It’s never a pleasant experience when you notice a pest infestation in your house. Whether you have ant problems, bed bug problems, rodent problems, roach problems, termite problems, a mosquito infestation, or ticks in your home, you will want to act as quickly as possible to get rid of them. Deal with your pest infestation as soon as possible so you don’t have to worry about things like removing ticks from humans or pets. Here are a few tips and tricks on pest control and choosing an exterminator to make sure your pest infestation doesn’t become a serious problem.

When you notice the first signs of an infestation of something like roaches or ants, your first intuition may be to try to handle the problem yourself. There are plenty of bug and rodent treatments at the hardware store that you can buy and apply yourself without spending all of the money it would cost to hire an exterminator. It’s understandable that you would want to get rid of these pests as soon as possible by doing it yourself. Many of them pose significant health risks. Cockroaches, for example, have been reported to spread 33 kinds of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms, and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. Additionally, they can pick up germs on the their legs when they crawl through sewage or other decaying matter, and then track them on to your food or food surfaces. However, you might want to resist the urge to take the job on yourself.

Many of the home treatments for rodents and bugs have a lot of room for misapplication. Hiring a professional exterminator with extensive knowledge can end up saving you money and avoiding health risks in the long run. A knowledgable pest control professional can even tell you fun facts about the bugs they are killing. Like cockroaches are poikilotherms (cold-blooded) and require much less food than humans. Or that there are 12,000 species of ants, all of which are capable of lifting 50 times their weight. So it’s advisable to have a professional come in and deal with such a menace.

If you’re at the point where you’re pondering a situation in which you might need to be removing ticks from humans, or wondering how you can kill a bee without the entire nest swarming you, it’s certainly time to look for a professional exterminator. While removing ticks from humans is a good watermark for how bad things have gotten, you’ll probably want to look into exterminators well before you get to that point. When choosing an exterminator, first ensure that they are licensed in your state, and ask for proof of that license. Don’t just take their word for it. Do additional research to make sure they are a reputable company that doesn’t have any complaints with the Better Business Bureau or any of your neighbors. Lastly, always read the fine print of any contract you sign with an exterminator. Read everything and ask questions before you sign anything. More.