Pest control: how to deal with cockroaches and other vermin

One of the worst things summers can do for anyone is increase activity of pests. Termites, cockroaches and other pests like mosquitoes, ticks, rats and mice are very common in this season and as soon as any one of these is spotted at home, it is time to call the pest control guys.

"It is best to treat pest issues early," says Saiful Saif of Green Earth Pest Control. "The German cockroach which is a very common bug in peoples' homes and commercial kitchens, breeds very fast. In fact, one egg can have about 42 hatchlings and before you know it, the one or two bugs you shrugged off as 'a one-time incident' will have changed into any number of roaches, infesting your house or restaurant and causing health problems.

Scenarios for restaurants and residential hotel rooms are especially dire. Roaches love damp places, preferably ones that involve some munchies for them. As restaurants deal with wet food, they are roach heavens. Mice and rats love them some munchies too so they join this merry party as well.

Imran Khan from Best Pest Control says that companies recommend treating restaurants weekly or bi-weekly at least.

"Although there are some conscious restaurants that take our services every day," he said.

Hotel rooms also use pest control services.

"Most of them prefer that one of our men stay there the whole day and treat the rooms- sometimes twice daily," Khan added.

Others opt for services that last them for a good few months before they need these services again.

"It also depends on their guest profile. If a high-profile guest is coming to stay, pest treatment is crucial," mentioned Saif.

Homes are easier to treat and they are the most important because they house old people, young children and all age groups in between and involve their safety and health.

"Summer wreaks havoc on homes when it comes to flying pests," concedes Saif. "We get numerous requests for free consultations and treatments in this season."

Cockroaches, mosquitos and other small bugs constantly raid homes, making life difficult and unsanitary. Termites and bedbugs also start getting active during these months, meaning that they feed more and reproduce more.

"One treatment every 3 months is recommended," says Imran. Some pest control companies charge per bed/sofa, per room or as a package. The bigger your bed or furniture or room, the higher the price.

"We charge for the amount of chemical we need to use. For instance, treatment of an average sized bed will cost around 1500tk. For big carpets, we usually charge per square meter. But for small carpets, we quote a package rate for the entire room." Other companies charge a package price for the entire home with all rooms, bathrooms and kitchens.

Both Green Earth Pest Control and Best Pest control, just like other pest control companies, offer free home visits and consultations and warranties for their services. Some of these warranties last half a year and some companies are confident enough to offer 5-year warranties for certain types of pests. Any infestation between this stipulated time will get you free services from them.

Pest control companies recognise the power of online marketing and have set up extensive websites detailing their services and offering contact numbers on which to reach them for queries. They also continue to advertise on billboards and flyers on the streets so one can spot a good pest control company if they keep an eye out for such ads on their way around the city.

Easy to reach, convenient to take, and economical to keep up regularly, pest control service is an invaluable summer hack no one told you about.