Hire a Pro or Do It Yourself?

Hiring a Pro versus doing it yourself.

I get the question sometimes about my thoughts on do it yourself pest control as opposed to simply hiring a professional. My answer is simple. If you enjoy doing it yourself and you think you have the resources and knowledge to tackle a particular pest problem then go for it. There are some problems I'd leave to the experts though and they would be termites and bees. Termite control can be very tricky and although there are DIY kits you can get from maybe Home Depot or Lowes I wouldn't recommend them. You are dealing with probably your biggest investment and termite work is involved and not as straight forward as killing a roach. Also you will be given a warranty in most cases and sometimes the pest control company will even warranty any new damage that might occur from termites. I'd bite the bullet and pay for a Pro in this case...it's true that termite jobs are expensive, but they are worth the money if done by a pro.

Next topic is bees. Unless you are just spraying down a little paper wasp nest then I'd leave it alone for the pest control guy to do. Personally I'd even leave the little paper wasp nest alone. First of all bees and wasps and hornets can become very aggressive and there is strength in numbers and in most cases they will have you out numbered! There is usually always bees or wasps "watching" the nest or they might be out foraging for food and upon return you can get knocked on your butt pretty quickly. While on the subject of bees it is important to say here to never...ever...seal a hole that bees are going into, especially if they are entering an outside wall void of your home. They will find a way out and it is usually through the inside of your house. So bees are a definite "call the Pro" situation. I guess in parts of the country other than the Northeast you have to be careful of fire ants and scorpions and snakes...all of the above...call a pro.