5 Things I Learned as a Pest Controller in Sydney

Arenaria Cox
Jul 21, 2017 · 3 min read

Working as a pest controller in Sydney has opened my eyes to several truths of this wonderful thing we call “the human condition”. In a sense, I’ve seen the city’s true face. I’ve seen the dirty kitchens in restaurants and people’s cluttered homes. I’ve seen the reason for all the pests. But most of all, I’ve seen the motivations behind many people’s different behaviours. Being a pest controller in Sydney certainly gives you a lot of perspective about…

5. People Feel Ashamed When They Have Pests

Having a bedbug infestation in your bedroom isn’t something to be proud of. Realising overgrown, filthy-looking, infection-bearing rats have taken permanent residence in your kitchen doesn’t quite inspire your next Instagram post. Granted there are people who would actually go ahead and blog about this, most people avoid talking about it and would actively hide it in embarrassment. They don’t want their friends to know they had a pest problem.

I must say, there is nothing to be ashamed of. I’ve had to perform pest control in some of the cleanest and most well-maintained homes in the city. I’ve worked for health inspectors and doctors, cleaners and judges. No one is immune.

4. And They Often Think It’s Their Fault

The first thing many people do when they find out they have pests is to start playing the blame game. Usually, they direct it themselves. If only they had maintained the house better. Sometimes children are standing on the other end of the finger-pointing.

The truth is there are many factors related to a pest infestation. That’s why we pest controllers do a detailed inspection to determine the cause. Cockroaches, for example, can infest you because you leave food lying around, or because your place is warm and damp. In most cases, though, it’s not your fault. There are some things you can do to avoid them, but ultimately pests are difficult to keep away.

3. No One Takes the Time to Pest Proof

The pest problem in Sydney wouldn’t be that severe if people actually took the time to pest proof. However, very few of us do and that it makes it easy for pests to thrive on the streets of our fair city and in our homes.

Take the time to pest proof. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of articles, blog posts, and pages on how to do it. It doesn’t take a lot of time and can save you a lot of money. What have you got to lose?

2. They Often Try to Handle the Problem (Making it Worse)

Just like with handymen, it’s not a good idea to attempt at handling problems on your own. Pest control is a highly specialised field in the service industry and requires skill, knowledge, and expertise most people simply don’t have. Most over the counter pesticides are simply put useless and in some ways they make matters worse by scaring the invaders and making them spread even further. If you are not completely sure what you’re doing once you already have an infestation (or suspect one), call a professional. It will be better in the long run. Once you make matters worse, it makes it more difficult to do our jobs and get rid of the problem for you.

1. They Want a Miracle

When it’s all said and done, when all else has failed, people finally decide the right course of action is to call in the cavalry (that’s us), they expect a miracle. Sure, we’re pros. We know what we’re doing. But that doesn’t mean we’re miracle workers. Most treatments take time and don’t guarantee success from the first attempt. Especially if something has been tried before that. Patience. We’ll get it done, but it’s not like we can simply snap our fingers and make the pests disappear. Be patient!

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