General Pest Control in Shelton, CT

Most general pest calls don't start with one dramatic problem. They start with a few spiders in the basement, a line of ants by the kitchen window and a mouse dropping or two under the sink, all in the same month. Nothing on its own seems worth a phone call. Put together, it usually is.

Shelton houses give pests a lot to work with. Fieldstone basements stay damp. Old sills and porch posts soften over the years. Wooded lot lines and stone walls hold insects and rodents a few steps from the back door. A tech who works these streets knows where to look, whether that's one of the old houses around Huntington Green or a ten-year-old colonial off Bridgeport Avenue.

General service means someone looks at the whole house instead of chasing one bug. The tech figures out how things are getting in, treats what needs treating and tells you what you can fix yourself.

What gets looked at in a colonial versus a raised ranch

Every company runs a visit a little differently, but most start outside and work in. Expect questions first: what you've seen, where, and for how long. Then the walk starts. In a cape or colonial on fieldstone, the tech spends a good while at the sill line, where the wood framing sits on the stone. In a raised ranch or split-level, the garage and the lower level get the most attention, since that's where the gaps tend to be. In a downtown condo near the river, shared walls, pipe chases and the trash area matter more than the yard.

The first visit runs longer than any follow-up, because the tech wants to see the house top to bottom once. Before leaving, a good one tells you what they found and what they treated.

• A walk around the foundation for gaps, deep mulch and wood touching soil
• The basement, crawl space or garage, looking for droppings, webs and damp
• Treatment of entry points with products labeled for that use
• Locked, tamper-resistant bait stations for rodents where needed, never loose bait
• Notes on gutters, firewood and sealing you can take care of yourself

Ants in April, mice by October: why some people go seasonal

Pest pressure in Shelton moves with the calendar. Ants and termites in spring, wasps and mosquitoes in summer, mice and stink bugs once the nights cool off. A lot of homeowners on wooded lots end up on a plan with visits spread across the year, so the spring visit can take care of carpenter ants before they settle in and the late-summer visit can start sealing out stink bugs and cluster flies before September. If you only have the one problem, a single visit is perfectly reasonable. Ask which makes more sense for your house.

We can't quote a price and won't guess at one. The company sets it after hearing the details or seeing the place. The size of the house and lot matters, along with how many kinds of pests you have, how long it's been going on, how much sealing the house needs, and whether there's a barn, shed or detached garage to look at too.

To speak with someone about your home, telephone (203) 953-7616.

Small things that add up to a phone call

Some of this you can handle. Wipe an ant trail with soapy water. Set a couple of snap traps where kids and pets can't reach them. Clear the leaves out of the window wells and trim shrubs back off the siding. If the same things keep turning up anyway, it's time to call.

• Spiders and webs collecting in basement corners and window wells
• Ants trailing across the counter after a spring rain
• Droppings in a drawer or along the basement wall
• Bugs lining up on sunny siding in the fall
• A damp, musty corner in a fieldstone or block basement
• Chewed packaging in the pantry or the garage

Related: Ant Control, Mouse and Rat Control, Stink Bugs and Fall Invaders

Serving Downtown Shelton, Huntington, White Hills, Derby, Ansonia, Seymour, Monroe, Trumbull, Stratford, Oxford.