One-off pest control treatment

What a one-off treatment includes

The service covers assessing the situation on site, identifying the pest and the harbourage, choosing the most suitable method, the treatment itself, and advice on preparing the rooms beforehand and what to do afterwards.

Where the biology of the pest requires it — bedbugs being the clearest case — the treatment may include a return visit after 10 to 14 days, to kill the generation that hatches from the eggs. We agree that at the outset rather than presenting it afterwards.

When one treatment is enough

One treatment is usually enough when the problem was caught early and is confined to a limited area: a wasp nest, an ant colony, silverfish in the bathroom, a gnat breeding site in a drain.

For bedbugs and cockroaches a complete result more often needs two treatments — not because of the quality of the work but because no insecticide affects eggs. Heat treatment frequently resolves a bedbug problem in one visit, because heat kills the eggs too. See also how many treatments are needed.

How to prepare

1. 1

   Clear access.

   Move furniture away from walls and clear the floor along the skirting boards.

2. 2

   Kitchen.

   Food into sealed containers, worktops cleared, appliances pulled out where possible.

3. 3

   Bedroom.

   Strip the bed and wash the bedding hot if bedbugs are suspected.

4. 4

   Pets and children.

   Cover fish tanks, remove pet bowls and bedding, put toys away.

5. 5

   Plan to be out.

   For a chemical treatment, 2 to 4 hours, then air the rooms thoroughly.

The detailed list is on how to prepare.

What happens afterwards

Do not wash the treated zones along skirting boards and in gaps for several weeks — that removes the residual film that kills the next generation. Everyday cleaning of open surfaces is fine.

Expect to keep seeing some insects for a while. With cockroaches on gel bait the numbers fall sharply within 3 to 7 days and the colony collapses over 2 to 4 weeks. With bedbugs, activity after a treatment usually means eggs hatching, which is what the residual film or the second visit is there for. Full detail on after the treatment.

When regular servicing is the better choice, and what it costs

If a property is permanently exposed to risk — a food business, a warehouse, a block of flats, a hotel — a one-off treatment addresses the symptom rather than the cause.

For those, regular preventive treatment works out cheaper than repeated emergency call-outs and avoids the situation where the insect is spotted by a customer or an inspector.

Prices: from €55 for a one-room flat, €60 for two rooms, €65 for three, and from €120 for a house. A repeat treatment is from €60 and a wasp nest from €60. Commercial premises are quoted after a survey.

What is and is not included

Being clear about this up front prevents most disputes later.

• Included: the survey and identification of the pest, choosing the method, the treatment itself, treating the entry routes and crossing points, written advice on preparation and aftercare, and the second visit where the pest’s biology requires one and that was agreed at the outset.
• Not included: structural repairs, sealing work, damp remediation, cleaning, disposal of infested furniture, and treatment of neighbouring properties. We will tell you when one of these is the actual cause, because a treatment that ignores standing damp or an open ventilation route will not hold.

We also do not carry out rodent control or disinfection; our work is insect control only.

Which pests a single visit typically settles

It is a fair question to ask before booking, so here is the honest split.

Fleas deserve a note: treating the property without treating the animal at the same time does not work, and no amount of repeat visits will compensate for that.