Pest control worth it?

[Azhag]

So random question. Recently moved, the place doesn't have an abundance of bugs, but has enough of the occasional kind to get on my nerves (I really hate bugs). So the occasional spider, cricket, house centipede. Do quarterly pest control services really make enough of a difference to be worth $400-$500 a year? How effective do they seem to be?

[rshetts2]

I use Ortho Home Defense Max.  http://www.homedepot.com/buy/ortho-home-defense-max-1-gallon-ready-to-use-perimeter-and-indoor-insect-killer-0195210.html#.UDooC9aPV8E

Its easy to use and has worked great for me, even in my basement where I used to basically have a mass spider refuge.  Spray around the outside perimeter of your home ( I also spray around the perimeter of the windows ) and around the perimeter of the rooms indoors and youre good to go.  It is safe for pets, once its dried and it doesnt take long to dry.  Ive been using it for about 4 years now and as long as I spray about every 4 months, I dont have a bug problem.  You can get it at Home Depot on sale quite often and generally it costs less than $20 to do your entire home.  Basically, with this you are doing what a pest control company would do for you.  It just costs you about an hour or two of your time and $20 instead of the $300+ you would pay for the service.

[Bullwinkle]

Yeah, it's probably too early to say you need pest control.  Go the self route for now.  Then see if you get rodents in the fall and how many bugs come in the spring.

[stessier]

We had bugs a plenty in SC and used a service.  When we moved into our home in WI we also got a service due to a cricket infestation (killing 10/day with no noticeable effect on population over the course of the summer).  In both cases it was worth it.  There are no bugs around and only occasionally will we see some dead ones.  I don't know if your problem is bad enough to need it, but the services definitely work.

[naednek]

We spray once a year using a pest control company.  Costs about $75 and that tends to be enough for us.