Your home · 10 guides
Pest Control: problems and fixes, explained by Gregory
Gregory Brandt is the only pest control member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- What pest control costs in Dallas depends on five things, and the pest is only one There is no flat price for pest control, because a quarterly ant program and a termite job are different kinds of work. Here is what actually moves the number, and how to get a quote you can trust. The short answer on priceDriver one: which pest, and how specialized the work isDriver two: the house, the lot and what is hiddenDriver three: how long the problem has been growing
- The treatment is done: how to keep pests from moving back in, season by season A treatment clears out what is there today. What happens in the months after depends on water, food, gaps and timing. Here is the routine we give every customer, organized by season. Three habits do most of the workThe first two weeks after we leaveWater: the habit that matters mostFood, clutter and what comes in the door
- Scratching in the attic at night: what happens when a pro seals the rodents out Rodent exclusion is not a box of bait in the attic. It is a search for every way in, a sealing job, removal of what is already inside and a check that it worked. Here is how each step goes. Exclusion in one paragraphHow to tell rodents have moved inWhy a box of bait rarely solves itStep one: the inspection that finds the way in
- Quarterly pest control or a one-time treatment: which one your house actually needs A single visit solves a single event. Pests that keep coming back from outside usually need a plan. Here is how to tell which situation you are in, and what each option actually includes. The rule of thumb: events get a visit, patterns get a planWhen a single visit is the right callWhat a quarterly program covers from one visit to the nextWhy the bugs come back after one treatment
- Natural pest control myths: what organic treatment can do, and what nobody should promise Natural pest control is neither magic nor a weaker version of the real thing. Here are the myths we hear most often, and what actually decides whether a gentler treatment works. The answer, before the mythsMyth: natural treatments are too weak to workMyth: if it is natural, it is automatically harmlessMyth: a green company does not need to inspect first
- Mud tubes, discarded wings, a door that sticks: how to tell if termites are in the house Termites rarely announce themselves. These are the signs worth checking for, how to tell them from ants and wood rot, and what a licensed inspection can and cannot see. The signs that point to termitesMud tubes: the clearest evidence and the easiest to missSwarmers and wings: termites or flying ants?Damage you can see inside the house
- Mosquitoes have taken over the backyard: what works in Dallas and what West Nile means Mosquitoes breed in less water than most people think, and West Nile virus is active in the county every year. Here is what actually reduces them in your yard and how to protect your family outdoors. What actually cuts mosquitoes in a yardWhat the county data says about West NileWhere mosquitoes breed in an ordinary backyardA fifteen-minute weekly routine
- Before you hire a pest control company: the questions that separate careful from careless Most pest control companies sound the same on the phone. A handful of specific questions about licensing, inspection, products and guarantees will tell you which one to let into your house. Six questions that tell you who to hireIs the company licensed in Texas, and is the technician?Will someone inspect before giving me a price?What will you apply, and where will it go?
- Bed bugs at home: what you can do yourself and when it is time for a professional A small, early bed bug problem can sometimes be handled at home with patience and the right steps. Here is what that takes, what not to try, and when a professional treatment is the faster, safer route. Doing it yourself is possible, but only in a narrow caseStart by confirming what is biting youWhat a do-it-yourself effort really takesHeat, cold and the clothes dryer
- Ants in the kitchen, a toddler on the floor: pest control when you cannot just spray You want the ants, roaches or rodents gone, and you do not want to fog the house where your kids and dog live. Here is how we think about that trade-off, what you can do before anyone arrives, and what a careful treatment looks like. The pests showed up, and so did the worry about what gets sprayedWhy pests find Dallas homes so easy to enterA half-hour inspection you can do yourselfWhat can wait a week and what cannot