What to Expect When Your Pest Control Tech Pulls Up

If you've never had a regular pest control or lawn service, the first visit can feel like a mystery. Who's coming? Do I need to be home? What are they putting down, and where should the dog be? A few simple habits answer almost all of it.

Here's what a good visit tends to look like, and how you can make yours go better, using what Brian Pest Control customers have said about their own experience.

Before the tech arrives

One customer, M Alv, wrote that her technician, Trent, always texts before coming by so she doesn't leave her dog outside. She mentioned it right alongside how happy she is with the monthly service. It's a small thing, but anyone with a pet knows how much it matters.

The takeaway for you: make sure your service provider has your best mobile number, and watch for that heads-up. When you get it, take two minutes to do a quick walkthrough of the yard.

• Bring pets inside, or into a closed room, before the tech arrives.
• Pick up toys, hoses, bowls and anything else lying on the lawn or along the house.
• Unlock gates, or tell the tech the code if there is one.
• Move cars out of the way if they block a side yard or garage edge.
• Secure any dog that can open a latch or slip through a gate.

Whether you need to be home depends on the service, so ask when you book. For many exterior visits, being reachable by text is enough, and that's another good reason to give a number you actually check.

Keeping kids and pets safe

Professional treatments are applied by trained people following the directions on the product label, and those directions vary. Some areas need to dry before pets and children go back. Others don't. Rather than guessing, ask your tech how long to keep everyone off the treated areas and note it on the calendar.

If you have a dog that loves to patrol the fence line, a toddler who eats grass, or someone in the house with allergies or asthma, say so. It's useful information, and a good tech wants to know it.

What to tell your tech

Your technician sees your property every few weeks. You see it every day, so what you notice is valuable.

• Where you've seen pests, and what kind: ants at the back door, roaches under the kitchen sink, fleas on the dog.
• Any patch of lawn that looks off, and how long it's been that way.
• Changes to the yard: new beds, new sod, a new fence or a project underway.
• Your sprinkler schedule, plus any heads that are broken or misaimed.
• Anything you'd like left alone, such as a garden, a pond or a play area.
• Pets, young children or health concerns in the home.

Ask what was applied

You're allowed to ask. Michael Bell, a longtime Brian Pest Control customer, says his yard technician, Coleman, keeps his family informed of what's being applied to the yard and always makes time to answer questions. That's the standard to look for, no matter who you hire.

A few questions worth asking each time:

• What did you treat today, and where?
• Why that treatment now, at this time of year?
• How long should pets and children stay off the treated areas?
• Should I water the lawn today, or hold off until tomorrow?
• What should I watch for before the next visit, and who do I text if I see it?

The answer to the watering question is worth getting right. Some lawn treatments are meant to be watered in, and some need to dry first, so it depends on what went down.

After the visit

Don't be alarmed if you see a little pest activity in the first days after an indoor or perimeter treatment. It's common to notice some bugs while a treatment is working. If activity keeps up well beyond that, tell your provider rather than putting up with it.

Keep notes if it helps: dates, what you saw, what you were told. After a year or two you'll have a record that makes every conversation easier. Customers like Michael Kravitz, who has used the company for more than nine years, describe a technician who is reliable and easy to contact. Easy communication is really the whole point of a good service relationship.

If you're thinking about starting a pest control or lawn program in Lakeland, call Brian Pest Control at (863) 370-0545 for a free estimate. Ask how scheduling and the text heads-up work for your address, and tell them about any pets before the first visit.