# What is everybody's pest control routines



## eharri3 (Jul 31, 2013)

What does everybody else do?

Hoping to coax Spring to come along a little faster. I have gotten started with the spring time pest control routine. Last year was our first year in the house so I kind of learned what to expect as I noticed the different issues we had to react to throughout the year. It is a big drafty 108 year old house so preventative pest control is a must, from Carpenter bees starting in April, to Ants in early may, to an occasional mouse finding their way into the basement in Fall.

Picked up a ton of ant baits and set them out in the house so that's already over and done with and they can start doing their thing in a few weeks when the ants show up. Probably wait until next weekend after the rain/snow to lay down the outside traps.

Exterminator will be here in a couple weeks to do a preventative spray around the perimeter, first floor, basement, deck, and trellis for carpenter bees and other pests.

That usually tide's me over for 2 or 3 months. I know most people have the exterminator come in 3 or 4 times per year but I don't bother. Until fall I will just sprinkle some Seven Dust around my perimeter about once per month and leave it at that. I did it last year and I had no significant inspect problems in the house for the rest of the summer after the one exterminator visit in May.

Then come September I will turn my attention to the rodents and freshen up the mouse baits in the basement and on the perimeter.


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

I'll be sprinkling Diatomaceous Earth around the perimeter of the house and around my Hosta plants when (if?) the weather warms up. 

I'd like to do something to keep the yellow jackets away. But it seems that they put their nests just about anywhere, so hiring an exterminator might not work here.

Barb


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## eharri3 (Jul 31, 2013)

The guy I use has a 'power-spray' option that can coat the whole house or any other structure for situations that warrant it. Might be worth looking into.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

gma2rjc said:


> I'd like to do something to keep the yellow jackets away. But it seems that they put their nests just about anywhere, so hiring an exterminator might not work here.
> 
> Barb


I had good luck with this last year. The yellow jackets and red wasps were constantly building nests inside of my storage shed. I sprayed the ceiling with Demon WP, and they completely stopped.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/demon-wp-insecticide-p-74.html?gclid=CNH1l_3Pj70CFWXl7AodfHsAHA

Also works on ant beds. Stir up the ants, then wet them down. Come back the next day and find thousands of dead ants.


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## taylorjm (Apr 11, 2013)

I use that ortho pest control stuff in a big bottle with a pump sprayer. I take and spray it around the outside of the house and around the door frames and windows and any penetrations in the siding. Then go around the inside of the house and spray the entire perimeter at the baseboard and floor corners of every room. I have a friend who is an exterminator and that's basically what they do for customers for $40 a month service. The stuff will last a couple months, so just respray it. It's 99% water so it's not hazardous or stain anything. When you think about a bug and how small it is, you only need a tiny amount of actual poison to kill them, which is why it's based in water.


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