What is it?

So you just moved in and you have either received a letter from a pest control company or you noticed that there is an unfamiliar contraption on the side of the house. It may have a company name and phone number on it and once you research it, you find out that it is an In-Wall Pest Control system! Perhaps you are unfamiliar with them, unsure about how it works, or what it is supposed to do. So you ask around and get some information on it. 

Should I Use It?

Here are some examples of how a company might try to convince you to use their systems. It may go something like this; “If you don’t use the In-Wall Pest Control tubes your builder installed when the house was built then you will get bugs in the walls!” or “They are built into the house like an Air Conditioning unit, the Pest Tubes are supposed to be used or your house can become infested! You don’t want that do you?” 

Is that true? That would be a big no. 

There are a few different names but these companies are using scare tactics known as Fear of Loss or Loss Aversion. This is a popular approach in marketing and sales that gets consumers to purchase their product or use their services for fear of losing money, time, opportunities, or something of value to the consumer. Here are some examples.

• Your home can become damaged by bugs.
• It kills the bugs in the walls. 
• Your home can become infested if you don’t use it.
• Health and Human Safety. No one wants bacteria-carrying pests, or stinging and biting insects around.

In reality, if you use the system that was installed at the time your home was built then that ensures that they have a recurring quarterly client. That is the ultimate goal. The point is that it is not somehow more effective than your standard pest control service. With your assistance in keeping conducive conditions at bay any reputable pest control company can bring you peace of mind with routine maintenance and inspections. 

In-Wall Pest Control Tubes 

#1: Where do the Tubes Spray in the Walls and Why?

      In reality, it is in limited areas of the home where pests are anticipated to be near in higher numbers such as near doors and plumbing areas in the bathroom and kitchen. Sometimes they will be installed in the attic as well.

However, pests aren’t just hanging out in the wall voids and don’t fare too well in the attic in this Texas heat! The vast majority of the time pests will enter your home through the following areas and this is where BUGCO® Pest Control focuses. 

• small gaps or cracks
• entry points around doors, windows,
• dryer vents,
• A/C vents,
• weep holes, and
• other similar places but these areas are not covered.

There could be systems that run the tubes completely around the home treating the full perimeter but this would be a custom-built home. Even though a home may have 15 or 20 tube ends visible in the delivery portal there are likely more areas in your walls NOT treated than are.

#2: Are the In-Wall Tubes Effective against Pests?

       The short answer, No. The longer answer, these systems are more of a gimmick or as described above, a scare tactic that prompts you, the consumer, to call XYZ Company which is partnered with a contractor or homebuilder that helps jump their routine pest control services.

While pest control is already a necessity to protect you and your family from biting and stinging insects or the diseases carried by so many pests some companies have turned it into a perceived necessity like pool maintenance, replacing the salt in the water softener, or cutting the grass by adding a seemingly important piece of equipment which in reality has not been proven to add any real defense to the pest control regimen.

• As a defense mechanism, some ant species will break into multiple colonies if the wrong product is used to treat them. 
• German Roaches who are already chemical resistant and breed faster than any other residential roach species may avoid the area by going deeper into hiding where they will breed and multiply and come back in greater numbers.

How can you treat pests you can’t see? Without seeing what you are treating this could lead to the misapplication of insecticides in the absence of pest identification.

#3: What Pests is it Supposed to Target?

        General Pest Control is a broad term used to describe common crawling pests in and around the house. Because General Pest Control is a broad term, broad-spectrum products are used. In-Wall Pest Control tubes may help reduce and control common ants, roaches, silverfish, earwigs, and similar pests in a very limited degree but there are other pests that won’t be targeted by this system at all. 

Look, let’s be honest, If you have something in the walls then 99.99% of the time it is going to be some type of rodent, wildlife, termites, carpenter ants, or other wood-destroying insect that will either not be affected by this treatment or have little effect. Point #4 covers that.

#4: What Pests Aren’t Covered?

       While it may help reduce and control the number of a small number of common pests in very limited areas of the house there are pests that this system would have no effect on or could potentially make the problem worse.     

Generally speaking, pest issues start outside and they tend to find their way inside right? They come in searching for food, water, and shelter. This is especially true during times of excessive heat or cold, rain or drought, or any adverse weather events. But then there are the pests who will either never be near the tubes or are resistant or immune to the products being used. 

Within the hierarchy of Termites and Ants there are swarmers or reproductive members of the colony that fly out by the thousands looking for new places to create a colony.  The products used won’t deter them.

Bed Bugs and German Roaches are hitchhikers that breed quickly and are chemical resistant. They can be introduced on anything from the furniture you found at a garage sale, off of the clothing or personal effects of someone who has an infestation at home or work, and even on public transit. While they can find their way into the walls under certain circumstances the tube system will not eliminate them.

Some pests require very specialized treatment methods and some won’t be found in the areas that the tubes can reach. Here are some of the pests that the in-wall pest tubes will have little or no effect on.

• Termites
• German Roaches
• Pantry Pests
• Multiple Ant species
• Rodents
• Bed Bugs
• Fleas
• Springtails
• Ticks
• Gnats
• Spiders
• Mosquitoes
• Flies
• Wasps

#5: How long do the Tubes Last in the Walls? Can they be Repaired if Damaged or Replaced when they get Old?

Once the tubes are threaded through the framing studs, hidden by insulation, and sealed behind the drywall, and paint the only way to access these tubes is to remove that drywall to get back into that wall void. An expensive project. Different companies have different designs. ‘We make wider tubes for less clogging.”, “But we make seamless tubes to reduce leaks.”, “We use a dry nitrogen delivery system.” Some of the things reported by technicians who have serviced them in the past note some of the following issues.

• Corrosion of the exterior casing and connectors
• Blowback (pressurized chemical sprayback)
• Rodents love chewing on wires and tubes

#6: Who can Service it?

       Many in-wall pest control tube companies frame their installation as the be-all, end-all of pest control. They’ll say you have to use their company to service your system because they use “special tools” or “special chemicals” and, of course, “No other company will work!” Claims like these are nonsense. Any pest control company with the correct tools can service a tube system. You may want to inquire about how the warranty works if another company does service it however and if that affects your warranty.

So what is the solution?

At BUGCO® Pest Control we believe in tried and true methods and industry-proven tactics based on science, not gimmicks. BUGCO® Pest Control inspects your home or business for the source of the infestation, provides a plan at a reasonable price, and implements that treatment plan on your schedule.

Some pests require specialized treatment plans that can vary on the scope of work involved and BUGCO® Pest Control provides tailored plans in these instances. Whether it is for a preventative termite treatment for your home, rodent control for your highrise condo, a custom mosquito misting system, your business, or even government agencies. 

Call Today to Schedule Your Appointment for Your Perimeter of Protection!