Child friendly pest control???

[mandy_kye]

Hello,
We are having sooo much trouble with ants! Today was the last straw....my 2 month old woke up screaming and when I went to her room, she had an ant on her face!
Poor sausage
Wondering if anyone knows inside information on the chemicals used in pest control and whether its a bad idea to get someone out.
We have used antrid, but they return a week later! Surface spray outside of house hasnt worked either.
We also have a huge number of redbacks- again, surface spray hasnt worked...

I rang a company and of course they say its child and pet safe.....

Any advice?

[Dylan]

Hi Mandy,

Have you been able to find any more regarding child safe Pest Control?
I've had a look around the web but nothing really much out in the way of Child Safe.

Be Safe All.

Cheers
Dylan

[kirsty_lee]

hey this is a great question! I was only just thinking about this the other day.. we've got a problem with huntsman spiders and ants!!! ants coming from bloody god knows where they are coming from. And we're not sure whether we're going to have the cash to get pest control before bubs comes or just after.. so i too am wondering how safe? or will we have to stay somewhere for the night?

[Sarah_H]

I can't remember the name right now but the guy we use is fantastic. He sprays here once a year because we've had termites in the past so it's really needed on a regular basis. He says to make sure we are out of the house during the spray & for an hour and a half afterwards to make sure any excess fumes are gone. He does mum's house next door & they are allowed to go straight back into the house after the spray. I think it's because children are closer to the floor which is where they put the chemicals so the fumes can get them easier IYKWIM.

Kirsty, when you're pregnant they'll give you the same conditions as if you had a small child - steer clear for x amount of time. Our guy said it's proven safe for pregnant women, but he doesn't like to take chances so he made sure I was going to be away for three hours - 1.5 hours for the spraying itself then 1.5hrs after.

I'll check with Aaron tonight what the company is, he has the details in his wallet.

[Karina]

We recently had our home sprayed for pests. We were just told to go out of the house while they were spraying and for at least an hour or two after they had finished spraying.

[Dedicated_mummy]

hey my dad owns he's own pest control business so ill give him a call and ask

[Dedicated_mummy]

dad said b4 paying someone go 2 the supermarket and try all ant baiting products he also said if they're the tiny black ones then also bait in the roof as thats where they nest
Good luck let me no how u go!!!

[mandy_kye]

heh guys, i had forgotten about this thread...no answers yet but with all this sydney rain we havent really seen the ants!
they are the little black ones, but i see them coming up from the floor boards- i will bait the roof just to be sure as well
i did use a 4 bait system from shops- very sadistic i know, but i enjoyed watching them go crazy over bait and take it back to nest.....only to return a week later!!!

with spiders, i bought a $11 mortein spider control surface spray. spent whole day cleaning outside walls, windows etc then surface spraying as per instructions.....2 weeks later there were spiders making their homes already!!!! And found two redbacks in the house last week....

me thinks the insect world is becoming immune to it all!

[bubbaloo]

I, too, am having a big problem with ants at the moment. I hate the darn things with a passion, and I swear, if I ever get sent to the loony bin it will be because of ants!!!

Anyway, as I don't want to use any strong chemicals, etc with bub around and me BFing, I have been looking for safer alternatives too. I have very recently discovered that ants (at least the wee black kind) hate TALCUM POWDER.

It doesn't kill them, but they won't go through it. So I've been sprinkling it wherever I see an entry point, and it has been really helping. Occasionally they'll find another way in, but I just sprinkle some more powder. It isn't really solving the ant problem completely, but it is definitely keeping them at bay and out of my kitchen, and keeping me sane! Oh, and it is providing a use for all the baby powder I received as gifts and don't want to use on my DS!

[Greg]

Hi all, my first time here as my wife is expecting and Bubs will be here soon.

My wife mentioned to me your concerns about chemicals and as a Pest Controller I thought I might be able to offer some advice.

Firstly spraying externally for ants is a very short term solution as the chemicals used do not weather well at all

The best advice I can give you is to ensure that benchtops, particularly around kitchen areas, are kept as clean as possible.

If ants find a way into the home and you can find the entry point then Blu-Tack is your friend! Get a tiny anount of Blu-Tack, roll it into a tiny little ball and use a pin to gently push it into the hole. Ants don't like Blu-Tack and will look for another way into the home.

You may need to repeat this process a few times but eventually the ants will give up and leave.

Unfortunately, ants, unlike termites who only have 1 queen, have multiple queens and using ant baits is at best a temporary solution. This is why the ants return a week or two later.

As for chemical spraying inside the house, it is a necessary evil. As mentioned by others you will need to vacate the house for a few hours while the sparying is going on but once the spray has dried it is safe to use.

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have and I'll try to assist where possible.

Regards
Greg Skiathitis
Advanced Termite Control

[smiles4u]

Hey Greg ... you wouldn't be able to advice me on how to keep huntsman spiders out of the house (we know they are huntsman as we checked 'em out on a website) ... haven't had them for awhile (i'm guessing due to freezing weather here now) BUT would like to be know what to do next time

(Thanks heaps for the info about ants, so very helpful )

Cheers from Lorelle.

[sunshine_sieben]

Hi,
I just had my pest man here and he actually said that it's fine to remain inside with the kind of spray he uses. He doesn't use a mask himself, either...

I do always feel a little bad about getting pest control done as I would rather not use those chemicals. But with all the redbacks, wolf spiders etc. that we get, I think that the chemicals possibly do less harm than if my kids were bitten by a poisonous spider...

Sasa