Seasonal Services in Fall & Winter

Fall and winter offer many IPM opportunities around the home.  Common household pests such as ants, spiders, earwigs, and silverfish reproduce more rapidly in warmer weather, but can still pose problems in the fall and winter.  Cold rainy weather often drives insects and rodents indoors seeking a better climate or a dry place to call home.  Our efforts to keep pests out involves excluding pests from entering homes in the first place.  Sealing and caulking around windows, closing holes around pipes, repairing broken vent screens, removing leaves and debris around the home, and other maintenance items are good preventative measures, and work well with Killroy’s exterior treatments to prevent pest invasions. 

We also offer winter weed control services for residential and commercial properties, whether to clear a fence line, create fire breaks, or clean turf and landscape of unwanted weeds.  With our pre-emergent spray we can prevent weed growth in certain areas. 

Another important service at this time of year is dormant spraying, which is vital to the health of most shrubs and trees.  Control of fungus disease can be effective only if fungicides are applied in the fall and winter months.

Remember that Killroy also offers termite control, and the winter months may also be a good time to get a termite inspection.  In wet weather drainage problems which can cause foundation and fungus problems become evident.  We recommend a good inspection every few years to tell you what’s going on with your home and protect your property.

The steps you and Killroy take in the fall and winter will help ensure a healthier and more beautiful yard and home all year round!

Interesting Pest Fact

During this time of year when the weather turns colder rodents begin to search for shelter in our homes.  Did you know that a rat only requires a space the size of your thumb while a mouse only needs space the size of your pinky finger to wiggle their way into your home?  Contact Killroy for rodent inspections, trapping, baiting, and exclusion work to protect your home from these invaders!

President's Message: Killroy is Going "Green"

Killroy is going “Green!”   Yes you heard correctly, we are committing ourselves to being “greener” than even the best marketed “certified green” programs.  Don’t worry, we will still be using pesticides, only with a heightened awareness of you and your neighbor’s sensitivities and an eye toward likely   future federal and state restrictions.  I think before going on, we had better define what I believe “Green” to mean.

I, as many of you, was raised in a middle class home where money and resources were scarce.  Our parents trained us to never waste food, turn off the lights when leaving the room, and avoid being wasteful in every part of our day to day lives.  Debt was restricted to a mortgage and maybe a car payment and credit cards hadn’t even been invented yet!  Even today I am careful not to buy things I really don’t need, and I am conservative in using resources and credit — it’s just the way I was brought up.

With the huge explosion of retail products, and global production of cheap goods, we became a culture of super consumers.  We had forgotten some of the old values we all grew up with.  Enter the oil crisis and the doubling of energy costs.  All of a sudden we are a bit more mindful of where and what we are driving, and if we can perhaps walk to the store, or take the Light Rail downtown once and a while.  Now we have the financial meltdown and credit crisis.  We are all angry to see the corruption and wastefulness of our leaders and ourselves which allowed this to happen.  All of a sudden, we are asking some of the old questions again.

To me, being green means being a conservationist.  We all need to learn to do the little things that seem trivial, but spread over 300 million of us really make an impact on the environment.  Using less energy, recycling, not wasting water, taking care with used motor oil and solvents, and being as energy efficient as possible all help save our natural resources (and a bunch of money too).

Killroy will be using more targeted service approaches to prevent pest problems. The goal is to reduce some pesticide use while still controlling pests to your expectations, while still maintaining our low and competitive rates for our valued clients.  Preventative treatments will avoid extra service stops and save fuel, which is much greener than excessive service visits to fix situations we can easily prevent the first time.  This is, in my view, the smallest part of our green commitment.  Over the next year we will be working to reduce our paper consumption through improved technology.  We hope that someday we will be able to e-mail your service forms to you whenever possible.  This will require some tech development and e-mail data collection, but we plan to try to run a limited test version in the near future, pending regulatory approval.  Reducing energy consumption, being as efficient as possible in our service routing, continuing our recycling programs, and continuing to downsize trucks and equipment are also ongoing projects making us even more green in the 21st Century.

- Dennis Merrill, President

Sensitive Solutions News: Green, Green, It's Green They Say!

Every day you can pick up a newspaper, check out the media, or log on to your favorite website, and you are going to find something about “Going Green.” Ask ten different people, and you will receive ten different definitions regarding what “Green” means to each person.  Many businesses have jumped on the bandwagon, and look at the green movement as just a new business opportunity.

Here at Killroy’s Sensitive Solutions, we are proud to have been front-runners in the green approach to pest control.  For almost 15 years we have been employing the latest eco-friendly philosophies, technologies and approaches to IPM (Integrated Pest Management). 

True IPM starts with a thorough inspection of your home or business.  We are looking for conditions that make your location attractive to pests.  We provide you with the information, and the services that help reduce or eliminate the use of any pesticide.  This includes, but is not limited to the removal of vegetation touching the structure, proper sealing of the structure, removal of woodpiles and excess mulching materials from the foundation, changing exterior white  incandescent lighting to yellow compact florescent bulbs, application of beneficial insects as natural predators, and in some cases the use of specially designed hepa vacuum systems. 

In the case where some pest control materials are necessary, we apply the ECOSMART© product line which incorporates the use of botanical based materials.  These products work within USDA National Organic Program guidelines, are "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS), and/or are approved for food consumption by the U.S. FDA.

Today’s consumer is far more informed and savvy then in the past. Questions from customers are welcomed and encouraged. We want you to feel comfortable with the materials being applied around your home and place of business.

Killroy Pest Control Services

- Pest Control for Ants, Spiders, Roaches, Fleas, Flies, & More. Anything that BUGS You!
- Termite Inspections & Treatments
- Rodent Control
- Gopher & Mole Control
- Wild Animal Trapping
- Seasonal Tree Spraying: Oaks, Olives, Ash, Fruit Trees & More
- Dormant Spraying
- Fertilization & Root Feeding
- Weed Control

We hope that you continue to be satisfied with our pest control services.  We also value your referrals, and hope that we can continue to serve you, as well as your friends, family, and neighbors. 

If you ever have any pest control or termite control problems please give us a call at 1-888-KILLROY (1-888-545-5769) or 408-378-0441.  Or, fill out an online pest control service request form and we will contact you ASAP to discuss your pest problems and schedule service.