In finding the best termite treatment for your home, it can be difficult in deciding whether you should do it yourself or hire a professional to take care of the problem for you. Some methods may have advantages over others, such as the effectiveness of the treatment, cost, and the need for reapplication, making the best way to get rid of termites dependent on the personal perspective of each homeowner and how much patience he is willing to exercise in dealing with the problem himself.
There are several factors to take into consideration when considering how to deal with your termite problem. In some cases, it might be beneficial to deal with the problem yourself, while it might make more sense to hire a termite control exterminator if the problem is much bigger than you can handle.
- Cost: this is the biggest selling point for homeowners. It is much cheaper to purchase the materials you need yourself, whether it’s a liquid chemical treatment of a termite baiting system, and applying them yourself than to hire a professional to do exactly the same job for you. However, that doesn’t mean it’s without its drawbacks. Although the initial cost to an exterminator may be more expensive, in the long run, doing it yourself may mean multiple applications in the future, and the costs can add up over time. In-store products may prove to not be as effective as the chemicals that professionals use, leaving some numbers of a termite population still alive, even after multiple uses of a product. With a hired professional, however, his training and expertise tell him what signs to look for and what further measures can be taken in the future to prevent another infestation.
- Effectiveness of the chemicals: in doing it yourself, the products provided in the store are very beneficial to taking care of small problems and preventing smaller outbreaks in the future. But products like these are rarely ever updated or modified; this is important to note because termites are capable of adapting and becoming immune to certain chemicals over time. Eventually, they can have no effect on them whatsoever, and continue to multiply their numbers without any recourse. With a professional, on the other hand, their products and chemicals are always kept up to date, and are better suited for dealing with much bigger problems than the homeowner himself can handle. It’s because they are in the business why they need to modify their treatment options in order to remain in the market.
- Required Expertise:Â DIYers are limited to the instructions that are placed on the treatment options themselves or to what they can find online through a simple Internet search. These are usually easy steps to follow, but do not come with the experience and training that a professional has spent years attaining. A hired exterminator is capable of identifying the problem, what kind of infestation you have, the key entry areas of your home, the various alternatives that can be used to get rid of your infestation, and provide answers to the homeowner on preventative measures that can be taken to protect the home in the future.
- Risk to Health:Â there is some amount of risk taken by the homeowner when using any chemical treatment options himself. Hence the continued stress on reading the instructions on products before use. Even so, some chemicals can compromise the health of those who are more susceptible, and to pets. Through the use of a professional, however, the majority of any risk that can be imposed upon the homeowner is minimized, if not removed altogether.
- Convenience: when purchasing and applying a termite treatment yourself, you can do so on your own time with no need to schedule with another person when you’ll be home. That’s one of the downfalls of working with an exterminator, not to mention the process itself may spread across a few days. However, professional and courteous exterminators are more likely to find a time that is most convenient for you and your daily routine in order to ensure you’re getting the best service for your money’s worth.
When it comes to specific methods of dealing with termite infestations, some treatments are much easier for the homeowner to apply himself than others. The termite baiting, for example, can be easily done within the span of an hour, as kits are readily available in stores for purchase, and they are easy to install. More invasive methods, such as foaming and chemical ground treatment, may not be as convenient for the homeowner as he may believe. Some degree of care is required in order to create an effective barrier against termites and to kill the ones that are already within the home in order to create a safe environment to live in. The overall cost to the homeowner is really dependent on the amount of attention he is willing to pay in applying any kind of termite treatment to his home.
