potent stuff.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite threads.