Top 3 Reasons You Should Hire a Professional for Your Cockroach Problem

While cockroaches are most certainly an unwelcomed guest in any home or office, they are a serious pest and should be taken as such. Cockroaches can invade a plethora of places plus outbreaks can happen quickly and once present they are often difficult to evict. In addition, to cockroaches being hardy pest they can also cause health problems. Some cockroaches can worsen asthma and can transmit pathogens (like Salmonella or E. coli) which make them more of a concern. When outbreaks happens, homeowners and business owners can opt to solve the problem themselves or call a professional. In these situations, its important to remember that while do-it-yourself (DIY) solutions may seem quicker calling a professional to handle an outbreak is the best course of action for you to take. Below are three reasons why you should hire a professional to handle your cockroach problem.

  1. Leave it to the experts, pest exterminators know how to handle outbreaks.
  2. Inexperienced use of pesticides can lead to insecticide resistance in pests.
  3. Do-it-yourself solutions to pests involving pesticides can lead to pesticide exposure in unnecessary areas.

1. Leave it to the experts, pest exterminators know how to handle outbreaks.

While solving a cockroach problem yourself may seem like a quicker fix in the moment, calling a professional is the best way to guarantee it is handled correctly. Pest control workers spend their careers analyzing pest outbreaks and know of many different ways to combat them. The first thing a pest control worker would do is to analyze the problem, this is key in solving this long term. Once it can be determined where the outbreak is taking place and where the pests are, appropriate actions can be taken. While a simple solution may appear to be using chemical methods, these can lead to bigger problems down the road (see number 2 for a more detailed explanation). There are many solutions beside of chemical options, that pest control workers have in their arsenal. Some other options  for eliminating cockroach problems include but are not limited too; glue traps, gel baits, and dusts. The course of action a pest control worker may choose to take will depend on your particular situation. It is important to remember, while you may have a different course of action in mind, these are professionals that have seen outbreaks before and know the right and wrong way to handle them.

2. Inexperienced use of pesticides can lead to insecticide resistance in pests

A common DIY solution to a cockroach problem normally contains chemical means. While this may seem like a good option for you and your cockroach problem, it can potentially have dire consequences. When you buy pesticides with the intention of using them in your home or business, you are not seeing the bigger picture in terms of their application. Pesticides have certain groupings based on the type of chemical they are and the mode of action it takes in the insect pest. If you use too much of one group, the insect pest (in this case the cockroach), can become resistant to that group of insecticides. An insecticide resistant pest means that it is resistant to chemicals in a given grouping and that the chemical treatment will not be as lethal as previous applications. If you have insecticide resistant cockroaches and you do not realize it, you could spend a lot of money on treatments before you notice the problem. By hiring a pest control professional you can avoid the potential for insecticide resistant. Pest control workers know which insecticides are in each class and know not to depend on one more than another, thus avoiding the insecticide resistance potential. When you choose to hire a pest control worker over handling the cockroach problem yourself you are saving yourself from wasted money on DIY treatments and from the headache of having insecticide resistant cockroaches.

 

Male and Female German cockroach Photo Credit- CDC PHIL.CDC.GOV

3. Do-it-yourself solutions to pests involving pesticides can lead to pesticide exposure in unnecessary areas.

DIY cockroach control options come in a variety of forms, but all do carry the same risks for additional and unnecessary pesticide exposure. A common type of DIY cockroach control is the use of total release foggers (TRFs). According to a paper by DeVries et al., TRFs distribute large amounts of pesticide across horizontal surfaces including areas where pests are unlikely to encounter them. These products are releasing insecticidal residue on areas where pests will not encounter them, but these may be areas that you, your family, or your pets encounter. This is exposing the people in your household or business to unnecessary pesticide exposure. Other DIY control methods for cockroaches can provide the same unnecessary exposure if you are spraying any other areas than absolutely necessary. When you hire a pest control professional, they will identify the areas that must be treated in order to combat the cockroach problem and will treat just those areas. By going with a pest control professional over a DIY cockroach control option you are keeping your family, pets, and employees safe from unnecessary pesticide exposure. 

Conclusion:

Overall, cockroaches are difficult pests to deal with, outbreaks can occur quickly, they can worsen health conditions like asthma, and they can spread pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli. Their presence should be taken seriously, and they should be handled by a pest control professional. While DIY control options may seem like quicker or cheaper methods to handling cockroach outbreaks, just remember, they often cause bigger problems in the long run. By hiring pest control professionals to handle cockroach outbreaks you are ensuring the problem is handled in the best manner and correctly the first time, avoiding problems with insecticide resistance, and keeping your family, pets, and employees safe from unnecessary pesticide exposure.  

 

Share this post

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts
Scroll to Top