What Tasks Should Be Included In Your HOA's Pest Control Contract?
Typically, a homeowner's association will take care of pest control throughout the community. This will be paid for via the dues collected from members. If you are in charge of arranging for pest control through an HOA, one thing to think about is what specific services you want the pest control company to perform. Every community has somewhat different needs, but here are the basic ones you should include, at a minimum.
Trapping rodents.
Rodents reproduce quickly, so once a few move into the community, they can quickly overrun it. For this reason, every HOA pest control contract should include rodent trapping services. If a few traps are set and kept in place, then those traps will catch the first few rodents who "move in," hopefully before they get a chance to reproduce. Setting rodent traps in this way is a lot safer and easier than setting out rat poison or baits. The hope is also that by setting a few rodent traps outdoors, you can keep the rodents from making their way into residents' actual homes and garages.
Spraying for cockroaches and ants.
Cockroaches and ants are two other pests that tend to spread rapidly through a community once they infest a house or two. One neighbor excludes them, and they move across to the next house. If you have your HOA pest control company do a good job of spraying around the community for these pests, then you can keep them out of homes altogether. In most cases, the pest control company will spray in a perimeter around each home, creating a barrier of pesticides that cockroaches and ants won't cross. They may also spray around any community buildings. The spray won't eliminate all bugs, but it will keep them outside, where they belong.
Termite baits.
A good HOA pest control contract should also include termite baits. The baits should be positioned around each home. They will attract termites and trap them before they make their way into homes or start chewing apart fences. Termites are another pest that tends to spread rapidly between homes, so community-wide control measures are key. Baits tend to work better than sprays, and they are not intrusive since they are hidden below ground.
If your HOA pest control contract includes these three things, you are off to a good start. Ask your HOA pest control company what other services may be called for in your area.