Author Topic: Mustachian Pest Control  (Read 2390 times)

Engineer93

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Mustachian Pest Control
« on: October 10, 2018, 07:33:56 AM »
Looking for suggestions on how to limit bugs getting into my house without having to pay Terminix hundreds of dollars a year.  Are there DIY ways to go about this?

GuitarStv

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2018, 07:41:36 AM »
What exactly are you having trouble with?  There are a variety of pest control solutions depending on the problem.  Most of them boil down to:
- Remove attractive food sources
- Prevent ingress to the building by sealing/barriers/chemical means
- Kill bugs currently in your home

The Guru

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2018, 08:18:08 AM »
- Deal with it.

Seriously, are you talking major infestations, or just the occasional invader? Because if it's the latter i can't imagine why you'd shell out ANYTHING on control. Mice? Snap traps. Spider? Squish it. Ants? A couple bucks worth of Terro does the job. A lone stinkbug, like I encountered last evening gets escorted out doors on a sheet of paper. Done. No money spent or toxic materials spilled.
 
The header "Mustachian pest control" strikes me as oxymoronic. Pesticides are in many cases a solution looking for a problem; because there are chemicals that CAN kill bugs we're persuaded by their manufacturers that we NEED to. We've developed a mindset of "bugs bad- must kill" that's potentially damaging to our health, finances and environment.

At the very least, consider what pests you're encountering; determine if they're at all harmful (vs. just creepy) and go from there  rather than adopting a scorched-earth policy on anything possessing more than one set of legs.

GuitarStv

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2018, 08:35:14 AM »
Effective pest control should involve an awful lot more than spraying chemicals and poison.

Rufus.T.Firefly

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2018, 08:40:09 AM »
I asked the same question on the forum about 2 years ago. Best advice was doyourownpestcontrol.com

I got a 1 gallon sprayer and a bottle of Talstar. Long residual life and low toxicity which is important since I have two dogs. Only need to apply it once every 3 months. It definitely works well for me as I notice more bugs in the house if I wait 4+ months to reapply.

Total cost was ~$50 and will cover my pest control needs for the next 3 years.

Obviously the other advice on here is about limiting attractions such as food sources and pruning any plants touching your house. For specific bugs, the website has good advice about removal strategies in the FAQ section.

Engineer93

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2018, 08:56:42 AM »
I asked the same question on the forum about 2 years ago. Best advice was doyourownpestcontrol.com

I got a 1 gallon sprayer and a bottle of Talstar. Long residual life and low toxicity which is important since I have two dogs. Only need to apply it once every 3 months. It definitely works well for me as I notice more bugs in the house if I wait 4+ months to reapply.

Total cost was ~$50 and will cover my pest control needs for the next 3 years.

Obviously the other advice on here is about limiting attractions such as food sources and pruning any plants touching your house. For specific bugs, the website has good advice about removal strategies in the FAQ section.

Thanks!  I wouldn't say we have a pest problem, just the occasional roach/spider once a week but my fiancé doesn't like to touch them.  I was just looking for a cheaper option, like Talstar, that would at least limit the number coming into our house.

Krolik

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2018, 09:28:32 AM »
I live in South Florida where bugs are a big issue and everything wants to crawl in.
I spray 2x year outside perimeter and 1x inside home with Tempo SC Ultra and it works great. I bought it from domyownpestcontrol and the bottle lasts a long time since it is concentrated. I paid $40 two years ago and still have half of the bottle. The costs is very low compared to paid service.

Fishindude

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2018, 10:01:06 AM »
Keep the brush, grass and weeds back from the perimeter of your house, no vegetation rubbing against the outside walls, etc.
Spray a shot of Home Defense around the perimeter walls 2-3 times per season.

galliver

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2018, 10:10:14 AM »
We had good luck with Raid "barrier spray" for occasional roaches (indoor) and terro oudoor granules for ants (the usual raid/combat/terro ant baits did jack for local ants, though I've seen them work in other locations). I'm in southern CA.

jchawk

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #9 on: October 12, 2018, 12:56:07 PM »
Our house is surrounded by woods in Western PA so we deal with a variety of things.  I was previously paying a pest control company but like many questioned the value of paying someone -- when I should be able to do this myself.

We had problems with Ants and Chipmunks/Vols.

To treat for ants I bought a pump sprayer and filled it with Ant kill that I bought from the local big box home improvement store.  I then sprayed a line around the house and windows.  This has kept 100% of the ants away from the house.  I try to do this twice a year but honestly in the winter it's probably not worth the effort so I might skip this year.

The rodents which have previously reeked havoc on my yard and mulch beds...  I purchased a 10lb pal of Motomco 008-32345 Tomcat Rat And Mouse Bait Pellet.  This was similar to what the pest control company was using.  I also had to buy a key to unlock the Bell Labs bait boxes.  The key was $3 and the bait was $36.  For about $40 I should have enough to keep the critters at bay for the next 3 or 4 years.  I check the bait boxes once a month and fill as needed.

I was previously playing $75 a visit once a month so I feel like doing this myself is worth it.

eyesonthehorizon

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Re: Mustachian Pest Control
« Reply #10 on: October 14, 2018, 11:09:01 PM »
Do you have pets or children to worry about investigating baits?

As far as stopping them getting in -- make sure your window screens are snug, check on your weatherstripping (helps with heating/cooling costs, too), try and find every ingress-egress point you can and plug it up.

In times of insect invasion - diatomaceous earth is my frontline. Obscenely cheap inert dust of pulverized diatoms, it recreates "that scene from Die Hard with the broken glass" but for bugs, which then dehydrate and die; as with any dust, don't breathe it or get it in your eyes, but it's nontoxic. Apply near doorways and in corners (under the oven, the corners in the pantry, behind the toilet). This is my go-to for roaches especially if you pair it, on a smooth floor, around the next item:
If you need baits, you can get a $2 bottle of boric acid dust at the hardware shop, mix it with peanut butter or sugarwater in a bottlecap; ants & other foraging insects will go for it and subsequently perish.
Flies of most sorts will gladly drown themselves for you if you mix a bit of water, a bit of wine, and a drop of dish soap in a cup and leave it uncovered for them to investigate. Keep these traps indoors, you don't want to drown bees.

I also recommend letting your spiders and predatory bugs like assassin bugs, lacewings, dragonflies, mantises, even wasps, live in peace if they aren't interfering in your life. I typically have a couple spiders in the doorways and windows taking out the few creatures that do get in, and essentially never see any bugs in my home NOT already-deceased and directly below their webs for easy vacuuming - and I keep a compost bin full of rotting plant matter all of four feet outside my door since all I have is a balcony. Amphibians, bats, and insectivorous birds are good company to encourage - so don't eliminate all their cover (a few patches of higher grass, thicker bushes, anything that would create a humid toadhole) especially if it's a little away from the house, avoid spraying insecticides (especially if not contained to the areas you need them), build a bathouse, tolerate small to midsize wasp nests that aren't right over your door. See if a few "Lucas the Spider" videos get the fiancée to decide they're her friends.

Prevention is far less work than fighting off an infestation, but it also doesn't have to be expensive or high-toxicity, and is easily DIY.