Mosquito, Tick & Pest Control in Apison, TN
One Apison homeowner signed up this summer for a plain reason. The previous owner had rats, and the new owner wanted to be sure they were gone. That account now carries four rodent bait boxes on a property described in our notes as about three and a half acres.
Apison is unincorporated Hamilton County, a little over sixteen square miles east of Collegedale, and the 2020 census counted roughly 93 percent of its residents as rural. Country lots of two, three, even eight acres sit a road away from newer neighborhoods, and those lots get bought and sold like anywhere else. When one changes hands, whatever pests the last owner was dealing with stay on the property, and so does any termite paperwork. We’ve been treating yards on this side of the county since 2012.
What the Last Owner Leaves Behind
A home inspection covers the roof and the wiring. It won’t say much about rats under the shed, which corner of the acreage holds water in June, or which company has bait stations around the foundation and when that agreement ends. On an Apison property, those are worth learning in the first month rather than the second summer.
Ask the sellers, the agent, or a neighbor what was going on before closing. Old bait boxes, a woodpile stacked against an outbuilding, feed or seed stored in a barn, a tarp nobody has moved in a year. Each one says something about what’s been living on the place.
Rodents a Previous Owner Didn’t Finish
Rats don’t leave because the deed changed. If the last owner was fighting them, the burrows, runways, and food sources are probably still there, and a few acres gives them plenty of cover between trips to the house. Roof rats, Norway rats, and mice each use a property differently, so our post on telling rodent species apart is a good first read.
Rodent control is part of Complete Home & Yard, the $119 monthly plan, not Home Shield. That’s the plan the homeowner above chose. If you’re buying a place where rats were a known issue, tell the office how many buildings sit on the property and where the last owner saw activity, so station placement starts from what’s already known.
Taking Over, or Switching, a Termite Contract
We’ve done termite work in Apison, and some of it starts with a contract that isn’t ours. A different Apison homeowner already has sixteen bait stations in the ground with another company and would like to move termite service to us once that agreement runs out.
Waiting for the end of the term lines up with state guidance. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s consumer tips say a termite contract should be warranted for at least a year and is renewable at the discretion of both the company and the consumer. The inspection report a buyer gets at closing is a different document with a much shorter shelf life, and our post on what a pre-closing termite inspection covers explains its limits.
UT Extension’s subterranean termite publication adds two points worth knowing. A baiting program depends on continued monitoring, even after termites stop turning up in the stations. And homeowners should ask for copies of the inspection letter and map and hang on to them. If a contract came with the house, find that map before calling anyone. It shows the next company where the stations are and what’s been found.
On our side, termite work runs on an Integrated Bait Delivery System with a monitoring visit each quarter, and there’s no charge for the termite inspection. Ask the office how a changeover from another company’s stations would work, and what our own termite agreement covers.
Mosquito Barrier Treatment in Apison
Mosquito control on a few acres starts with whatever’s been sitting out back since before the move, which might be a trailer, tires stacked behind the shed, or a boat cover sagging in the middle. On a quarter-acre lot all of it shows from the patio. On three acres, some of it can go a whole season without anyone noticing it’s holding water.
That standing water is the first step in the 7 T’s of Mosquito Control. Once it’s handled, the Mosquito Barrier Treatment goes on the shaded cover where adults rest during the day: shrub bases, the underside of a deck, the brushy edge where the mowing stops. It’s applied every 21 days in season and starts at $74 a treatment. We recommend that spacing because the product breaks down after about three weeks. If a different schedule would suit your property better, talk it over with the office.
Rather skip the conventional product? Our natural treatment option runs on essential oils instead, and properties on it are serviced more frequently.
Tick Control on Country Lots
More acreage usually means more edge. Wooded lots are common in Apison listings, and every spot where mowed grass gives way to brush or leaf litter is ground ticks can use. Both lone star ticks and American dog ticks live in this corner of Hamilton County.
The first year on a new-to-you property, nobody knows where all that edge is yet. Pay attention the first few times you mow and walk the place, then tell the office which corners stay shaded and brushy. Our tick and flea program focuses on those seams, the way the 6 C’s of Tick Control lay it out, instead of spraying open lawn where ticks aren’t waiting.
Spiders and Webs on a Property With Several Buildings
One Apison account covers a property with several separate buildings. Ahead of a September visit, the owner wrote in to say spiders had gotten heavy around the buildings and were showing up inside some of them, with one building in worse shape than the rest. They asked for a thorough treatment and for the webs to come down too.
A guest house, a shop, a barn, a studio: every building on a property has its own doors, eaves, and gaps. When you book, list each structure the visit should cover and say which one is worst. Spider control across several buildings comes with Squad Home Shield at $99 a month, which also covers ants, wasps, hornets, and roaches. If you’d like webs knocked down during a visit, ask about that up front.
Roaches Inside and the Kids’ Things
A family here signed up this summer after roaches started turning up here and there inside the house, and they wanted service started soon. They planned to be home so part of the visit could happen indoors. They also asked the technician to take care around the kids’ things, because synthetic product made them nervous.
That’s a fair thing to raise before anyone arrives. If the inside is getting treated, plan on someone being home. Pick up toys and gear from the rooms you’d like done, tell the office what the technician should stay clear of, and ask how product goes down near those areas. Roaches fall under Home Shield.
Flies on the Same Acreage
The three-and-a-half-acre account from the top of this page also runs Squad Fly Control alongside its rodent stations, with fly traps on the property this season and a pickup on the schedule for the end of October. If flies are a problem around a coop, a compost pile, or a run-in shed, mention it when you call so it gets priced with everything else.
When to Start Treatment in Apison
For mosquito control, late March is a good target for the first barrier visit. Ticks get moving before mosquitoes do, so wooded lots benefit from an early start. Termite swarmers show up in spring, and seeing them indoors is a reason to book an inspection that week. Visits usually continue through October, and past it if fall stays mild. Planning a graduation or a cookout? Book a special event spray a couple of days ahead.
Local Service and Coverage
We’re a veteran-owned family business based at 10607 S Lee Hwy, McDonald, TN 37421, License No. 101850, and we’ve served Hamilton County since 2012. If we can’t get your first service scheduled within 48 business hours, it’s free. Our satisfaction guarantee covers every visit, and our pest plans don’t lock you into a contract. We take 10% off for veterans, first responders, and teachers, and we pay current customers $75 for each neighbor they refer.
Our routes also cover Ooltewah to the north and East Brainerd to the west.
Call (423) 403-3513, or book a free quote online.
