I am a Pest Management Professional or what you would refer to as an "Exterminator" in NJ for that last 3 years. AMA!

What is something homeowners should be doing, but you don't see them doing it often enough?

Keep firewood a healthy distance away from your home, don't leave leaves and debris around outside for too long or next to your home as this is a place different kinds of pests can brewed, make sure your garage door is flush with the ground ( helps with keeping rodents out), a huge one is make sure your gutters are regularly cleaned and downspouts are facing the appropriate way. Any moisture collecting along the foundation makes nice conditions for termites. Ummm that's all I can think of right now.

Ha! Now we're gonna follow all this preventative advice and put you out of a job! Suckerrr

All of the work I do is commercial. They have to have pest control because of SOP. Residential clients usually have it as more of a luxury service.

Had my home in Georgia sprayed. The next day there was a ring of dead black widow spiders around my house. The experience basically ruined my yard for me.

Hey at least they were dead!

Gotta have moisture in Texas... drip irrigation or soaker hoses around the foundation or it'll shift and crack cause we're sitting on clay

Interesting

How do mice keep getting in if seemingly every crack and gap is sealed? How can I finally stop their entrance? Should I be putting bait outside to get to the source of the issue?

You can use bait, stations with snaptraps along the exterior, it's hard to 100% keep them out. You leave the garage door open while you bring groceries in and bam there's an opportunity to get in. The just need a 1/4 of an inch and they can get inside a structure. Plus they are excellent climbers so that attic vent that looks nice is actually an easy way for them to get in.

No joke. I'm a certified applicator in NJ and I applied to western. I've called twice in the last 2 weeks. The lady on the phone took my name and number and "passed it to the manager" but I never received any calls. On the second call I even asked her if she was aware if they are actively hiring to which she answered yes we are. I replied ok can you just let him know I reached out again. So my question is. Any suggestions haha? Hilarious to come across this on Reddit btw.

PM me man. I can maybe help you out.

Wholesome

He hasn't messaged me. I can maybe get him a job ife he's not a crazy person. Haha

I'm so sorry I didn't expect so many questions. I am actually working at the moment! I am taking a break in 15 mins and going to respond to as many of you as I can and then will be responding throughout the day

How can you tell the difference between what is infested by pests and what is simply New Jersey?

I'm so confused 😭

He called NJ dirty

I'm from Florida lol I don't care. I will say the NJ is one of the prettiest states. Everyone talks so much crap about it but there is so much to appreciate here nature wise.

I live in a heavily wooded area and occasionally we get mice, Any tips on how to keep mice out?

It is almost impossible to fully keep them out. They can fit in a crack the size of your pinky! Older homes settle over the years offering them easy entry ways into your home that you may not even see. It's good to be proactive but there is no end all be all to keeping them out. I recommend checking in utility, cable, plumbing going into your home. Make sure it is properly sealed, a lot of times there are gaps the size of my thumb that a mouse can easily fit in. You can use a silicone filler and just fill the crack. My advice is to set traps in places you see activity (droppings, grease marks) and discard of them when you catch them. You can also try using bait stations on the exterior but I really don't like using poison in residential settings and check with your local laws. (Sometimes the die in your wall and they can really smell) You can use a bait stations and then put T rex traps in them a long the exterior for a none poison route. Hopefully I answered your question.

What was the moment where you entered the premises, took a good look, and muttered under your breath: “I am never fucking killing all of this vermin on the first pass”?

Lmfao. This community I do I walked into an umbrella job. The call it an umbrella job because you almost need an umbrella to block all of the Roaches from landing on you from falling of of the ceiling.

What has been the worst pest infestation that you have personally come across?

There's a community I used to do regularly that is literally nothing but bedbugs and roaches, every single unit... Been units where you walk in and they are literally crawling all over the ceilings because there is too many/ no more harborage areas for them to hide.

What is the most work intensive/ difficult pest to get rid of and why?

German Roaches in a unsanitary commercial kitchen. You can spray, bait, dust every week and it just seems like they never go away. Sanitation is very important in German Roach control.

Can you elaborate a bit more on sanitation? I had roaches in my old apartment and I thought by and large I was pretty clean. Found them in the kitchen and then in the bathroom! Part of why I moved out! Them little buggers are disgusting!

Making sure you are cleaning the countertops and not leaving dishes in the sink etc. Usually not a huge issue when in the house unless you're really dirty. In commercial kitchens sometimes there's just really bad sanitation, dirty drains, inches of grease under equipment, food debris, standing water

I'm in Houston, TX and we have subterranean termites.

I have a wooden deck (built by prior owners) that butts right up against the slab and is laid out like this ( https://imgur.com/a/nHNbbBg )

Its impossible to see under it, or do any sort of termite preventative treatment against the slab in those locations where the deck and home meet.

How the hell do I protect myself against termites without ripping the deck up?

What he said below is actually a good idea. Just have a couple pieces of wood you can take off fairly easy. Or you could use sentricon along the deck. I like the idea of taking a a couple pieces of deck off better though. Great idea in my opinion. 👌

Fruit flies.... what is the secret to killing them?

FTS - Find The Source. Fruit flies usually stem from bad sanitation. Change the garbage, old fruit, buildup under sink or in tiles, etc.

Top tips I've heard from a former pro: don't hire any company for ongoing service, do it yourself at 1/10 the cost. A one time service will suffice and ask them any questions. Most will answer honestly.

Spray foam insulate your basement and crawl spaces, any cracks and gaps in the basement around utility lines and such as well. Most contractors will quote you at 1-3k depending on footage and general removal.

Exterior: product called Termidor SC willl kill and keep most things off your house. DO NOT USE INDOORS. Buy a $20 spray tank and spray the perimeter of your home, soffits and overhangs, and around windows and doors twice a year or seasonally.

Interior sill plates and baseboards: onslaught will kill just about everything inside. Spray only baseboards and sill plates.

Mice are GOING to find a way in if your home is older than 30 years old. Best rodenticide is either resolv soft pack baits or first strike packs.

How many of you have tried doing things by yourself first and foremost?

Not bad advice! I always reiterate make sure to read the label as it is the label. For example termidor can only be used so many times a year depending on the dilution/rate you use it at. Also bedbugs, German Roaches and rats are something I would leave to the professionals that deal with it regularly and know how to handle it.

Did you ever feel guilty in the beginning for taking a creature's life? (Like rodents and such.) And what was the biggest pest you ever had to remove?

I used to. I just think of it as I'm helping out by the damage rodents and what not can cause. Also they are completely unsanitary to have inside a business or house. I love animals believe it or not.

I'm happily married lol

A lot of hotels get them. They usually never get out of hand though because they call their pest control company. They can't help it unfortunately, there's a lot of people coming and going. Bedbugs are hitch hikers.

which "pests" would you consider beneficial such that most homeowners should not bother evicting (for example some fly-catching spiders)?

Spiders and centipedes. Centipedes are predators so the eat plenty of other bugs that make their way inside. Spiders also eat other insects. The thing is most people that have Pest control are people that don't like bugs at all so we end up treating for these beneficial insects.

Not sure if you are trolling or not. There is not chemical in a form of a spray that is just for roaches. Usually they have a label and explain to you what you can treat for with said product. Usually with roaches we tend to use something with a little bit more of a knockdown because they can be a real pain.

Do you use any integrated pest management systems or is the typical method just spraying pesticides?

IPM. My first job taught me to just be a baseboard jockey. That's what I thought pest control was. Then after switching companies a couple of times I have learned better practices.

Too many fam

Yes it does! But be careful as you may infest other areas of you don't dispose of them. I use a vacuum with a sealed chamber specifically designed for pest control in mind.

with bed bugs, are beds worth cleaning or do they really have to be thrown away? and do bed bugs have preference with foam or springs?

Not always do you need to throw away the mattress. IF the infestation is not that severe, like you brought one home from somewhere and you just noticed them a week ago or so. A thorough treatment will take care of them and then a follow up in a week - 10 days should be performed. If there is no activity then the room is "cleared" and can put mattress encasements on to prevent them from going into the cracks and crevices they like to harbor in.

And no there is no preference to my knowledge. They will go anywhere that has cracks and crevices. They are usually on the bed because they like to stay close to the host which they are feeding on. In bed infestations they will be behind picture frames, under furniture, on the ceiling, etc.