The scratching in the wall starts at 2 a.m., always when you are finally asleep. Or maybe it is a parade of tiny ants making a highway along your baseboard. The impulse is understandable: call the local handyman. There is a comfort in a familiar name who can fix a dozen household things in an afternoon. Sometimes that is the right move. Other times, calling a pest control company first saves money, avoids damage, and solves the problem at the source rather than at the surface.
I have been in and around homes where the same issue was treated three times before someone finally identified the real culprit. The difference between a handyman’s quick patch and a licensed pest control contractor’s targeted plan is not about pride of trade, it is about training, tools, and risk. If you want fewer callbacks and less guesswork, you need to know where each professional shines and where each one is out of their depth.
What a Handyman Can Do Well
A strong handyman keeps houses running. Think of minor carpentry, caulking, screen repair, small drywall patches, and diagnosing obvious entry points. When pests are only symptom-level, not infestation-level, that kind of basic repair is exactly what you need. I have seen mice disappear after a handyman stuffed a half-inch gap around a gas line with copper mesh and sealed it with mortar. I have watched a line of ants vanish after a pro re-caulked a shower where moisture was wicking beneath tile.
The best handymen have a feel for building envelopes. They carry the right sealants, know which vents must breathe, and spot the lazy shortcuts left by previous renovations. They are fast and cost-effective when the issue is physical access, not biology.
Where they hit the limit is chemistry and regulation. Applying restricted-use termiticides, selecting a bait matrix specific to pharaoh ants versus odorous house ants, or setting up an integrated rodent program with tamper-resistant stations and monitoring is not what most handymen are trained or insured to do. A handyman may knock down a wasp nest, but they are rarely equipped to evaluate whether pheromone traces will draw the colony back to the same soffit next week.
What a Pest Control Company Brings to the Table
A licensed pest control service invests in training, certification, and ongoing education because the targets move. Species adapt. Products change. Regulations tighten. An exterminator service that does it right follows label law as gospel, which protects you, pets, pollinators, and groundwater. They know how to identify the pest down to species or at least category, then pair the right product and application method with the lowest effective risk.
The other major advantage is system thinking. A good exterminator company does not just kill what is visible. They ask why it is there. With cockroaches, that means locating harborages, heat and moisture sources, and pathways. With mosquitoes, that means mapping standing water and choosing between larvicide in a drain tile, a residual adulticide on shaded vegetation, or an aeration tactic for a neglected pond. With termites, that means clarifying the difference between subterranean and drywood termites, then deciding on soil trench-and-treat, foam injections, or a bait system, based on the house construction and soil type.
Pest control companies also bring documentation and data. Good ones track service dates, chemicals used, target pests, and activity over time. In multi-unit buildings, that record can https://andykcbr990.cavandoragh.org/the-truth-about-organic-pest-control-exterminator-insights be the difference between a chronic nightmare and a solved problem, because patterns appear that are invisible to one-off visits.
The Safety and Liability Line
When chemicals are involved, insurance matters. Reputable pest control contractors carry coverage for misapplication and environmental harm. If a handyman casually sprays over-the-counter insecticide around your wellhead and contaminates groundwater, you might find yourself in a tangle of costs and responsibility. If an exterminator applies a restricted-use product without proper setbacks, that is their liability and license on the line. That difference is not just comfort, it is protection.
There is a safety angle on access too. Removing a hornet nest 25 feet up under a gable feels simple until the ladder kicks or the nest ruptures and you are facing an aggressive colony. Pest control crews have protective equipment and, equally important, the judgment to walk away from unsafe conditions and stage the work properly.
Cost: Cheap Fix vs. Correct Fix
I have watched homeowners spend three small invoices on a handyman sealing gaps around a garage, only to end up hiring a pest control company a month later when the mouse droppings kept appearing in the pantry. Those gaps needed sealing, but that was only half the equation. Without trapping, sanitation guidance, and exterior bait stations placed correctly, the mice simply shifted their routes.
A handyman rate might be 60 to 120 dollars per hour depending on the market, and often worth every cent for physical improvements. A pest control visit could be 150 to 300 dollars for the initial inspection and treatment, sometimes more for specialty work like termites or wildlife exclusions. Over a season, a maintenance plan that includes four to six visits may run 300 to 900 dollars or more. When you are comparing, frame it as value per problem solved, not dollars per hour. A one-time fix that prevents a structural infestation is the cheapest option, even if the invoice is higher today.
Gray Areas Where Either Pro Might Help
Not every pest issue is a hard yes or no. Fruit flies in the kitchen, for example, are often solved by a deep clean of drains, replacing torn gaskets on a trash can, and clearing a forgotten bag of onions under the sink. A handyman who is comfortable pulling and cleaning a P-trap and installing a new garbage disposal can eliminate the breeding site. A pest control company can do drain treatments, but you may not need that if you correct the sanitation problem and a small source. On the other hand, if you run a commercial kitchen, calling an exterminator service for a drain fly program is standard practice.
House crickets and occasional invaders like millipedes are another in-between. Seasonal sealing by a handyman plus dehumidification in a basement might be all it takes. If they keep pouring in, or if you are also seeing spiders in numbers, a pest control company can apply a perimeter residual and set up monitoring to see what the structural conditions are inviting.
Situations That Demand a Pest Control Company
There are moments to skip the handyman and pick up the phone for a pest control contractor first. Safety, species behavior, and legal limitations drive these calls.
- Visible termite activity, mud tubes, or unexplained hollow-sounding wood. Termites are silent and expensive. Soil treatments and baiting must be done by a licensed exterminator company, and DIY attempts often miss the colony. Bed bugs. You need identification, containment, and a plan that addresses all life stages, often across multiple rooms. Heat, targeted insecticides, encasements, and follow-ups are typical. A handyman cannot solve this. German cockroaches. These thrive in tight harborages, multiply quickly, and develop resistance. Correct gel baits, dusts in voids, and sanitation guidance from a pest control service are essential. Rodent infestations where droppings are widespread or you can hear activity inside walls and ceilings. A combined approach, including snap traps, secure bait stations where appropriate, sanitation, and exterior exclusion, is the only reliable path. A handyman can seal, but rodents will chew back through if populations are not reduced first. Stinging insects in high or hard-to-reach locations, inside wall voids, or near entries used by children or pets. Wasps and hornets are manageable when done right and risky when handled casually.
When a Handyman Is the Right First Call
There are also straightforward cases where it is smart to lead with a handyman and see if the pest activity resolves.
Squirrels exploiting a torn gable vent screen can be discouraged by replacing the screen with hardware cloth and adding a proper cage cover that vents. A handyman who is comfortable on a roof can do this well. If the squirrels already nested in the attic, you will want a wildlife-specific professional to set one-way doors and comply with local regulations, but the long-term fix is still a physical repair.
Ants that appear in a tight line from a foundation crack into a laundry room in early spring may respond to sealing and moisture control. If you can eliminate the moisture source and close the highway, you may never need bait. If they keep returning or if you see winged ants indoors, call a pest control company to rule out a nearby colony and to avoid the common mistake of spraying repellent insecticide that splits colonies and makes things worse.
Identification First, Then Action
Species drives strategy. I have been called to “flying ants” that were actually termite swarmers, and to “mice” that turned out to be voles outdoors, which require different tactics entirely. A handyman’s strength is repair. A pest control company’s strength is identification and control. When you are unsure what you are looking at, an inspection by an exterminator service pays for itself.
A good pest control contractor will show you the signs. For rodents, that is rub marks, droppings shape and size, and gnaw patterns. For ants, that is frass, wing morphology, and scent trails. For bed bugs, that is fecal spotting, cast skins, and live sightings near seams. Ask them to walk you through it. If they cannot, find another company.
The Order of Operations for Complex Problems
Pest problems that involve structure and biology need choreography. The sequence often matters more than any single step. Here is a clean, practical order for the two most common cross-trade issues.
- Rodents in a house: inspection and mapping by a pest control service, targeted population reduction with traps and stations, then sealing by a handyman or the pest control company’s exclusion crew, followed by monitoring. Reversing the order often traps rodents inside or pushes them to chew new holes. Moisture-driven pests: fix leaks and ventilation first. Handyman repairs to flashing, caulk, and drains reduce the source. Then a pest control company treats any residual populations, such as silverfish in damp crawlspaces or ants nesting near wet wood. Finally, install preventive measures like dehumidifiers or improved grading.
Contracts, One-Offs, and What You Are Really Buying
Many pest control companies sell service plans. Sometimes those plans are right, particularly for properties with seasonal pressure from ants, spiders, or wasps, or for multi-unit buildings where continuity matters. A quarterly program with an exterior barrier, web removal, and interior spot treatments on request can stabilize a home that backs up to woods or water.
For a single mouse in a winter kitchen, a one-time service with a follow-up might be all you need, especially if you back it with handyman sealing. Resist aggressive upsells that do not map to your actual risks. The best exterminator company will customize, not push a one-size plan. Ask what is included by pest and by area. Termite protection is not the same as general pest, and adding wildlife is a different license class in many states.
Handymen vary widely in scope. Some are essentially small general contractors who can reframe a rotted sill plate and install a new bulkhead door, which is often the downstream fix after termites or carpenter ants. Others prefer light-duty tasks and short visits. Clarify scope, materials, and warranty. A good repair closes access without trapping moisture, which means using the right materials: stainless steel wool or copper mesh with mortar for mice, hardware cloth for vents, door sweeps with tamper-proof fasteners for gaps under exterior doors.
Chemicals, Labels, and What You Should Ask
If a pest control company proposes a treatment, ask for the product name and the label. Federal and state regulations require technicians to follow the label, and the label is more than fine print. It lists target pests, application rates, reentry times, and environmental precautions. A reputable pest control service is happy to share this.
For sensitive environments, such as homes with infants, elderly residents, asthma, or pets that chew baseboards, there are low-impact options that still work when applied correctly. Gel baits placed in out-of-reach cracks, insect growth regulators that disrupt breeding without broad-spectrum knockdown, and targeted dusts in wall voids can reduce exposure. Essential oil-based products sound gentle, and sometimes they are useful as repellents, but they can trigger allergies and often have short residuals. Your exterminator should explain trade-offs plainly, not in marketing language.
Handymen occasionally use retail-grade sprays or powders at a client’s request. Be cautious. Misapplied pyrethroids along baseboards can cause more harm than good by flushing pests into new areas. Borate dusts are effective in voids against certain insects, but unsafe if left exposed in living areas where pets or toddlers can contact them. If the job calls for chemistry, you are in pest control company territory.
Real-World Scenarios and How They Played Out
A homeowner called after spotting a few ants in the upstairs bathroom every morning. The handyman had already sealed around the vanity and re-caulked the tub. The ants kept coming. During inspection, we found wet sheathing behind the tub wall from a slow plumbing leak, and frass along a baseboard. The ants were carpenter ants, nesting in softened wood. We coordinated: plumber first to stop the leak, pest control treatment with a non-repellent transfer bait and targeted dust in the voids, then a carpenter to replace damaged materials. If the handyman had continued sealing without addressing the colony and the leak, the damage would have spread.
Another call started as “scratching noises in the attic.” The homeowner had paid for three handyman visits to close gaps. Each time, the noises paused for a day and returned. The droppings told the story: not mice, but roof rats, and there were grease rub marks on the truss near a plumbing vent. We set traps inside, deployed stations outside, and used a camera to confirm activity routes. Only after the population dropped did a crew install custom vent screens and seal ridge gaps. The noises stopped, and stayed stopped. The difference was order and identification.
I can think of a case that went the other way. A pantry moth outbreak in a rental unit had the landlord ready to call an exterminator company. The handyman on site simply pulled the pantry apart, found an opened bag of birdseed and an old box of oatmeal, disposed of them, vacuumed shelves and crevices, and wiped down with a mild cleaner. We left sticky traps for monitoring and never needed to apply product. Sometimes the smartest pest control is a trash bag and a shop vac.
How to Choose the Right Professional
Reputation matters more than branding. A pest control company that trains techs, handles callbacks without friction, and documents work is worth a premium. A handyman who understands building science and does not treat every hole with spray foam is gold.
Ask a pest control contractor about species identification, the specific products they plan to use, and what success looks like in time frames. Ask a handyman what materials they will use to exclude pests, whether they have worked on similar issues, and how they avoid creating moisture traps. Avoid anyone who offers guarantees that ignore biology, like “we will eliminate all spiders forever.” That is not how the world works, especially in wooded or waterfront areas.
Be wary of shotgun approaches. Spraying the entire yard for “bugs” every month may break label law and certainly wastes money unless there is a defined target. On the flip side, endlessly chasing gaps without a plan for the animals using them is an invitation to frustration.
Preventive Work That Pays Off
A small amount of prevention replaces a lot of reaction. Trim vegetation so it does not touch the house. Store firewood off the ground and away from foundation walls. Keep gutters clear so water does not pool against your sill plate. Install door sweeps and repair garage weatherstripping. These are handyman tasks that remove invitations.
For properties with consistent pest pressure, schedule a spring and late-summer exterior service with a pest control company. Spot treatments of eaves for wasp nesting, foundation barriers for ants and occasional invaders, and exterior rodent monitoring stations can prevent most interior issues. The cost is predictable and lower than emergency calls in peak season.
The Bottom Line
Call a handyman when the problem is structural access, minor moisture intrusion, or sanitation, and when you are confident the pest activity is light or incidental. Call a pest control service when the species requires specialized control, when safety or regulations apply, or when the problem persists despite repairs.
If you are on the fence, a brief inspection from an exterminator company combined with a clear scope for a handyman often beats guessing. Let each professional do what they do best. That is how you turn a 2 a.m. scratching into a solved story you tell once, not a saga that keeps you up for weeks.
Clements Pest Control Services Inc
Address: 8600 Commodity Cir Suite 159, Orlando, FL 32819
Phone: (407) 277-7378
Website: https://www.clementspestcontrol.com/central-florida