A: Depending on the pest that you’re looking at eliminating and the size of the property, it can range anywhere from 30 minutes to all day for a Houston pest control treatment.
This is one of the most often asked questions we get asked aside from questions about Houston pest control costs. You might be surprised at the number of clients that think a pest control treatment takes all day.
Honestly, that is wildly over the top, but we understand where the misconception might be coming from. Many Houston residents still have this imagery in their mind of tenting an entire property and fumigating it with pesticide. While that does happen still sometimes, it is for rare instances of extreme termite infestations.
Modern Houston pest control services are leaps and bounds safer, less invasive, and very convenient while being far more effective. Everything from the equipment to the chemicals used is as advanced as ever, which impacts that effectiveness.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM HOUSTON PEST CONTROL SERVICES
What your pest control appointment will be like really does depend on what pest you are dealing with. Regardless of what pest we happen to be treating we want customers to understand how long their appointment may take. Our customers have busy lives so that understanding is important to them and they also frequently want to know:
- How long treatment is going to take. They want to plan their schedule too.
- If they need to vacate their home while the treatment is being done.
- If the property size and problem complexity will impact the final price.
Some factors will impact how long a service treatment will take and how much a service will cost. So, let’s dive right into it as it’s a lot to cover, but we want to make sure that your expectations are accurate.
REGULAR PEST CONTROL TREATMENTS
On an average size property of around 2,500 sqft or less, regular treatments shouldn’t take long at all. In fact, if there are no extenuating circumstances or obstructions, we should be in and out in about 30 minutes. Now, keep in mind when we say regular treatment we are talking preventative. We don’t mean a home that has an active infestation. We are talking routine perimeter spray, inspection, application on the yard, etc. These are just cut and dry appointments, we’re not taking up much of your time—in, out, and done.
The same goes for treating various types of commercial buildings. The business day doesn’t stop for anyone. So, we make sure to properly assess a property before we schedule an appointment. This helps us give you an accurate time frame of completion, so we are impacting your business day as little as possible.
Just like residential, we are talking about straightforward, routine treatments with no major issues. Typically, if you’re getting our scheduled service, your appointment goes even quicker. That’s because we are out there so often, that after the first visit, we are familiar with your layout.
It should be noted, that first-time routine visits will take just a bit longer (maybe 45 mins). This is because we are inspecting the property to get a good idea of base level conditions.
Pests Treated: These kinds of treatments are for common, everyday pests that are easily eliminated through treatment. Pests such as spiders, cockroaches, and silverfish, etc., or as we call it, general pest control.
Time: 30 minutes (up to 45 mins for first-time visits)
ACTIVE INFESTATION TREATMENT
Now, when we perform a treatment where a customer needs their home treated and are dealing with an active infestation—that’s different. So, a job like this is naturally going to take longer and each case varies but typically about an hour and a half or more.
The reason is that it involves a lot more details and labor because we’re eliminating a problem, then doing preventative. That being said, it means there’s a lot of ground to cover in the initial visit such as:
- Identifying the problem and source of entry
- Reporting findings to our customer
- Determining a proper plan of attack
- Executing the treatment
- Putting preventative measures in place
For example, if the customer has an active ant infestation, we might attack the problem with:
- Internal spray & bait gel
- Dust crevices, cracks, roof and attic gaps, and other vulnerable spots
- Full perimeter spray including gardens and flower beds as well
Pests Treated: This kind of targeted and heavy-handed treatment will easily eradicate ants as well as roaches, spiders—everything to be honest.
Time: Easily an hour and a half depending on conditions though, it could be longer. Sometimes depending on yard size and clutter—it can take 45 mins just to spray the lawn.
TERMIDOR TERMITE BARRIER INSTALLATION
Termites can eat through your home—and your bank account. Termites damage on average, over 500,000 homes every year. They cause almost $30 billion annually in damage to structures and crops as well.
So, it’s no wonder that people willfully spend over $1.5 billion each year on advanced termite protection and repairs. One of the most popular preventative measures is an extensive termite barrier. We’ll normally send a team of at least two technicians for a termite barrier just to put it in perspective.
As with any treatment, the actual time it takes depends on several factors. On average, you can expect it to take at least a full 8-hour day. That’s because it requires a lot of manual labor—we trench the dirt around the foundation down to the footings. Once that is done, we apply a liquid treatment called Termidor into that trench and then backfill the dirt.
In addition to the trenching, all concrete areas of the house have to have about a 10mm hole drilled every 8 inches apart. We then inject more Termidor under the concrete that’s flush against the house.
It sounds like overkill, but when you consider how determined and costly termites can be, it really is the best protection. It ensures you have a solid barrier surrounding your home that kills termites.
Pests: Termites
Time: One 8-hour day
FACTORS THAT CAN DELAY TREATMENTS
This is all just a general guide to how long treatments can take. However, sometimes simple calls like a termite inspection could vary greatly in the time it takes to be completed. If the inspection is cut and dry and there are no issues—we’re talking 30 minutes tops.
However, there can be unexpected delays where a treatment can take an abnormally long time. For example, a small townhouse that normally would take 20 minutes to do an inspection can take an hour. Why? Usually, it’s because in the course of the inspection we find active infestations. In many cases, we have to remove baseboards, disconnect, and move washing machines and other delays.
So it can fluctuate depending on the property, the type of call, and the pests we are looking for or find.
Also, another great example is when we get a call for bed bugs in Houston. Bed bugs are crafty insects and can hide very well. Even in a small apartment, it can take up to two days to fix the issue. You have to take down beds, disassemble the frames, and other furniture to apply the treatment.
The good news is most jobs don’t take long at all. Even if a job ends up taking longer—we charge the price we quoted you so there’s nothing to worry about. We understand that you also want to know how long it takes so you can plan. Well, as mentioned, most jobs we are in and out in under an hour so it’s minimal impact on your day.
DO YOU WANT THE BEST IN HOUSTON PEST CONTROL?
At Champions we quote fairly and accurately—transparency is fundamental to how we treat our customers. There are no surprises when you hire us to protect your family and home from unwanted pests. Contact us today to schedule your first treatment!
