Pest control services? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

CrotchrocketSlm · 10-01-2004, 02:48 PM

I'm just wondering if any of you guys have had experiences using pest control services, such as Orkin, Terminix, etc., or maybe even some of the local, small-time exterminators one finds in the Yellow Pages. Have you guys gleamed any wisdom from dealing with these companies in the past? Is there any thing I should be looking for especially from a company? How feasible would it be to get the landlord to pay for this?

The situation is thus: my now ex-roommate knew brought in her friend and her friend's cat, who both were living in most squalid surroundings. They both were in the house for about three months, but I didn't see anything until closer to the end of the summer (the weather being unseasonably cool for this year). The ex-roommate is gone, as is this other person and her cat, but now we've pretty much confirmed that there are fleas all over the house. I've tried taking care of things on my own, but I've pretty much given up after a month of fogging the house, laying borax down, etc. Any advice would be welcome.

ShaniFaye · 10-01-2004, 04:54 PM

the key to getting rid of fleas is vacuuming...dont laugh its the truth...I went to school for entomology and worked for a pest control company for 10 years.

Yes you need to spray....but you need to know that spraying will not kill the eggs (unless something has come out that I dont know about lately)

a few things you need to do before you spray....VACUUM and I mean REALLY vacuum, get all the open areas, the furniture, the baseboards, any curtains you might have, leave no part of the floor untouched, MOVE FURNITURE...then..

take the vacuum cleaner outside immediately, away from the house...the heat and the vibration from it will cause any flea eggs vacuumed up to hatch inside the bag, and yes its possible for them to get out of the vacuum cleaner. When you have it outside get rid of the bag immediately.

Then have the spraying done, or do it yourself....I can almost guarantee you that the landlord isnt gonna take care of paying for it for you. If you're in the US you can go to lowes or home depot and get the appropriate spray and do it and it will be MUCH cheaper...follow the label directions to the letter, and keep in mind excess is not best.

for a week after you spray EVERYDAY follow the same vacuum routine, then spray again... followed by the same vacuuming, by this time you should notice some relief

oh...I forgot, make sure to wash any bedding in really hot water....this includes anything on your beds and quilts and afghans you might have on couches etc.

Good luck!!!!

CrotchrocketSlm · 10-02-2004, 06:18 AM

The stuff you can get from Home Depot, is that pretty much pro quality insecticide/IGR? How does it differ from the supposedly "residual" stuff that the exterminators would use?

ShaniFaye · 10-02-2004, 07:01 AM

These days its pretty much just as good, IE I was in the business a LONG time and I do all my own spraying myself...with chemicals that I got from Lowes, its also where I buy anything that I use when I help friends out and spray their houses. You will need to purchase the chemical and a sprayer (its usually a plastic tank with a wand attached)

so many people try those and it doesn work because they dont realize there are OTHER things than need to be done in conjunction with spraying. I left a lot of things out as you said the offending animal was gone, but I did forget to warn you about fish tanks if you have any (sorry I was really tired when I wrote that) Let me know if you have fish tanks and I'll tell you what else to do

You need an insecticide with permethrin as the active ingriedient, its the same ingriediant that is in what "professionals" use. But hey, you're welcome to to call them...when I left the business in 1993 it was a minimum of 75 bucks per visit to come and treat a flea infestation.

10-01-2004, 02:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
CrotchrocketSlm Crazy Location: St Paul, MN	Pest control services? I'm just wondering if any of you guys have had experiences using pest control services, such as Orkin, Terminix, etc., or maybe even some of the local, small-time exterminators one finds in the Yellow Pages. Have you guys gleamed any wisdom from dealing with these companies in the past? Is there any thing I should be looking for especially from a company? How feasible would it be to get the landlord to pay for this? The situation is thus: my now ex-roommate knew brought in her friend and her friend's cat, who both were living in most squalid surroundings. They both were in the house for about three months, but I didn't see anything until closer to the end of the summer (the weather being unseasonably cool for this year). The ex-roommate is gone, as is this other person and her cat, but now we've pretty much confirmed that there are fleas all over the house. I've tried taking care of things on my own, but I've pretty much given up after a month of fogging the house, laying borax down, etc. Any advice would be welcome. Last edited by CrotchrocketSlm; 10-01-2004 at 02:53 PM..

10-01-2004, 04:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
ShaniFaye Submit to me, you know you want to Location: Lilburn, Ga	the key to getting rid of fleas is vacuuming...dont laugh its the truth...I went to school for entomology and worked for a pest control company for 10 years. Yes you need to spray....but you need to know that spraying will not kill the eggs (unless something has come out that I dont know about lately) a few things you need to do before you spray....VACUUM and I mean REALLY vacuum, get all the open areas, the furniture, the baseboards, any curtains you might have, leave no part of the floor untouched, MOVE FURNITURE...then.. take the vacuum cleaner outside immediately, away from the house...the heat and the vibration from it will cause any flea eggs vacuumed up to hatch inside the bag, and yes its possible for them to get out of the vacuum cleaner. When you have it outside get rid of the bag immediately. Then have the spraying done, or do it yourself....I can almost guarantee you that the landlord isnt gonna take care of paying for it for you. If you're in the US you can go to lowes or home depot and get the appropriate spray and do it and it will be MUCH cheaper...follow the label directions to the letter, and keep in mind excess is not best. for a week after you spray EVERYDAY follow the same vacuum routine, then spray again... followed by the same vacuuming, by this time you should notice some relief oh...I forgot, make sure to wash any bedding in really hot water....this includes anything on your beds and quilts and afghans you might have on couches etc. Good luck!!!! __________________ *I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!*

10-02-2004, 07:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
ShaniFaye Submit to me, you know you want to Location: Lilburn, Ga	These days its pretty much just as good, IE I was in the business a LONG time and I do all my own spraying myself...with chemicals that I got from Lowes, its also where I buy anything that I use when I help friends out and spray their houses. You will need to purchase the chemical and a sprayer (its usually a plastic tank with a wand attached) so many people try those and it doesn work because they dont realize there are OTHER things than need to be done in conjunction with spraying. I left a lot of things out as you said the offending animal was gone, but I did forget to warn you about fish tanks if you have any (sorry I was really tired when I wrote that) Let me know if you have fish tanks and I'll tell you what else to do You need an insecticide with permethrin as the active ingriedient, its the same ingriediant that is in what "professionals" use. But hey, you're welcome to to call them...when I left the business in 1993 it was a minimum of 75 bucks per visit to come and treat a flea infestation. __________________ *I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!*

10-02-2004, 06:18 AM	#3 (permalink)
CrotchrocketSlm Crazy Location: St Paul, MN	The stuff you can get from Home Depot, is that pretty much pro quality insecticide/IGR? How does it differ from the supposedly "residual" stuff that the exterminators would use?