How Does Rain Affect Pest Control Treatments?

Does a Rain Downpour Affect Pest Control Treatments?

If your home has had a recent pest control treatment to it’s exterior and it rains not long after, there is a very big chance that your treatment will not be affected by the rain.  This can be attributed to a few main reasons:

1. Many pest control companies, including Pest-Ex Pest Control, treat the exterior of the home/building, by ensuring that we don’t spray wet surfaces. The pesticides we use need to “bind” with the area it is being applied to.  However, the time it takes to bind to a surface is not too long.
2. A lot of treatment areas for pest control are in areas that are not easily reached by rain. Usually areas such as eaves and guttering are treated, which are usually somewhat protected from rain, so unless it’s a particularly gusty wind and heavy rain, these areas will remain relatively dry.
3. Pest chemicals are formulated in a way so that they are not easily soluble, meaning that they have a longer lasting effect, where they take longer to breakdown and don’t wash away easily. This helps them to adhere to their application areas better and create a longer lasting barrier.

Should I reschedule my Pest Control Treatment Appointment?

We often get a lot of requests to reschedule appointments on rainy days, but in most instances, you won’t need to reschedule – however every situation is different.  Some things to take into consideration are:

1. What area of your home is being treated? If you are only having the inside of your property treated, then there is no need to worry, this treatment can go ahead as planned.
2. Weather Forecast – If only a short rainfall is forecasted, this shouldn’t be too much of a concern, many of the pesticides pest control experts use are insoluble, meaning that they won’t be easily washed away by rain. However, if the rain doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere, or it has already been raining for a few days, rescheduling should be considered.
3. Wet weather can, in some instances, actually help with the effectiveness of the treatment. This can be because of two factors, the first of which is that pests often react to wet weather by climbing to the surface to escape the moisture in their nests, which can result in the pests being treated directly by the pesticide. And secondly, some treatments are more effective with the presence of moisture, where in some instances, the product needs to be wet in order for all toxins to be released. Sometimes you will be advised to water the perimeter of the property in order to activate the pesticides within the first week or two, especially if it is considerably dry, or hasn’t rained in a while.

Summary:

Pest Control treatments and the effects of weather are very dependent on the specific situation and treatment planned.  While in most situations it will be fine to proceed with your appointment as planned, if you aren’t sure, you can most certainly get in touch with your pest control expert.  It is the aim of all reputable pest control services to provide the most effective service, if the weather is not appropriate for the treatment, it is not in our best interest to proceed.  We encourage our customers to get in touch with us here at Pest-Ex Pest Control in Gold Coast if there are any concerns or questions about a scheduled appointment.