Most of us take having a pest-free home for granted until we actually have to deal with an infestation.
The emotional toll of having a private and safe place infested by cockroaches and rats is impossible to quantify. For many, it’s enough to force them to sell their homes.
While preventative pest control may be the last thing on your mind in an inflationary economy, you could save significantly in the long run.
According to Architectural Digest, general preventative pest control could cost homeowners between $400 to $950 annually. However, Home Advisor estimates that the average cost of one-time bed bug treatment could be $5,000 for bed bugs and $8,000 for termites.
Additionally, emergency treatments don’t factor in the cost of home repairs associated with termite damage, which totals over $5 billion annually.
Like health insurance, no one plans for an accident or an illness, but you’re thankful to have insurance to help you manage the costs. As you’ll see, a preventative pest control maintenance plan can give you a lot of the same security you get from an insurance plan.
What Is a Pest Control Maintenance Plan?
A pest control maintenance plan is a generalized and comprehensive pest management program designed to prevent infestations and keep your home pest free.
At Anchor Pest Control, we offer Pest Protect 365, an annual pest management program designed to ward off over 40 pests from your home.
Between preventative measures, such as quarterly chemical and non-chemical treatments, and generalized directions to help keep your home pest free, our pest control maintenance plan is designed to thwart infestations before they occur.
Additionally, our plan offers routine on-site inspections to identify areas where your home is vulnerable to pests.
Most pest control maintenance plans offer monthly, quarterly, or annual inspections and reports to ensure your home is pest free.
At the very least, I recommend having an annual check to ensure no pests are lurking in your home where you can’t see them.
What’s Included in a Pest Control Plan?
A pest control maintenance plan will differ by exterminator, but most residential pest control programs, include:
- Regular inspections and pest treatment (chemical or non-chemical)
- Comprehensive reports with guidance to prevent future pests
- On-demand onsite treatment of any growing infestation
- Special discounts for emergency treatment
- Specific treatments for individual pests, including fleas, bed bugs, termites, cockroaches, and more
- 24/7 termite monitoring programs (exclusive to Pest Protect 365)
Plans may also be customized around specific pests native to your area or landscape.
Now that we understand what’s included in a pest control maintenance plan, the question becomes whether one is right for you.
7 Benefits of a Pest Control Maintenance Plan
1. Ensures a Pest Free Home
If peace of mind is important to you or if you’ve previously dealt with a pest infestation, you probably value the comfort of having a pest-free home.
With a routine pest control plan for your home, you can rest easy knowing that your home will be free of any pest presence inside or outside and that your plants and home’s framing will be safe from pest damage.
Not only is this peace of mind something that is priceless, but it’s actually very cost-effective in the long run.
2. Lower Cost than Emergency Service
While high-end treatments for bed bugs and termites may cost you thousands of dollars, this doesn’t factor in finding a place to live for a few days while treatments are conducted. Additionally, this number doesn’t include the cost of home repair and the damage to foliage that an infestation may cause.
Even more affordable treatments for ants, ticks, or mosquitos could cost you $500 per treatment for one-time treatments and still leave you vulnerable to reinfestation.
Overall, an annual pest control maintenance plan will cost you significantly less than more expensive treatments for termites and bed bugs and around the same for a one-time treatment for any generalized pest–after the infestation has spread.
3. Prevents Infestations Caused by Neighbors
If you’ve ever lived in a major city, you’re probably used to dealing with rats and cockroaches in apartment buildings or areas where many live.
Unfortunately, having a clean home won’t prevent an infestation caused by a dirty neighbor. So while you may think you’re safe from roaches and rats, when one neighbor deals with an infestation, it may leave your home vulnerable.
For example, cockroaches can travel under doors, through sewer pipes, and even outside from home to home and spread across entire communities in weeks.
Prevention of cockroaches from a neighbor is almost impossible without proper chemical treatment to prevent them from penetrating any barrier of your home.
4. Protects the Health of Your Family and Pets
Indeed, the emotional toll of a cockroach or rat could be enough to warrant preventative service, but lots of pests can also pose a significant health threat to you and your pets, including:
Many of these pests can be vectors for diseases impacting plants, animals, and human health and should be treated immediately to prevent disease.
5. All-Season Prevention
While some people consider spring and summer the most popular seasons for pest infestation, many pests retreat to warm basements and attics for refuge during the colder months. In general, I recommend inspecting your home for the following pests during the winter:
- Rodents
- Box elder bugs
- Cockroaches
- Stink bugs
- Spiders
- Beetles
- Silverfish
Routine preventative pest control will ensure your home is pest-free during all seasons, not just in the warm summer months.
6. Ensures Responsible Use of Pesticides
Many forgo preventative pest control in favor of DIY chemical treatments, such as pesticides. Unfortunately, many pesticides can harm your home, health, plants, and pets.
Hiring a qualified exterminator ensures the responsible use of pesticides and the right choices for each treatment. The pest control experts at Anchor Pest Control only use safe pesticides and treatments for you, your pets, and your home and will never cause illness or harm.
7. Protection Against Invasive Species like the Spotted Lanternfly
Finally, preventative pest control is a great strategy to prevent invasive species like the spotted lanternfly or emerald ash borer from infesting your property. Unfortunately, these species are challenging to spot because they are foreign bugs and require active maintenance to prevent their spread further north and throughout New Jersey.
A qualified pest control expert will identify any potential invasive pests lying around your property, even if they’re dormant during the winter, to prevent a full-blown infestation come spring or summer.
In many instances, pest prevention starts with identifying and treating pests before they can spread and multiply. The problem with emergency pest control programs is that they treat the spread after it’s too late and significant damage has been done to your home or health.
While the financial incentives are there to invest in a routine pest maintenance program, the peace of mind our customers have is so much more worth it.
Additionally, our programs help our customers retain their home’s integrity and value, so they don’t have to spend extra money to deal with the damage from a pest infestation.
FAQS
1. How much does a pest control plan cost?
Most pest control programs cost between $400-$950 annually, although our program is customized based on a customer’s property size and treatment needs.
2. What are examples of different types of pest control?
There are several types of pest control used to treat residential properties, including:
- Chemical: Commonly used for emergency and routine treatment. Chemical treatments attack the nervous system of pests to exterminate them and prevent breeding.
- Biological: Pathogens or predators may be used to reduce the population of a specific pest.
- Physical: Barriers are erected, and pathways are sealed to prevent pests from entering a home or property.
- Electronic and ultrasonic: Electronic gadgets are used to push away pests from a property.
3. How do you prepare for routine pest control?
If you’re preparing for routine pest treatment or emergency service, we always recommend our customers do a few things in advance:
- First, clean your kitchen and eliminate any pest food sources.
- Second, move furniture from walls so experts can investigate and treat barriers in your home.
- Third, allow adequate access to experts to explore parts of your home where pests commonly lie.
- Finally, restrain pets from giving experts proper time and room to operate.