InsecTech

I received a quick call back after leaving a voicemail over a holiday weekend. Business was booming, so it was a few days before they could come to the house. On the appointment day, Tony was on time and quickly confirmed my suspicion of yellow jackets nesting in the siding. He suited up and dealt with the little black and yellow invaders in no time. Fast forward four days, and there is no activity in the area. I’ll happily caulk it all up next week.

Swimmingly! I appreciated Bill's follow-up and suggestions. He's very reassuring when appropriate and had great suggestions for what to do going forward.

I did not buy any services from InsecTech but had such a good conversation with Bill on the phone that I wanted to review it here. I was very impressed that he took time from his day to advise me on how to prevent mice from troubling a new house I bought that was empty for a month before I could move in. Instead of trying to sell me something right off the bat, he listened to my description of the situation, told me I didn't need to pay for services from them if I followed his advice, and then gave me terrific advice. If I ever have pest control problems with this house InsecTech will be the first place I call.

Bill and his team is fabulous. Bill is always very helpful in discussing issues i have faced with centipede problem to mouse situation in my house. He's always suggesting ways to help first rather than making his own money/profit. Trustworthy, Genuine, and excellent excellent service. Go nowhere else.

We had a major issue with mice in our home. Insectech came out every month until the mice were gone. I was very worried when one of my dogs got into a trap. (Evidently, dog proof doesn't apply to Airedales who can find items wedged far under a cabinet. I was relieved to learn that their products were not harmful to dogs.

Yellowjackets were getting into my bedroom and bathroom through the recessed ceiling lights. I knew there was a nest somewhere in the celing or wall. The yellowjacket entry was found in an outside crack between the wall and the eves. Insectech came promptly and used a white chemical powder which was sprayed carefully into the crack. Within hours the yellowjackets were dying. I called them back after 3 days to say there were still stragglers getting into the bedroom and bathroom. They said it would take a while longer but they would come back out with another application if I continued to see live yellowjackets. After 2 weeks, the bees were gone. The company was professional, prompt, and knew there subject.

We were planning a garage sale within 2 days and as we were cleaning up the garage discovered a huge yellow jacket nest. We tried to get rid of them via Wasp spray but the next was to big. InsecTech came over the same day and removed the entire nest which had infested a huge section behind the wallboard in our garage. They came when they said they would, they did what they said they would and the price was very reasonable. They also threw in getting rid of some carpenter bees that had been bothering us for over a year. They were great. I'd recommend them in a heart beat !!

excellent - technician determined that our problem was something we could handle ourselves and that he would return if the problem persisted.

They came, they made sure we were clear on what they would do. Applied the chemicals and left a bill. All as agreed to.

They were punctual and knowledgeable. We had some recurrence which they treated promptly at no extra charge.

I called to ask for help getting a bee / wasp nest out of the rafters in my basement. After answering some questions by the owner he told me he could come out for $110 or I could take it out myself. He told me that it sounded as if the nest was empty and how to check it out before I tried to do it myself. I followed his instructions and removed it without incident. Naturally I was delighted. Other companies wanted to put me on a year-long spraying program at a cost of a few hundred dollars. If I have future problems I will contact InsecTech first and I'll also recommend them to others.

They have just been wonderful. They are pleasant people and they do a good job. I have recommended them to friends and they like them too.

I love the guys. They charge us a one-time fee, but it is a guaranteed work. They have to come back out to deal with the ant problem because no one can get 100% for the first time. They have gotten a bit of the powder insecticide onto the carpet and the curtains, so it happened to be that time when I talked to their boss, and he dealt with it. They were at least responsive about it.

The exterminator arrived right on time, completed his work quickly, was very clear about what we should expect over the short term and said they would return at no cost any time the problem recurred this Fall.

I called InsecTech because it was listed highly on Angie's List. When Bill called me back and I explained that I had large holes drilled into my cedar deck posts by carpenter bees, he spent at least a half hour telling me about how I could easily take care of them myself. He said he would need to charge $60. just to send a person out and he didn't think I needed that. He explained exactly how these bees work, what inexpensive product I could get, when and how to spray and how to check for these pests each spring. Apparently they really like cedar, drill holes in and then straight up for about 8 inches into the wood and lay their eggs. He said only paint would deter them and most people don't like to paint their nice new cedar decking...apparently stains don't hide the fact that it's cedar from these smart insects! I really appreciated his time and honesty to educate me about how to deal with the bees. If I ever have pest problems in the future, I will definitely call Bill.

Our experience with them was nothing but positive. They were very regular. They showed up on time. The treatment worked. The price seemed good to us; we have never had that done before. We would rate them highly and would use them again in the future if necessary.

They seem to have gotten the nests so I am happy. I had contacted two other companies and they said they were going to eradicate every insect from in and around my house. Sometimes that means that it will drive the insects to my neighbors, which means more business for them. They were also going to come every couple of months so it would have been around $600 per year. InsecTech said that if I see one of these big ants in the next 4 months they would come back out. They also said that if they have to come out in 3 months and 3 weeks the 4-month warranty would be extended from that visit. To me that is standing behind their work. I didn't want every insect in the house killed.

I contatced Insect Tech about a possible mouse problem in a house we had just purchased but had not moved into yet. Bill spent a half hour on the phone with me talking me through the solutions and suggesting that I follow a three step process to determine if it was an active mouse problem. Without any compensation Bill took the time to ensure I really required his services rather than coming out to the house and charging me for something I possibly didn't need. This is the kind of company I like to do business with: personable, and focused on providing value. I will use these guys for any pest issue I have in the future.

They were very good. They didn't charge when they came out. They came right away. They were honest and didn't do work that didn't need to be done.

He was too busy to make it out the week I called, but he was out the following Tuesday promptly at 5pm, and dealt with the ants efficiently.

They were good and took care of the problem. They charge a reasonable price and I will use them again. I have been happy with their services.

They were good and took care of the problem with a reasonable price.

It went very well - I decided on this company after talking to 2 other companies who were anxious to get my money. This company was just the opposite - told me that they would do an inspecyion firsta and then we could decide on a plan of action. It was a pleasure doing business with this company! I highly recommend them.

As you read this report, notice that this is an EXTERMINATOR talking, and mostly recommending that we do something OTHER than buy his services! That adds a lot to the credibility of the advice – and the advisor. Ants have been found in several locations in and around the condo development where I live. In particular, colonies of carpenter ants have turned up inside of our walls, attracted by wet wood due to leaks. We were concerned that some or all of these pests would cause continuing structural damage to our buildings if left unchecked. But we didn’t have any in-house expertise on which pests (if any) need to be controlled, and how to control them. So InsecTech was selected from Angie’s List as a highly rated exterminator company. Bill Beck, its owner, came out and gave us a one-hour consultation. Bill said that we were already doing the most permanent preventive action possible by having our maintenance contractor remove and replace damaged wet wood and seal our buildings so that water does not enter. When a wall is opened up and the wet wood that hosts the nest is removed, the nest dies. The ants running around are no real concern and will die shortly. But if one is feeling vengeful, they can be sprayed with something to kill them. Windex works (the ammonia in it is toxic along with the soapy water). Bill prefers our building prevention approach. Many folks in the rest of the world do not want the expense of rebuilding to exclude moisture so they hire his company (quicker and cheaper in the short run, but not permanent). As an alternative to the rebuilding, where there does not appear to be structural damage, he could spray or dust with an insecticide to kill the ants. The cost for such a treatment would be $150-250. However, if moisture remains present in the walls, rot will continue and a new colony will be back next year. With the cooler weather, ants will not be as visible as during the summer. Therefore Bill suggested we alert owners to watch for ants next May-June so that we can take any action needed. He then went on to describe the various kinds of pests we might (rightly or wrongly) worry about. Here are some highlights: Ants inside the Walls Carpenter Ants Of all the critters we discussed, carpenter ants (which are medium and large sized) are the only ones that do real structural damage to buildings. They are attracted to moist wood inside the walls, where they excavate it for their homes. According to Bill, the wetness of the wood itself weakens the wood much more and much faster than the carpenter ant excavations. So drying out or replacing the wood is more urgent than getting rid of the ants. Acrobat Ants These tiny ants are the other kind that lives in walls like ours. They cause no structural damage at all. They live in extremely narrow gaps between boards in the walls, and they do make tiny structurally harmless grooves in these surfaces, which produces some powdery sawdust. The only nuisance they cause is when this dust sometimes filters out of window frames and onto window sills. Ants inside the Living Spaces Pavement Ants Small ants from cracks in concrete (such as your basement floor and walls) are easily controlled with Combat brand ant baits because they like the protein and fat. Other Critters Wasps They build nests in sheltered places, such as under deck railings. The most efficient way to get rid of the nests is to wait until they are big enough to see (May or June), then blast with wasp killer. Once a nest is killed, its inhabitants all die, and that problem is gone for the year. (Wasps build new nests each spring.) The only downside to this is that you have to put up with the wasps until late spring. Wasps can be prevented from building nests by spraying attractive places earlier in the spring with insecticide, which they avoid when seeking nesting sites. Spraying under all the decks and railings to prevent wasp nests could be done for an annual cost of several hundred dollars. However, they do find other nesting sites in and around our buildings, and unless we treat all of the possible sites, at a cost several times greater, it won’t eliminate wasps. Hornets These make large conical nests, often found hanging under the eaves. You need a pro to get rid of these, because they’re aggressive when attacked. InsecTech will come and spray large nests of hornets if needed because of the proximity to where people are moving around, cost a minimum of $150 per. Termites Not a big issue in this part of Michigan, and never seen in our development. Generally, termites can get into buildings only where the wooden siding or structure is in contact with the ground, so landscapers (and all of us) need to make sure this doesn’t occur. Wood/earth contact is also a source of moisture in the walls; it wicks up from wet soil into the wood that it contacts. For the same reason, stored wood (such as firewood) should be piled well away from buildings, and preferably not in contact with the ground. Our Plans, Based on This Consultation 1. Continue with the main strategy: repair buildings whenever wetness and rot are found in our walls. 2. We don’t need to do extermination unless: (a) pests threaten structural damage and they are not eliminated by doing needed repairs, or (b) hornet nests are found in places that are close enough to where people walk and congregate that they are dangerous. 3. If we do need an exterminator, InsecTech will be our first choice. 4. We did not discuss the toxicity vs greenness of potential extermination methods, because at present we don’t plan to have any exterminating done. When and if pest control does become necessary, this issue will be an important factor in our choice of methods. 5. Next May/June, we will inspect all our buildings for evidence of ants in the walls, and will act if anything that is found requires it.

Everything went just fine from start to finish. Everyone from the scheduler I spoke with on the phone to the extermination technician (Jake) were professional and knowledgeable. Jake had to reschedule with us twice because of rain (it defeats the purpose to spray just before or during rain). I really appreciated him watching the weather and calling us at least an hour before each scheduled time to discuss what to do and whether to reschedule. When the weather finally permitted, he was on time, professional, courteous, and patiently answered all my questions. We had previously had a disappointing experience with another company who sprayed for bees but did a rush job. Jake took his time, was quite thorough, sprayed in hard-to-reach areas the previous company had ignored, and explained clearly what the spray would prevent and what it might not prevent. When it came to the regular extermination, I appreciated that he pointed out that I should keep our cats isolated until everything dried. He thought to ask me if we had any issues with carpenter ants because that is a different type of service, yet he didn't try to sell me on anything. He was honest in saying that if I only saw a few around, I probably didn't need that service. The price for each service was in line with what others seem to charge, but I feel we got great value for the price using Insectech and having Jake as our technician.