When it comes to pest control around your home or business, are you better off buying some products and doing it yourself? Or should you invest and pay for a professional pest control company to come in and take care of any pest infestations?

In this post, we’ll look at a few pros and cons of doing it yourself VS calling in the pest control experts. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to both scenarios, so let’s see what they are.

Remember, the goal isn’t just to kill pests, but also to help prevent them from invading your home or workplace.

Prevention Is Always the Best Course of Action

Before we get right into the positives and negatives of doing your own pest control versus hiring a professional, it’s important to point out that whatever course of action you do decide the take – DIY, professional or a combination of the two – taking measures to prevent an infestation of household pests is always more desirable than dealing with a major pest problem.

It’s not possible to keep pests out of your home or business completely, but you don’t want to make it easy for them to hang out either. There are practical measures you can take to reduce the likelihood that cockroaches, ants, and other common pests will want to take up residence.

Here are a few quick tips:

Always fix water leaks as they attract cockroaches, ants, and other pests

Clean up food and drinks spills ASAP

Reduce the clutter in your home which also reduces hiding places for pests

Store food in airtight containers or in the fridge

Don’t leave pet food out overnight

What Are Some Home Remedies You Can Try?

Effective pest control is likely going to be a combination of what measures you can do yourself, as well as incorporating professional pest control; both for prevention, as well as getting rid of serious pest infestations.

Let’s look at a few natural remedies you can employ to help reduce pests.

Many common pests and insects don’t like certain smells. Things like garlic tend to repel cockroaches, so placing fresh cloves of garlic in zones where cockroaches are likely to hang out can help.

Coffee grounds and pepper can prevent ants from entering the house. Simply sprinkle either in areas where ants try to come inside.

Other creepy crawlies are repelled by strong smelling oils, such as peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus oil. It’s best to mix any of these with water and spray in areas where spiders, silverfish and other bugs lurk.

Both Borax and baking soda can be used to kill insects like cockroaches when mixed with a little sugar to attract them.

DIY Pest Control VS Professional Pest Control - Pros and Cons

Let’s now take a look at a few of those pros and cons of doing your own pest control against calling in the experts:

Pros of DIY Pest Control:

You can employ natural remedies

An obvious positive is saving money when you do it yourself

Over time you’ll discover the best ways to not only kill but prevent certain pests

You can perform pest control measures as often as you desire

There are many great pest control products on the market today, for DIY

Cons of DIY Pest Control:

Professionals have access to the latest and very pest pesticides, many of which are environmentally friendly these days

The pros have much experience dealing with all sorts of common pests

Major infestations – such as bed bugs – can be hard to remove. Pest control professionals have the skills and knowledge to effectively eradicate pests that are hard to get rid of

Professionals will know how to use pesticides safely

As an amateur, you could potentially make an infestation worse if you don’t know how to effectively deal with a certain pest, such as termites, for example

Professional pest control experts can solve a problem faster, and while it’s advisable to call one in from time to time – especially if you have a major problem – there are certain methods you can take on yourself between professional visits.

What About DIY Pest Control?

There are actually a lot of options on the market today. Even for each type of pest, you’ll generally discover a few different devices, methods and pesticides to eradicate and repel them. The good news is, many don’t require spraying any harsh chemicals, and the ones that do contain pesticides, the ingredients tend to be natural and generally harmless to people and pets.

Always be sure to read the instructions for each product first though, so you know exactly how to use it, how to get the best out of the product, and to do so safely.

The Wrap

The best attack and defense against an invasion of pests in the home or business is to employ a combination of DIY pest control as well as periodically calling in a professional pest control service to eradicate infestations and incorporate preventative measures.