Think Again Before Grabbing That Over-The-Counter Bug Killer

Posted on January 18, 2010 with 1 Comment

Many times when a homeowner sees a common pest problem such as pavement ants, carpenter ants, a wasp’s nest or similar, they will go to the local hardware store and buy Raid or a similar product to control the problem the least expensive way. However the old saying stays true…”you get what you pay for.” In the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut only a select few of these types of products are available for purchase without a license.

As true with our application methods, the same are available in stores such as spraying, baiting and trapping methods.

Let’s say for example you see a large amount of carpenter ants on your deck, and you apply an over the counter spray. This spray will appear to take care of all of the visible ants that the spray contacts. However, this spray is considered a “topical” product, which will simply kill the pests on contact. In order to effectively control carpenter ants they need to bring back the product to the colony to ensure the entire problem is controlled. If you employ a pest control company, spraying the topical spray can actually negatively affect the control measures because there will be less worker ants to bring the products back to the colony.