Why We Chose Orkin for Our Carpenter Ant Problem

Today we had the Orkin man over our house to deal with a problem we have been having with carpenter ants. We learned that these pesky critters can be more damaging to your home than termites.

Natural Methods We Considered

Initially, I wanted to find a natural way of dealing with the problem that would not involve chemicals. I looked into several methods of dealing with ants including salt and cornmeal or corn starch. These are really quite diabolical methods of dealing with ants because they cause the creatures to suffer in killing them. Methods using salt cause ants to drink water uncontrollably until they burst. There are two theories on why corn meal and cornstarch work. One is that the fiber in the corn blocks their digestion so they starve to death. The other is that the corn swells in their stomachs making their little bodies burst.

Other natural methods are more humane. Spices and chalk are said to create lines that the ants will not cross, keeping them out of your home. The insects can get used to these agents, however, and enter your home anyway. Another method I liked involved putting a jar of honey in a tree in your yard to give the insects an alternate food source. While this method seemed the most logical, the idea went out the window when I identified the critters as carpenter ants. Once these guys start nesting in your home, they will eat away at the wood and cause serious and costly damage.

Why We Chose an Exterminator

Because of the serious threat these creatures posed to our home, I agreed with my husband on calling an exterminator. The first quote we had was a little disheartening. The price was $350 for a single treatment, that would not guarantee the pests would be gone for good. While the Orkin service was about three times the cost, it came with a one-year guarantee.

Why We Went with Orkin

Orkin charges the same as others for the initial treatment: $350. However, to be certain the critters do not re-invade your home, you pay $97 every other month for the remainder of the year. The Orkin representative will come in and inspect for signs of infestation and treat again if needed.

All-Inclusive Service

Another advantage that made us choose Orkin was that the service includes treatment for all unwanted pests except for termites. He took care of the spider problem we have been living with for years at the same time he treated our home for ants. The service also covers mice and rodents if you have them.

Customer Service

The Orkin man was careful to make sure we knew everything we needed to know about health safety issues. He let us know that our children would be safe. He went over the treatment process in detail being sure we understood everything he was doing and why. After the treatment, he placed sticky monitors that will tell him if ants are still a problem for us next month when he returns. He was careful to place these in out-of-the-way areas that our toddler could not reach.

What You Should Know

The process will cause a little damage to your home. The exterminator had to drill small 1/8" holes in our walls, near the baseboards, approximately every three feet. The holes are barely noticeable and should be easy to fix when the treatment is complete. Our representative was very gracious and willing to clean up all the dust left by his drilling.

When you first have this treatment, it is normal to see more ants than you did before the exterminator came. The treatments drive the insects out of their nests in your walls and into the open areas of your home. While I felt a little guilty watching the stragglers suffer from the poison, the extermination was a necessary step to protecting my home.

Our Orkin man, Virgil Jesus, was very kind and friendly and we are glad that we hired Orkin to take care of this problem for us. We would definitely recommend this service again to anyone who needed it.