A lady called a pest company about some bugs she had. He quoted her a price on the phone without knowing what they are. Then he went to the house and identified them as immature cicadas. He said he had to spray around the outside of her house to keep them out.
Didn't work.
She called him back. He sprayed again, blaming it on the rain. Still didn't work.
She called another pest control profesional for advice.
The pest control pro went to her house and all she had were some booklice. Booklice feed on mold and she had some mold issues in her garage which she was going to correct.
What are the lessons here?
If you call a pest company and they give you a price on the phone without seeing what your pest is, call someone else.
That just means they are going to spray no matter what it is.
No doctor, plumber, mechanic, carpenter or any professional will give you a price without knowing what they are getting into.
Second, have them give you the scientific name of the pest once they see it so you can Google it for more information.
If they don't know the scientific name, call someone else.
It is a shame that a so-called professional pest person couldn't tell a book louse from a cicada.
Once a pest is identified, have the company inspect your home and determine how they are getting in, so you can fix that.
If they just want to spray to keep out the pests that is not professional.
If it is determined that pesticides are needed, and that would be rare, ask them for documentation that the pesticides they are going to use are safe. Ask them for copies of the label and Material Data Sheets of the pesticides as well and then read them carefully before they spray.
When you read the label of the pesticide they are going to use, it will say the only time you can spray baseboards is if there is a pest infestation in that area and then you are supposed to spray behind the baseboard, where the bugs can hide.
The same goes for the practice of power spraying around homes. All that does is kill a lot of bugs, some that are beneficial, that may be present, and may even kill some birds and other animals that eat the dead bugs, but it is not professional.
A good perimeter treatment would be for a technician to inspect the perimeter of your home, and if he/she finds any cracks, crevices or other voids where a pest can enter your home, they can treat those areas.
Spraying the ground and a couple of feet up the side of your home is ridiculous.
Besides that, the pesticide will break down fairly quickly in the very hot weather we have had, so it is all show.
A good company will not give you a price on the phone.
They will come out, identify your pest problem and make recommendations based on their inspection of your home.
They will not simply offer to spray baseboards or around the outside on a regular calendar basis.
They can come back periodically and inspect your home and then do what they have to if the problem persists.
Again, if you call a dentist and tell him/her you have a toothache, they will want to see your teeth so they can determine what they have to do.
If you call a mechanic and tell him your car is acting up, he/she will need to see it to determine what needs to be done to fix it.
That is professionalism and that is the way the pest control industry should work and some of them do.
Make sure you call a professional and not a company who gives prices over the phone.
If you need an advice from a profesional certified and licensed Pest Control company, look for Pest Sciences (KL) Sdn Bhd. Call Christopher at 012-411 6818 or Miss Looi at 012-411 6828
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