We get it – bills are due, food, petrol and the cost of living is getting more and more expensive and the kids want a new pair of shoes (kids shoes seem to be needed every other month, right?) so you’re probably asking yourself “do I really need to get a pest control?” or “do pest control treatments actually work?”.
Well if you’ve ever lived in a house with a pest problem you will know how horrible it can be to have an ant or cockroach infestation. No one likes to think of creepy crawlies having a party over their food or dishes whilst they sleep at night.
If you’re wondering what happens after a pest treatment and if it’s really worth it, take a look at our breakdown of the different animals and pests we treat, what you can expect and what an infestation looks like.
Regular pest treatments is the best way to avoid pests in the first place
One thing worth noting is that even though we’re going to outline the different treatments and how long they last below, the best way to ensure that you don’t get pests in your home in the first place is to have regular pest treatments (we recommend every 6-12 months).
Getting rid of ants
If you’ve got ants in your home you know how frustrating it can be to leave only a drop of something sweet on your bench or miss a tiny section of wiping off your bench, floors or dishes only to have ants crawling all over them a few hours or even minutes later. This is where a pest control treatment for ants will help.
The chemicals we use for our pest treatments will kill most insects without harming pets or kids. After we’ve completed a pest control treatment on your home it’s common to see some ant activity for around 2-3 weeks afterwards. The way the insecticide works is that ants crawl through the treatment and carry the insecticide back to the nest, killing off the other ants.
If you’re seeing dead ants around your home after a treatment, this means it’s working. If you have a particularly bad infestation, it’s likely multiple treatments may be required (every 3-6 months) as ants tend to come back again and again.
How long does a pest treatment work on ants?
If a chemical treatment is successful in killing off the entire nest, this will depend on when new ants make their way back into your house, but killing every single ant in a nest is unlikely – some will inevitably live just because of the sheer number of ants and how big the colony is. The number of ants in a colony can range from anywhere in the hundreds to the thousands (large colonies can be hundreds of thousands and even millions of ants like the Supercolony discovered under Melbourne.)
Typically a pest treatment will keep ants at bay for an average of around 6-12 months depending on the area you live and how bad the infestation is.
Getting rid of cockroaches
cockroachesWe all know that having cockroaches around your home is pretty icky, but did you know that they’re the carriers of different ailments and diseases? If you’re not sure how to spot signs of cockroaches take a look at our blog post How to tell if you have cockroaches in your home (and what you can do about it) as there are some good tips on how to spot signs of them and what you can do about it.
Typically when we treat for cockroaches you may still see them hanging around the house for up to 5-6 weeks after the treatment. If they’re walking slowly, there’s a good chance they’ve walked through the insecticide and are on their way out. It’s worth noting here that for cockroaches to be affected by the cockroach treatment they need to walk through it or touch it so you may still get the occasional cockroach making its way into your home.
If you have an extreme infestation we may need to complete a couple of follow up treatments.
Getting rid of spiders
Most people call us concerned about redbacks around the home as these are the little guys that hide away and can be harmful to pets and kids. If you’ve only noticed a few redbacks lurking around your home it’s likely a normal pest control treatment will be enough to flush them out over a period of around 6 weeks. If, however you have a severe infestation, we may need to come back after roughly three months to remove any new population build ups.
You can expect an 70-90% reduction in spiders around your home and property and a 90-100% reduction in redbacks. Remember though, if you live in a bushy suburb or your property has a lot of shrubbery, trees and other bushy elements or backs onto a reserve etc, it’s very difficult to eradicate spiders totally.
Getting rid of rats and mice
Again, depending on the severity of your infestation, the amount of time it takes to get rid of rodents can vary between 1-4 weeks. It’s likely you may see an increase in activity following the treatment as mice and rats are attracted to the baits that are laid. You may also hear an increase in activity in the roof or ceiling cavity as rats and mice will be moving around eating and dragging baits around.
Usually this will subside after about 3-4 weeks as they make their way out of your home to go to ‘the big cheese factory in the sky’. It’s important to remember not to seal off any entrances or areas you think the rodents might be getting into your home until the treatment has started to work and the infestation is under control (you really don’t want your ceiling becoming a rodent cemetery).
Getting rid of fleas
If your pets are constantly getting fleas it’s important to find out where they’re coming from to help us treat them. If you have any areas around your home that are dusty and dry (under the house, under a large plant or trees) and in your carpet if they happen to make their way inside.
Usually it takes around 3-4 weeks to totally get rid of fleas of you have them in your home and depending on the infestation and the areas around your home that need to be treated, a secondary treatment may be needed (not always – but this is sometimes needed for severe infestations).
If you’ve got any of the following pests in or around your home and you would like to talk with a local Brisbane pest control company make sure to pick up the phone and give us a call on 1300 057 067 and we would be happy to come out and inspect your property and give you a quote for pest treatments.