Exterminator or hardware store products: what really makes the difference

A pest infestation can quickly turn into a nightmare for a homeowner, a property manager, a store owner or a restaurant owner. Faced with a mouse, an ant colony or a wasp nest, the first instinct is often to pick up a product at the hardware store. Here's why that rarely works, and what an exterminator does differently.

Store-bought products only treat what you can see

A trap catches a mouse, but it doesn't stop the next ones from getting in through the same crack. An insecticide kills the ants on the counter, but not the queen in the wall. A can of wasp spray drives off the workers, but the nest stays active. In every case, the problem comes back because the cause was never dealt with: the colony, the nest, the breeding sites, the entry points.

What an exterminator does differently

• A thorough inspection. The type of pest, how far the infestation has spread, the ways in they're using, where they breed and what's attracting them.
• An accurate diagnosis. Mouse or rat, carpenter ant or pharaoh ant: the treatment depends on what you're dealing with.
• A targeted treatment. Registered professional products, applied in the right places, by the book, in a way that's safe for occupants.
• Prevention. Practical fixes for entry points, moisture and food sources, so the problem doesn't come back.
• Follow-up when needed. Some infestations, like cockroaches or bed bugs, take more than one visit.

When to call right away

• Mouse or rat droppings, noises in the walls.
• Ants every day despite cleaning, sawdust near wood.
• Cockroaches in the kitchen, bites during the night.
• A wasp nest near the house or an entrance.
• Noises in the attic, lifted shingles, a skunk smell.

The sooner the problem is dealt with, the simpler and more effective the treatment. For more than 20 years, SL Extermination has been on call 24/7 across Montreal, Laval and the South Shore for homes, businesses and industrial sites, with a free quote for every request.