Pest control is essential for homeowners and commercial property owners to maintain family or employee health and overall happiness. It’s very comforting to know that when ant season begins, your kitchen won’t be overrun with crawling pests and in the winter, rodents won’t invade. But do you really need year-round pest control? How long does pest control take? How much does a quarterly pest control plan cost? These are the most commonly asked questions when it comes to full home pest coverage. Let’s go through the basics of quarterly pest control plans and how they work.
What is a quarterly pest control program?
Residential year-round pest control programs provide peace of mind for homeowners that do not want to deal with insects and rodents all year long. These programs are typically performed on a seasonal basis (quarterly), addressing pests that will arise in the coming months. The pesticides that are applied are highly targeted in terms of where they are applied, how much is used, and which materials are selected. Quarterly pest control plans focus on prevention to stop pests before they enter your home. Occasional pest problems can happen between quarterly or scheduled treatments. That’s why most pest control companies provide coverage for specific pests and include additional service visits throughout the year to target an active infestation should they reoccur. Simply put, quarterly pest control programs are designed to keep your home or business free of pests year-round.
How does pest control work?
There are several legal requirements that have to be met even before a pest control technician can come to your home, that vary by state. In most cases, a new employee must go through state-approved training, additional in-house training, on the job training, and then successfully pass a state test to gain their pesticide applicator license. In addition, specialized pests such as wood-destroying insects (termites) and bed bugs require even more testing and training. At Cooper, we provide additional ongoing entomological training by dedicated staff so that our pest control technicians fully understand the behavior and biology of pests.
Year-round pest control plans work by the technician creating a barrier around the exterior of your home. This prevents pests from surviving if they try to get indoors. Rodent control works in different ways, depending on the methods used. Mice can ingest poisonous bait or be caught in traps to reduce infestations before they get out of hand.
How long does preventative pest control last?
The effectiveness of preventative pest control treatments will vary by pest and by materials that the pest control technician uses. If you are considering a quarterly home protection plan, expect chemical barrier treatments to last about 3 months. This is why it’s incredibly important to take advantage of a recurring maintenance plan to ensure maximum protection against pests. Preventative pest plans that are highly specialized to target a single pest like stink bugs and mosquitoes don’t require year-round attention and require seasonal treatments. Staggered visits during a specific time window can be the most effective for year-round pest prevention.
What is the best time of year for pest control?
For maximum coverage, you should invest in a year-round home maintenance pest control plan to keep insects and rodents out. Active pests change from season to season, so it’s important to have treatments adjusted to combat these changes. Some pests such as spiders, cockroaches, and termites can be present year-round in homes.
In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, each season increases the activity of different pests.
Spring- carpenter bees, carpenter ants, nuisance ants, crickets, birds
Summer- ticks, mosquitoes, wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, nuisance ants
Fall- stink bugs, ladybugs, boxelder bugs, mice, ants, yellow jackets (early fall)
Winter- mice, squirrels, flying squirrels, spiders
Depending on your needs and the offerings of the pest control company you are working with, a combination of some or all of these pests can be included with year-round plans. In addition, full home seasonal inspections usually take place to identify possible problems that cannot be resolved with pesticides. For example, a pest control technician searching for mouse entry points during a winter visit can suggest repairing or sealing gaps.
How many times should an exterminator come to my house?
When you are dealing with an active pest issue, an exterminator should visit your house as many times as it takes to get the infestation under control, in accordance with the expectations dictated by the pesticides and methods used. For example, the pesticides used to get rid of small nuisance ants takes effect much quicker than a bed bug control plan.
When it comes to any pest, you need to keep in mind how easily they are targeted and methods for accurate elimination. For example, a rat infestation cannot be stopped with a single treatment. Rat control programs typically take several scheduled revisits by rodent specialists to reassess and readjust strategies as the program progresses. There is no quick fix or shortcuts for complete rat control. Bed bugs cannot be treated with the same chemicals and methods that something like yellow jackets are. The expectations for elimination and control are going to vary and the number of return visits to achieve control will be different.
Another thing to keep in mind is the area that’s being treated. If you’re trying to get rid of birds in your attic, it may take additional visits to ensure birds have left and then seal the entry point. For a homeowner that has centipedes in their bathroom, one treatment may be enough to get rid of them. Your tolerance for pests is another variable to factor in to the number of visits from your pest control technician. One or two spiders may not be a big deal to some, whereas others may be terrified at the sight of a single spider.
How can Cooper prevent pests from entering my home?
Do you live in New Jersey or Eastern Pennsylvania? You’re in luck! Cooper can prevent pests from entering your home all year long with our Home Traditional Service Plan and Home Intensive Service Plan. These quarterly preventative plans provide coverage for over 20 common household pests with unlimited technician visits to control active infestations covered under the plan. Pricing for our year-round home services are based on the size of your home, desired amount of coverage, and current level of infestation.
Year-Round Home Services
The Home Traditional Service Plan is a substantial value for the homeowner that does not want to be bothered by crawling insects, mice, and wasps. The Traditional Service Plan provides preventive pest and rodent control for your home, year round. As part of your plan, you will receive four services per year. Each year you will receive three exterior maintenance services (March – November) and one interior service (December – February). There are some exclusions in the Traditional Service Plan when compared to the Intensive Service Plan.
The Home Intensive Service Plan is designed to provide preventive pest and rodent control for your home, year round. This is our most popular service for homeowners. The service plan includes four preventive services per year. Each service is unique and will be accompanied by a detailed 30-point inspection report with detailed findings as well as providing you with important recommendations for your home. Each year you will receive three exterior maintenance services (March – November) and one interior service (December – February). The winter service will focus on the interior of the structure and is geared towards rodents and other pests that may live within the structure.
Additional preventative services target individual pests such as our Bite Free Mosquito Plan, Tick Prevention Plan, Stink Bug Prevention Plan, Boxelder Bug Prevention Plan, Ladybug Prevention Plan, and Termite Monitoring & Elimination.
