Questions we get asked every week
The ones that come up on nearly every job, answered the way we'd answer them on the phone. Anything specific to one pest is on that service page.
On the day
Do I need to leave the house while you treat?
Usually not, and rarely for long if you do.
A typical general treatment is low-disruption — you might step out of a room while we work in it, and we'll tell you if any area needs a couple of hours to dry before you use it normally.
Pets are easy to plan around. Let us know what you've got and where it lives when you book.
Is it safe around kids and pets?
Yes, when it's done properly, and that's mostly about where the product goes rather than what it is.
We apply where pests live and travel — harbourage, cavities, eaves, perimeter — not across the surfaces your family touches. Gel baits go into the gaps behind cabinetry, not onto food-prep benches, and rodent baits go in tamper-resistant lockable stations that kids and pets can't open.
Once treated areas are dry, usually a couple of hours, they're fine to use as normal. If you'd rather a low-tox approach, or you've got a fish tank, a bird or a reptile, say so when you book and we'll plan around it.
Do I need to prepare anything before you arrive?
For most jobs, very little. We'll tell you if your job is one of the exceptions when you book.
For cockroaches there's rarely any need to pull the kitchen apart — the gel goes into the gaps they already use.
Fleas are the one job where prep genuinely changes the result: vacuum thoroughly first, because it stimulates the pupae to hatch where the treatment can reach them, wash pet bedding hot, and keep your vet's flea treatment up to date on the animals.
What happens if it rains on the day?
Internal work goes ahead regardless. External work is a judgement call, and we'd rather move you than do it badly.
An external treatment needs the surfaces dry enough for the product to bind before the weather gets at it. Applied into a downpour, a lot of it simply washes off the brickwork and out of the garden beds.
If the forecast looks wrong for the job we'll ring and talk about moving it. A treatment done a few days later beats one done twice.
Afterwards
I'm still seeing them a few days later. Is that normal?
Usually, yes — and with baiting, an increase in the first day or two is the treatment working rather than failing.
Cockroaches come out as the bait does its job, so you often see more activity for a day or two before numbers drop away sharply over the following week. Spiders thin out within a few days; ground dwellers take longer than webbing spiders.
Fleas keep appearing for a while because the pupae in the carpet hatch on their own schedule and have to walk through the treatment. That one takes a couple of weeks, not a couple of days.
If it's still going well past that, ring us rather than putting up with it.
How long does a treatment last?
It depends on the pest and the property, but months rather than weeks for most household work.
A general treatment holds most homes for around a year, with a top-up before summer if you're in a pest-prone spot. Spider and cockroach treatments typically run several months. Mosquito work is shorter — a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on weather and how much breeding habitat is nearby.
A property backing onto bush or paddocks gets re-invaded faster than one in the middle of a suburb, because the supply over the fence never stops. Those places generally suit twice a year rather than annually.
Is there a warranty or a free return visit?
Where a job carries a warranty period, it's written into your quote before anything starts. Ask us what it covers and what triggers a return visit, and get the answer in writing.
It varies with the pest and the scope, so there's no single number that applies to every job — a one-off external treatment and an ongoing seasonal arrangement aren't the same thing.
It's worth asking every quote you get, not just ours. A quote that comes in well under everyone else's has usually left something out, and the return visit you'll want in eight weeks being charged at full price is a common one.
Booking us
What areas do you cover?
Helensburgh to Nowra, and everything in between.
That takes in Wollongong and the northern suburbs, the escarpment streets, Dapto and Albion Park, the Shellharbour suburbs, Kiama and Gerringong, and south through Berry to Nowra and the Shoalhaven.
There's a page for most of them under areas we service. If your suburb isn't listed, ring anyway — it's very likely on a run we already do.
How soon can you come out?
Most jobs can be booked in the same week. We're on Mon–Fri, 7am–6pm.
Wasp nests get prioritised because of the sting risk, so tell us where the nest is when you ring and we'll let you know how quickly we can get there.
Late winter and early spring are the quiet end of the calendar. From about mid-September the phone changes character and slots get harder to come by, so a treatment booked before the season starts is both easier to get and more effective.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes, both. We're a family-run, fully licensed and insured local business, and you deal with Simon directly rather than a call centre.
Anyone applying pesticide commercially in NSW needs a current pest management technician licence from the EPA. It's issued to the individual, not the business, so the number on a website doesn't tell you about the person standing in your kitchen.
Ask to see it — ours or anyone else's. Nobody legitimate minds being asked.
Do you do end-of-lease and rental treatments?
We do. Fleas are the usual reason, and the timing matters more than people expect.
If there's been a cat or a dog in the place, an empty house is exactly when a flea problem shows itself — which tends to be the week the agent does the final inspection.
Book it after the carpets are cleaned and the furniture is out, and leave a few days before the inspection. More on the why in end of lease flea treatment.
Still got a question? Ask us.
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