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When it comes to getting rid of common pests in your home such as ants, there are many different effective methods. You can choose to do it all yourself with the myriad of different methods and products out on the market today. There is plenty of information on the internet about how to get rid of insects and ants, after all. However, if you aren’t quite feeling like doing it all yourself, you can also choose to pay someone to do it for you by hiring exterminator services. This is a great option for most because it’s likely the most effective and the least work. But if you’re hiring, wouldn’t you want your ant exterminator pet friendly?
There’s nothing more important than making sure that your health, along with your pets’, is a priority. After all, you don’t want to find your little family getting ill due to the products and methods that the exterminators have employed. Finding ant exterminator pet friendly practices might be slightly more difficult, but it is not at all impossible. So if you want to make sure that the ants are eliminated without your beloved pooch or feline falling ill as collateral, stick around for this guide.
There are many different things that you will have to consider when you are trying to find the right pest services. Today, we’re going to look at all of these things so that you can be confident in your choice.
How Do I Get Rid of Ants?
Before we begin to talk about finding the right exterminator, first we want to let you know about some of your options when it comes to DIY ant control. There are plenty of methods that you can employ to get rid of ants, particularly if your infestation isn’t that horrible. So let’s talk about some of your options.
Using Natural Methods
If you want to keep everything all natural as you begin to get rid of the ants in your home, there are a few ways you can do it. First, you can make a spray out of vinegar. Just use 50% vinegar with 50% water, then put it in a spray bottle. You can use this spray to kill ants directly, but you can also use it to destroy the scent trails these little critters create. You can also do the same with the use of lemon, if you cannot stand the smell of vinegar.
Additionally, you can use cinnamon. Yes – ground up cinnamon! Cinnamon is a great way to repel ants because they simply hate it. Therefore, you can simply sprinkle ground cinnamon all over your yard or your garden. You can also use this method inside your home. Just sprinkle lines of cinnamon along your entryways, such as doors and windows.
Using Dish Soap
Another cheap and effective method that you can do right away is using dish soap. A few spoonfuls of dish soap in a spray bottle with water is all you need. You can kill ants with the spray, but be careful not to use it in areas where people will walk on the floor and might slip. You can also put out shallow dishes of water with dish soap mixed in. Leave these out as traps for the ants and lure them to the bowl with sugary things.
Using Adhesive Tape
Adhesive tape is an excellent way to kill ants indoors. Simply put some tape sticky side up in the areas where ants are passing through or swarming. After this, you will see the ants walking right onto the tape and getting stuck. Easy way to get rid of your ant problem! You will need to dispose of the used tape and replace it occasionally, however. But it really does work, and it’s an ant exterminator pet friendly method!
Using Diatomaceous Earth
One more method you can employ is using diatomaceous earth. This powder is made from fossilized diatoms, which are marine creatures. Make sure you use food grade DE. All you will have to do with this is sprinkle it where ants frequently walk through or hide. The DE will cut through the ants’ bodies and exoskeletons, which will eventually kill them as their bodies begin to dry out.
How To Find Ant Exterminator Pet Friendly Services
The fact of the matter is, you should only entrust your home and your health with exterminators that are pet friendly. If you have pets, that is. After all, why should you compromise your beloved canine or feline – or any other type of animal you may have? Making sure you hire the right company is paramount in keeping your family healthy. But there’s no need to worry… we’re here to help provide you with the kind of information you need to make sure you get only the best exterminators around.
We won’t bother delaying any further. Here’s everything you need to know about finding the right ant exterminators for the job!
Look at Their Qualifications
In any situation where you are looking to hire services, it comes naturally that the first thing you would look at is qualifications. After all, no one will hire services that have no qualifications to show. If they have no qualifications, how do you know that they are actually trustworthy and competent enough to do the job? When you begin to put together the list of companies you might hire, you need to ask one very important question: are they licensed?
You must find out if the technicians under the company’s employ are licensed to do their job. It’s also important to make sure you look at whether they have the correct licenses. To verify the company’s licenses, you can call the pesticide regulatory office in your state.
Is their staff trained?
After checking licenses, you can continue to look at qualifications by checking to see whether the staff is current and informed. Are they regularly trained whenever new techniques, products, and regulations come out? Are they aware of the safety guidelines? Licenses mean nothing if the people with them are not up to date with all the new techniques and methods used in pest control today. Ask also – do they use integrated techniques for pest management?
Finally, you need to ask if they have an entomologist (certified) as part of their staff.
Check Their Experience
While there isn’t exactly anything wrong with hiring the new guy, it’s always good to check a company’s experience. First thing you need to know is – how many years has this company been in business? The amount of experience a company has in the ant exterminator pet friendly business will be a decent representation of their ability to do the job.
Ask also: are the newly hired employees trained by senior employees that have plenty of experience? New employees can only be as good as the people who are training them. If they aren’t trained by experienced pest control agents, you may want to find a different company. Alternatively, you can request experienced agents to be sent when you hire the company.
You can also check how much experience the pest control company has in treating problems specifically like yours. Be sure to inform them of your particular issue so that they can properly figure out what they need to do.
How’s Their Reputation?
The best advertisement for any business will still always be word of mouth from satisfied customers. And so it’s a good idea to ask your friends, your family, your coworkers, or your trusted neighbors for pest control service recommendations. Usually, companies that come recommended by people you trust are good and offer satisfactory results.
With that being said, we think it’s important that you do not simply rely on a company’s online advertising or ad campaigns of any kind in order to judge their capacity. If you come to know of a company through their advertising or marketing, do make sure you take a look at reviews that previous customers have left behind. Fortunately, we are now in the age of the internet. People can leave reviews and feedback for just about anything. This makes it easy for you to shop around for anything.
Check the BBB
Aside from looking at reviews, one more way that you can check for a company’s reputation is by getting in touch with the BBB or the Better Business Bureau. The BBB provides ratings to show you just how good a company is. Also, you can call the pesticide regulatory offices in your state to check on the company’s standing.
If the company you are looking at is new or does not have any feedback available online, you may also ask them for customer references.
How Safe Are They?
Some pest control companies won’t give a care about whether or not their methods are safe. Before hiring a company, make sure to check if they pay any mind to their own safety, as well as the safety of their customers. You will be able to determine whether a company is good by asking if they are willing to use ant exterminator pet friendly methods to keep your pets safe.
You can also ask them if they have insurance to cover anything unfortunate that might happen while their services are being performed. Make sure to check if the insurance covers everyone important – you, your family, your pets, and their employees. It may also be beneficial to check if property damage is covered as well.
It’s also important to check whether the company you are looking to hire protects their employees by giving them the right protective gear for the job. A company that cares about its employees is definitely a better choice than one that doesn’t give a damn about them.
Is Their Customer Service Good?
Another important thing to ask is if the company’s customer service is good and reliable. The best way to find out the answer to this question is by simply checking the customer reviews and feedback. After all, one of the most common things that people will gripe about is bad customer service. They will also commend good customer service!
Finding a company that makes sure their customer service is great is paramount to ensuring you are taken care of properly from start to finish. After all, if there is no customer aftercare to speak of, then you might as well just have done everything yourself.
Look for a company that will listen to your issues and concerns and then address them properly. Check if the employees are able to identify your issues and diagnose everything properly instead of simply throwing an estimate at you in hopes that you accept. Make sure that they also give you the details of your treatment so that you can also have better peace of mind.
Do They Provide Value?
Naturally, before you hire a company you should first look at whether their services will bring you value. Are the estimates they are offering fair? You can find out about this by comparing estimates that other companies have also given you. Therefore, it is important to shop around. After all, many of these exterminator companies will offer you free estimates.
Check also if the company will require you to sign a long-term contract. Don’t just sign anything willy-nilly. Make sure that the contract is agreeable to you and not only favorable to them. Check the terms of the contract, especially if it’s for long term.
Finally, you can check whether the company offers you any guarantees for their work. Some companies, for example, might offer a 2-3 day period where they will come back if the infestation is not taken care of. Ask the pest control companies what their guarantees are, as this may prove to be an added benefit later on.
Conclusion
Finding the right exterminator is truly important, and we hope that with our guide you will be able to find the right one for you. Just make sure you follow the guidelines here, and you should be able to! Ant exterminator pet friendly services do exist, you just have to look.
