Bye Mice. Bye Ants. Bye Cockroaches.

When it comes to pest control, most people don't care how the bugs are gone — they just want them gone for good. That being said, not all pest control services are the same; what's required in one situation may be totally different and inefficient in a different situation. It's important for each pest control technician to consider what kind of bugs are present and what type of application is most appropriate for that scenario.

Below are some of the types of applications that pest control companies offer. If you have any questions about what's being done, be sure to ask your technician for more information.

Chemical

This is the one that most homeowners are familiar with. A company will come into your house and spray a chemical either inside your home or outside the perimeter. While these are usually efficient, they can also be toxic for people and pets or cause problems for people with certain allergies. There's also the danger of pests becoming immune to the chemicals that are being sprayed, so it's best to use this is in tandem with another type of application.

Organic

Unless it's a serious infestation, organic pesticides are the ones that most pest control companies prefer to work with first. They'll usually spray some kind of poison throughout the yard or a natural deterrent that will be both non-intrusive to the occupants and won't disrupt the local ecosystem too much. The goal with these pest control services is to get the bugs to find a different area to call their home rather than the inside of your house.

Biological

It may seem counter-intuitive to get rid of certain pests by introducing other pests to your home, but in some cases, it may be even more effective than chemical and organic deterrents put together. Certain spiders, for instance, hunt other bugs and can destroy entire colonies in a matter of days. The spider may even live outside of your house, acting like a sentry that paces back and forth in front of your house, protecting the occupants from any other kind of bug.

Physical

Commonly a DIY solution, some pest control services center around physically removing the nests of the intrusive bugs. Spider webs and hornet nests can be batted down with a broomstick (safely, of course), but the pest control companies may also insist on setting up traps to remove the pests if they happen to be bigger. Physical pest control methods allow the homeowner to protect their home from pests in between service calls, which makes for a more efficient barrier.