Why Local Pest Control Is Better

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 22:05:27 GMT

If you notice bugs crawling in or near your home or business, it’s time to start thinking about hiring a pest control company. When doing so, you’ll probably type in a quick Google search for pest control providers in your area to see what comes up. It’s important to remember that the companies you see listed at the very top of Google aren’t necessarily the best. Larger corporations and big chain companies dump lots of money into advertising, banking on the idea that name recognition will pay off and earn them more customers. The trick is one of the oldest in the book, and unfortunately, works quite well. If you see a commercial for a particular company on television and hear a couple on the radio, then see the company’s name listed as a possibility as you search for a business, you might incorrectly believe, “ I’ve heard of them. They must be good .”

Larger companies have corporate guidelines they follow. They have standardized practices, products, and policies. They view things as transactional – get in, spray this place down, get paid, and get out quickly. That isn’t at all how pest control should be handled. Local companies don’t have those same stringent rules. That allows them to diagnose the exact problem, survey the area they’re dealing with, and come up with a plan suited precisely to your property. They might employ a variety of techniques, all tailored to the challenges you are facing.

Those techniques might require a more significant time commitment, which smaller businesses are more capable of. They aren’t jam-packed, running around, and trying to get everything done as fast as possible the way some big companies handle things. It is volume as opposed to quality. Pest control operators at local companies have the luxury of working on schedules they craft themselves. If they think your home would benefit from an extra visit, they’ll tend to that and make sure everything is going smoothly. Those owners are your friends and neighbors, and their success in business is entirely dependent on the quality of their work. They rely on reviews, not name recognition, so everything has to be done well to succeed.

Local companies also tend to be much more environmentally friendly. Since small businesses purchase their products based solely on what they’ve found to be most effective, they’re more likely to have a wide variety of products that work best in different situations. Large corporations are all about convenience and will blast out whatever product they think can exterminate everything in sight. Local businesses are part of the same community they treat and wouldn’t risk polluting their own backyard. Small pest control companies are much more likely than corporate chains to choose sustainable, eco-friendly methods.

Local pest control operators are also much easier to get a hold of. Big chain companies have set hours, and if you need something in the middle of the night, they likely won't be available. In contrast, local owners will often provide you with a cell phone number to reach them anytime—the business relationship shifts depending on what type of company you choose. With a larger company, you hire someone to come out every so often, and that’s it; small businesses in your local community work with and for you. They’re more willing to show up if a new problem arises or if you have questions. They’re part of your local community, and that means they’re judged based on how capable and willing they are to give back to that community. There is also a greater chance that you see the same technician time after time, as opposed to whomever is available for the big chain.

Your monetary investment also comes into play when choosing between a chain and a locally owned business. Studies show that for every dollar you spend with local business, 68 cents of that stays within the local community and feeds back into the local economy in a cycle. That’s 37% more than if you were to throw your money away to a chain. That money goes to people who pay taxes in your same community, which benefits your schools and roads. It’s spent in local restaurants, promoting business, and creating more jobs. The products local companies invest in also tend to come from smaller businesses, whereas corporate chains spend their money bulk-buying elsewhere.

Littoral Pest Solutions has been working day and night to keep pests away from homes and businesses for over 25 years. Local companies don’t survive that long if they don’t perform excellent work. We’re based out of Savannah, but we are willing to travel a bit to reach our clients elsewhere in Georgia and South Carolina. The only way we can know for sure our customers are getting quality, effective work from respectable and experienced technicians is by doing the job ourselves.

Strange Things Bugs Are Attracted To

penni@tandette.com — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 15:48:43 GMT

People have an instinctual aversion to bugs. They scare us, bite us, infest our domiciles, destroy our belongings, contaminate our food, frustrate us, and make us sick. If they left us alone, coexistence would be so much easier. But the fact is, bugs are attracted to us , and for many reasons. First and foremost, they want the same things we want food, water, warmth, and shelter. Beyond that, however, many insects have unusual attractions that will lure them to us—some of which may really surprise you. Here are some of the more unusual things bugs are attracted to.

Flies, beetles, ants, bees, and butterflies will belly up to the bar. Alcohol and fermented substances attract them , especially fruity drinks, wine, and beer. Furthermore, they get intoxicated and are prone to having persistent cravings for alcohol, just like humans.

Mosquitoes have a foot fetish. Yup, mosquitoes like feet . According to scientific studies, certain strains of bacteria grow on your feet that are a particular lure. Those toes of yours become positively irresistible if you happen to be someone with a high level of staphylococcus bacteria on your feet. That attraction can even transfer to your shoes and stockings along with the bacteria.

Cockroaches enjoy your laundry as much as your leftovers. Believe it or not, cockroaches have a thing for clothes. Dirty clothes attract them because they like the smell of our body fluids and food stains on our clothing. Even stranger than that, studies show that cockroaches also like the smell of laundry detergent, so not even your clean clothes are immune to their attention. However, studies also indicate that cockroaches hate the scent of lavender , so opting for a lavender-scented soap or fabric softener may be smart.

It's often said that ants love sugar , almost to the point of it being a cliché. While ants generally eat almost anything, sugary foods are favored by many species, as those high levels of carbohydrates (sugar is all carbohydrate) help to fuel their typically high metabolisms. Even Carpenter Ants love sugar which may surprise you since they are usually associated with wood. However, they don't eat the wood, they only nest in it. On the flip side, other species of ants prefer fats and proteins, and some that even prefer salty foods.

Bees love lemons , literally. Interestingly, bees are sexually attracted to the scent of lemons and lemongrass. They contain a chemical compound called Cymbopogon citratus, which mimics the sex pheromone that queen bees give off to attract drones to her.

Bright colors have been scientifically shown to attract more insects than pale shades . Because insects only see color in the UV spectrum, vivid colors are more noticeable to them and will draw them in, especially yellows, oranges, and reds. Conversely, white houses, as well as pastels and cool shades of blue and green, are much less attractive to bugs. Light blue paint has been shown to discourage wasps and spiders from nesting. Keep that in mind when choosing your clothes during the summertime.

Termites like ballpoint pen ink , specifically blue ink, which contains a chemical compound called 2-phenoxyethanol. That chemical smells like the pheromone termites give off when laying down a trail to their nests and food sources. Studies show that termites will even follow lines that were drawn with a blue ballpoint pen.

What To Do If You Have An Insect Problem

While avoiding all the things we know will attract bugs may help us to a certain extent, sometimes there is not much we can do. Bugs find us and invade our living spaces anyway. When insects have taken up residence in our home or business, or have a thriving population nearby, they can be a real challenge to get rid of. Over-the-counter pesticides are rarely an effective solution, as most of those products cannot penetrate the nest. Plus, many insects have become overly exposed to those products—even DDT—to the point that they've developed an immunity. The best solution is to contact a professional pest control company.

If you live in Savannah or the surrounding areas, you can do no better than with Littoral Pest Solutions. We are five-star-rated, locally owned and operated pest control company with the highest level of expertise when it comes to dealing with bugs. Our customer service is second to none. No matter what your pest issue is, we have the solution. Give us a call today and let us know how we can help.

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Why Local Pest Control Is Better

Strange Things Bugs Are Attracted To