Modern life is busy, and financial and family pressures tend to chip away at whatever little free time we have. It’s tough enough to steal a moment for yourself when dealing with life’s ordinary obligations. But throw in a sudden infestation of ants or cockroaches or some such pest, and your stress levels can spike. Just how long will it take to deal with those unwanted creepy crawlies? Will you need to leave your property during a treatment? And how quickly can an application eliminate your pest problem once and for all?
Preventative treatments are generally shorter, taking about 15 to 30 minutes, while removals and exterminations can last the better part of a day. Exterminations can vary greatly due to the extent of the infestation. Continue reading to learn which is appropriate for your situation.
How Long Does It Take to Spray for Pests?
Smithereen technicians always try to work with your schedule and complete your pest treatment in as prompt a manner as possible. However, just how long it takes to spray for pests depends on what kind of critters we’re dealing with and the extent of an infestation. Some treatments take longer just by their very nature, but routine preventative measures? We can complete those relatively quickly.
As a rough rule of thumb, your Smithereen technician can complete the following services in these approximate time periods:
- Preventative treatment for ants, cockroaches, and other common pests: 15 to 30 minutes
- Removal of active ant or cockroach infestations: 90 to 120 minutes or more depending on the extent of the infestation
- Heat treatment for termites: 4 or more hours
- Rodent removal: Up to 15 hours, although this can vary depending on the extent of the infestation and usually stretches over multiple days
How Long do you Have to Stay Out of your House After Pest Control?
Smithereen Pest Management Services prides itself on being Green Shield Certified, meaning that we employ an organic pest-control approach that minimizes risks to you and the environment. For most routine treatments, you shouldn’t need to leave your home at all.
Some approaches, though, require that you stay away from a particular room for an extended period. For instance, allow about 30 minutes to pass so that any sprays can dry. Avoid entering a heat or chemically treated room where bedbugs were eliminated for about four hours after the treatment’s completion. And stay away from tick-treated areas for about three hours.
Only conduct light cleaning for the first three to five days after a treatment both for your own health and to prevent bugs from returning. You can clean more deeply after about a week to 10 days.
How Long Does It Take for Extermination to Kill Pests?
Just as different kinds of treatments require different lengths of time, different sorts of pests don’t all die in the same amount of time after a visit from a technician. In general, pests perish within the following rough time frames:
- Ants: treatment begins to work within 48 hours, but ants may remain for several weeks to several months depending on your property and the extent of the infestation
- Cockroaches: two to eight weeks depending on your property and the extent of the infestation
- Bedbugs: heat treatments kill bedbugs in approximately four hours, although extensive clutter and unidentified nests may require repeat visits
- Rodents: varies widely based on the extent of the infestation, type of rodent, and type and placement of poison or bait
However, take these estimates with the proverbial grain of salt. Some pests prove remarkably tenacious, and even pest control professionals might require multiple visits to fully eradicate them.
If you’re having problems with ants, cockroaches, bed bugs, or other unwanted wildlife, contact Smithereen Pest Management Services today. We have more than a century of experience in keeping homes and businesses pest free!