Dottleshead ★ Posted June 29, 2020 Share #1 Posted June 29, 2020 I've noticed some bugs and piles of debris around my toilet base downstairs before I left and I knew the piles were a bad sign. I called the Orkin dude and he came out and determined I had pavement or 'sugar' ants as they are sometimes called. We don't really have any termites out here so that's good but I've seen the ants destructive power on my side walk in the backyard and the little bastards have now found a way into my home. I live in part of the county where pests are a larger problem. My backyard literally is up against a thicket of foliage and tend to have spiders figuring out ways into the house as well. $250 for the initial investment and another $89 a month afterwards for 12 months. I'm going to hire them and let them do the dirty work while I figure out where and how to seal all and any visible cracks in my foundation. If the cracks are beneath the foundation -- then FML. I wish I was not a home owner and instead bumming the streets of Jackson on my bike. Surely that expense would have bought me a night of lodging and a couple pizzas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrapr ★ Posted June 29, 2020 Share #2 Posted June 29, 2020 A couple years ago we had sugar(?) ants coming in the kitchen. WoScrapr got some diamentaneous(sp) earth product. Spread it at the base of the foundation where we suspected they were coming in. One treatment. No more aunts 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 29, 2020 Author Share #3 Posted June 29, 2020 5 minutes ago, Scrapr said: A couple years ago we had sugar(?) ants coming in the kitchen. WoScrapr got some diamentaneous(sp) earth product. Spread it at the base of the foundation where we suspected they were coming in. One treatment. No more aunts Yeah. Makes sense. But ever since I found out this house was abandoned before we bought, I have visions of bugs infesting my walls. Plus I have insects all over my house and I think a purging would be good. It will give me time to get a handle on things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrapr ★ Posted June 29, 2020 Share #4 Posted June 29, 2020 makes sense. Our outbreak was a bit small. I can mail you a couple envelopes of the dirt. But the USPS will probably flag it as anthrax and you & I will be going up the river. It's pretty cheap as i recall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 29, 2020 Author Share #5 Posted June 29, 2020 Fortunately only spiders and now these ants have made it in. I'm going to stop them cold before they get in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #6 Posted June 30, 2020 I let the local bug man go right after Pop passed. So far no bugs. I have one of those pump up backpack sprayers left over from when I lived in the farmhouse. If I see an infestation I’ll break it out and hope the o rings are not dry rotted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted June 30, 2020 Share #7 Posted June 30, 2020 Luckily that's for a number of months service at least and it sounds like something you want to get right 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #8 Posted June 30, 2020 You could have saved over $1,300. These things really work and you don’t have any pets or little kids to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #9 Posted June 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Scrapr said: No more aunts Does it work on uncles too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrapr ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #10 Posted June 30, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #11 Posted June 30, 2020 1 minute ago, Longjohn said: You could have saved over $1,300. These things really work and you don’t have any pets or little kids to worry about. I could cancel but I won't. It's not just for a localized problem. I'm going to have an insect free home and then I can self-service the rest as they pop up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #12 Posted June 30, 2020 38 minutes ago, Kirby said: Luckily that's for a number of months service at least and it sounds like something you want to get right This. My father was a lot like John... pinching pennies and doing it himself half-assed. Oh sorry John. I didn't mean to slight you. I suspect you did it full-assed. @Longjohn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #13 Posted June 30, 2020 I’m not completely assed. My sister in law has worked for the largest exterminator in the area for over thirty years and my son was an exterminator for them in the summers when he was in college. I know how they do it and what chemicals they use. Whole house extermination leaves your house quite toxic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #14 Posted June 30, 2020 1 minute ago, Longjohn said: I’m not completely assed. My sister in law has worked for the largest exterminator in the area for over thirty years and my son was an exterminator for them in the summers when he was in college. I know how they do it and what chemicals they use. Whole house extermination leaves your house quite toxic. Great. Now a know-it-all too? I can't win. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #15 Posted June 30, 2020 He did give me some valuable info. Just like you have. But I think I will go with one year service. I can back out in 48 hours but probably not this time. I want a solid ground zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #16 Posted June 30, 2020 I hope you and your wife don’t have any negative reactions to the toxins they are going to fill your house with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #17 Posted June 30, 2020 I kill my ants the old fashioned way, one at a time, with extreme prejudice. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #18 Posted June 30, 2020 55 minutes ago, Longjohn said: I hope you and your wife don’t have any negative reactions to the toxins they are going to fill your house with. If this were Pennsylvania they'd set the whole neighborhood on fire. We have tougher regulations on what they can use here. I'm sure it's the most expensive, most environmentally friendly, and heavily taxed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Administrator Posted June 30, 2020 Share #19 Posted June 30, 2020 They must have different pricing in different areas. I live next to a large field and always have mice. The people who replaced my air conditioner last year were not exactly diligent about filling in holes. We had way too many mice for me to deal with on my own this winter. It was $250 for the first visit and $45 every other month. I'll be honest.... I am very happy with what they have done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #20 Posted June 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Forum Administrator said: They must have different pricing in different areas. I live next to a large field and always have mice. The people who replaced my air conditioner last year were not exactly diligent about filling in holes. We had way too many mice for me to deal with on my own this winter. It was $250 for the first visit and $45 every other month. I'll be honest.... I am very happy with what they have done. That sounds about right. If you want to get screwed in pricing, come up to western Washington. Central and eastern are not so bad -- but you're going to pay for it out west. Anyway, I need to do it. I've made a lot of improvements to this place and I want it to be ready if and when I sell. And the last thing i feel like dealing with is an insect problem. I can pay now or pay later. Thanks for the feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #21 Posted June 30, 2020 Wait till the termites discover the pellet shed deck. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donkpow Posted June 30, 2020 Share #22 Posted June 30, 2020 https://www.domyown.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #23 Posted June 30, 2020 12 hours ago, Dottles said: This. My father was a lot like John... pinching pennies and doing it himself half-assed. Oh sorry John. I didn't mean to slight you. I suspect you did it full-assed. @Longjohn Here’s the do it yourself method of dealing with ants. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #24 Posted June 30, 2020 I just did a James Bond on a 1/4" spider that suddenly appeared on my keyboard. Fortunately the keys still seem to be working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #25 Posted June 30, 2020 5 hours ago, maddmaxx said: Wait till the termites discover the pellet shed deck. We don't have termites out here. But if they attacked the shed, it'd be war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #26 Posted June 30, 2020 Every three or four years I will find a regular black ant wandering in the kitchen. Usually, I then look closer - towards the kitchen's sliding glass door - and I will find his compatriots marching in a line. They are usually headed towards the pantry, so out comes everything from the pantry floor, I then sweep up the ants and toss them outside, then use a "spray barrier" around the whole sliding door assembly, and then I wash down the floor super well (stuff drops down or drips down over the intervening years), and the ants are gone for another few years. It usually happens after a lot of rain. Probably the ground is saturated and they go looking for higher ground??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoseySusan Posted June 30, 2020 Share #27 Posted June 30, 2020 I think you would be fine with less frequent spraying based on no evidence except my own experience. For years we had the exterminator come and spray the whole house once a year. Then we noticed that there were only roaches that remained outside, no other bugs, so we stopped. We were bug free for many years until two years ago, and then we had a bad sugar ant problem in the kitchen that we tried to manage with bait traps and spraying the foundation outside. Our efforts were sort of effective; the ants kept coming back with different trails. This year we had the exterminator come again, and the ants are gone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheep_herder ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #28 Posted June 30, 2020 You are only 'taken' if it does not produce the expected effect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #29 Posted June 30, 2020 27 minutes ago, sheep_herder said: You are only 'taken' if it does not produce the expected effect. Well it doesn’t take $1,400 to kill a few ants. They weren’t even carpenter ants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheep_herder ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #30 Posted June 30, 2020 5 minutes ago, Longjohn said: Well it doesn’t take $1,400 to kill a few ants. They weren’t even carpenter ants. Never said it did!! Just giving him a bit of 'sharp pointed stick' over his use of the word 'taken'. I agree with your concern with the use of poisons in and under the house. I worked with my dad exterminating termites many years ago in Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #31 Posted June 30, 2020 25 minutes ago, sheep_herder said: worked with my dad exterminating termites many years ago in Texas. The good old days, can’t use or buy that stuff anymore. But those houses are still protected, don’t know about the water table? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #32 Posted June 30, 2020 38 minutes ago, Longjohn said: Well it doesn’t take $1,400 to kill a few ants. They weren’t even carpenter ants. You are right. For the most part Orkin and all other exterminators run a shady biz. But they need to make a living too I suppose and I have other issues around here besides ants. When the smog settles and I go to sell this place in a couple, few years then this place is going to be in way better shape than I found it. My fucking house already has gone up over $110,000 since I bought it 3 years ago. It just was appraised another $30K higher than just 3 months ago -- in a pandemic. You should come live in Washington. You'd love the taxes and cost of living. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #33 Posted June 30, 2020 1 hour ago, sheep_herder said: You are only 'taken' if it does not produce the expected effect. Correct. I bought a house that was abandoned and flipped and those folks cut a lot of corners. My aim is to keep this place in as good as shape as possible either for us or so I can sell it. I've put a new shed, put in a new Trex synthetic front deck, a new water line, a new trench, a new hot water heater, and have added 2 new certified stoves into this place. I claim the new repairs have added value as well as removed the eye sores that may have put the brakes on any potential buyers. If they want anything else fixed -- screw 'em. Buy it or leave it. In the meantime, we get to enjoy it. I am not letting my investment go to waste. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #34 Posted June 30, 2020 I never bought a house for an investment but the last houses I owned I sold for 33% more than I paid for them five years before. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #35 Posted June 30, 2020 25 minutes ago, Longjohn said: I never bought a house for an investment but the last houses I owned I sold for 33% more than I paid for them five years before. Things started getting so crazy here that I had to borrow money for the down payment because I wasn't quite there yet. I had to buy something quick because the my wife's condo association was literally imploding and thousands and thousands of dollars of special assessment fees were coming down the pike. So we had to find something not ideal knowing if we held onto it long enough we'd make all that money back -- and we have. But this house is too big for us and we're getting older and want to get a place without stairs. We always knew we needed to sell this place to get in another more affordable place. Honestly, we may tear out the floors because they're old and really squeaky and the carpet job installation and quality is crap -- not to mention a back deck that was thrown together for appearance (doubtful I'm going to do anything with that) -- and that's going to be another $7-10K grand depending if we can get her brother to do it. I really don't want to pay that out -- but we may have to -- as the main living room floor is buckling. We like our place and would consider staying -- but that's probably not in the cards -- and certainly not longer than 3 years out. I want my life easier and not harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #36 Posted June 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Dottles said: You are right. For the most part Orkin and all other exterminators run a shady biz. But they need to make a living too I suppose and I have other issues around here besides ants. When the smog settles and I go to sell this place in a couple, few years then this place is going to be in way better shape than I found it. My fucking house already has gone up over $110,000 since I bought it 3 years ago. It just was appraised another $30K higher than just 3 months ago -- in a pandemic. You should come live in Washington. You'd love the taxes and cost of living. Now you have to decide when to bail before the bottom drops out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #37 Posted June 30, 2020 I ALMOST made a parody of this with the Porkin' man took me for 1400 F*cks..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share #38 Posted June 30, 2020 20 minutes ago, maddmaxx said: Now you have to decide when to bail before the bottom drops out. Yep. I just need to sell it before it crashes. Live with her mother. Anything. Just sell high, buy low. It's not an ideal situation but it's the one I'm in. I fully expect to lose my job and watch the market crash. But I can tell you Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons are lovely this time of year. They can take away my shit but they can't take away my memories. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted June 30, 2020 Share #39 Posted June 30, 2020 18 minutes ago, jsharr said: I ALMOST made a parody of this with the Porkin' man took me for 1400 F*cks..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tizeye Posted June 30, 2020 Share #40 Posted June 30, 2020 22 hours ago, Allen said: I let the local bug man go right after Pop passed. So far no bugs. I have one of those pump up backpack sprayers left over from when I lived in the farmhouse. If I see an infestation I’ll break it out and hope the o rings are not dry rotted. Actually, I use to work for Orkin as a 'hold me over job' when graduated from college. Learned a lot, but of course cloridane is banned now. About 20 years ago a local "DIY Pest Control" shop sold me this https://www.amazon.com/Insecticide-Packets-Water-Soluble-Gallons-Cypermethrin/dp/B00E355QOI/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1E8HICXBACID&dchild=1&keywords=demon+wp&qid=1593556508&sprefix=demon+%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-5 and have been mixing up 1 gallon about every 6 months (if I think of it - usually longer). Great stuff and one packet that makes 4 gallons actually has 4 self dissolving envelopes, so can make a gallon at a time. Not messy as - fill enough water in sprayer, drop an envelope in, tighten lid, allow to dissolve and in a few minutes I usually shake it before pressurizing. Typically spray baseboards, under cabinets, and plumbing openings on the inside. Outside, wide spray and about lower 3' of wall plus upper soffit area. Also in attic where have things stored. Great on most crawley bugs - ants, roaches, silverfish, etc. Spiders with their legs are a little more difficult but it is as effective as just about anything else. While not having problems, I have used it for decades and next time may try a competing brand that has a different chemical formation in the event some may have developed a tolerance/resistance. While you said you didn't have termites (but would be good with any soil based invader) now that Cloridane is outlawed, Thermador is it's replacement. While a little expensive at $99 for a bottle of concentrate, I put a layer down before pouring a concrete foundation. The true way to apply it is to drill holes along the foundation and spray into the concrete block wall (or risers in a non-slab crawl space home.) The alternative application, and perfectly acceptable as outlined in the instructions on the bottle, is to trench the perimeter of the house and pour it into the trench allowing to dry into the soil. For cosmetic purposes, level the trench when finished. The huge advantage of Thermador is that it is transparent to invading insects so they don't come up sensing a chemical barrier and search for a weak point as a way around. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tizeye Posted June 30, 2020 Share #41 Posted June 30, 2020 And you think you've got an ant problem. 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted June 30, 2020 Share #42 Posted June 30, 2020 29 minutes ago, Tizeye said: And you think you've got an ant problem. $1.99 each is a good deal for that one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tizeye Posted July 1, 2020 Share #43 Posted July 1, 2020 They make em big here in Florida! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share #44 Posted July 1, 2020 18 hours ago, Tizeye said: And you think you've got an ant problem. 7 hours ago, Tizeye said: They make em big here in Florida! So awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share #45 Posted July 1, 2020 ok so turns out the plan is every other month. So that's 6 months at $90 bucks or $540. That means it's $860 instead of $1400 and that's a bit better. It still may be highway robbery but the spiders around my house are going to be toast and those little bastard ants are going to eat the bait -- and die. That's the plan anyway and they do guarantee their work. Let's just see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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