DIY Pest Control?

[Jerome Kaidor]

Hello,

   I'm looking for my third pest control company ( or is it the fourth? ) for my complex in the California Central Valley ( land O'Bugs ).  I have always used professional pest control companies, but find the following problems with them:

   * It depends on the technician.  If you have a good technician, you have a good company.     If not, not.

* Your technician may start out strong, but over time ( and this seems to happen EVERY time ) they come to think they own you.  They start diluting the (expensive) chemicals, and tenants complain that the bugs are out of control.  Or they use the wrong chemicals - same result.

  I have preferred to use companies for this - rather than training my staff - because of the liability.  What if a tenant gets some vague illness and imagines that it's my fault?

  On the other hand, imaginary pest control carries a liability also.  Tenant takes her baby to the emergency room, where they fish a cockroach out of the child's ear....

   If we do it ourselves, we can research and buy the very best and most appropriate chemicals.  The labor money spent stays with my employees and keeps them happy ( they like to make money ) instead of keeping the pest control operator's employees happy.  On-site staff has incentive to do it right, because they live there.

  I believe it is legal to do this on your own property, as long as you don't offer service to anyone else.