Pest Control Questions, Answered

Carolina Pest Management is a pest control, termite, wildlife and moisture control company founded in 1939 and headquartered in Monroe, North Carolina, since 1951. We have offices in Monroe, Charlotte and Rockingham, and serve homes and businesses across the Charlotte region and surrounding North and South Carolina towns.

Carolina Pest is locally operated and is now part of the Northwest Exterminating family of brands, which brings expanded resources and programs to a local team. Read our company history.

Yes. Pest control companies and applicators must be licensed in each state they work in. In North Carolina that’s the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division. In South Carolina it’s the Clemson University Department of Pesticide Regulation. Our technicians are licensed, trained applicators.

You can verify any company’s license yourself through the NCDA&CS Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division or the Clemson Department of Pesticide Regulation.

Check these six things, in this order:

1. State license. Verify it through your state’s pesticide regulator rather than taking the company’s word for it.
2. What’s in writing. Get the agreement term, the cancellation terms, the price after year one, and exactly which pests are covered.
3. The guarantee. “Guaranteed” should mean a specific commitment to retreat within the guarantee period at no charge.
4. Who actually shows up. Ask whether you get a consistent technician or whoever is on the route that day.
5. Whether they inspect before quoting. A firm price over the phone for termite or bed bug work, sight unseen, is a red flag.
6. Reviews with detail. Reviews that name the pest and the outcome tell you far more than a star average.

DIY works for a handful of ants on a countertop. It does not work for anything that nests, breeds indoors, or damages structures.

Hire a professional for termites, bed bugs, German cockroaches, ant infestations, rodents, fleas, stinging insects in a wall void, and wildlife. Store-bought products fall short on each of these. Foggers and “bug bombs” scatter German cockroaches deeper into wall voids. Repellent sprays cause some ant colonies to split into several colonies. Termites live in the soil and inside the wood, where nothing sold at a hardware store reaches the colony.

With ants, treating the trail on the counter does nothing to the colony producing it. The nest has to be found and treated.

We treat homes and businesses for most pests.

Our General Pest Service covers most crawling insects, with the exception of wood-destroying insects and fleas. These are separate services with an extra charge:

• Termites
• Mosquitoes
• Bed bugs
• Fleas and ticks
• Stinging insects and fire ants
• Wildlife
• Moisture control for crawlspaces

Not sure what you’re dealing with? Contact us for details.

Carolina Pest’s NorPest Green Pest Control Program starts at $45 per month with convenience billing (autopay), for quarterly service.

For other services, pricing is based on the type of service, the square footage of the area being treated, and the level of infestation. Your inspection and quote are free.

NorPest Green offer: residential only. Other restrictions apply. Quarterly service only. Requires convenience billing (autopay). Price varies by square footage of home. Cannot be combined with other offers. Valid on new service only. One-year agreement required.

Yes. Senior citizens receive a 10% discount on most services.

It depends on the service. The NorPest Green quarterly program requires a one-year agreement and convenience billing (autopay).

Most other services don’t require a contract. We’ll contact you when your next service or renewal is due.

Your agreement spells out the term, what’s covered and how to cancel. To go over yours, call 704-283-1527.

Call us at 704-283-1527. We’ll ask what’s prompting the change, because many of the reasons customers call to cancel, such as pests coming back, a missed visit or a billing question, are things we can fix on that call.

If you still want to cancel, here’s what to expect:

• Any balance for services already performed is due before the cancellation is processed.
• Convenience billing (autopay) stays active until that balance is paid, then stops.
• Sentricon termite protection: renewal payments are brought up to date and are not prorated. We’ll then schedule a visit to remove the bait stations from your property.

Call 704-283-1527 as soon as you know your moving date, and have your new address ready.

If your new home is in our service area, we can set up service there. Carolina Pest is part of the Northwest Exterminating family, which serves homes across Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and the Carolinas, so even a longer move may still be covered by one of our sister brands. We’ll tell you on the call.

Any balance on your current account is due before the old service is closed out.

Yes. Pest control consultations and quotes are free with no obligation. New customers also get a free termite inspection, and moisture control inspections are free.

Request one through our free inspection request form or call 704-283-1527.

We accept cash, checks, Visa, Mastercard and American Express. We also offer a bank draft option for customers who want their account drafted automatically after each service.

To pay online, go to our Pay Bill page. Our payment portal has been updated, so if you paid online before, you’ll need to register for a new account the first time you use it.

In a standard General Pest Service, we:

• Treat the outside perimeter, 5 to 10 feet out from the foundation, with a granular or liquid product.
• Treat around all windows and doors, and remove spider webs.
• Treat key areas inside the building that may harbor pests or give them a way in.
• Inspect areas such as attics and crawlspaces that can be a source of pests.

Exterior-only service is also available.

Most services can be scheduled within a few days. Even during our busiest months in spring and summer, we can service most accounts within three or four days.

Most homes in the Carolinas are on a quarterly schedule, four treatments a year. The products used on the exterior break down over roughly 90 days, and four visits line up with the region’s pest seasons:

Active infestations are different. Bed bugs, German cockroaches and fleas need a shorter, more intensive schedule to break the egg cycle before moving to maintenance.

It depends on the pest:

That’s normal, and it usually means the treatment is working. Products applied into cracks, voids and hiding places flush insects out. Ants and roaches that had been living inside walls and under cabinets become visible as they cross treated surfaces.

Expect this to peak in the first 3 to 7 days and then drop off sharply. If you’re still seeing steady activity after two weeks, call us. A retreatment within your guarantee period is free.

For a standard service, very little:

• Clear access to the exterior perimeter by moving trash cans, planters and stored items a couple of feet off the foundation.
• Unlock gates, and keep pets indoors or in a closed room while the technician works.
• For interior service, make sure we can reach the areas you’d like treated, such as under sinks and along baseboards.
• Put away pet food and water bowls and any food left on counters.
• Cover fish tanks and turn off the aerator during interior treatment.

Bed bug, flea and German cockroach treatments need more preparation. We’ll go over it with you before those appointments.

Normal rain won’t undo your service. Exterior products bind to surfaces as they dry, and once dry they won’t wash off. That’s why they hold up for roughly 90 days through a Carolina summer.

Heavy, sustained rain within the first hour is the exception. If a storm hits right after your technician leaves, call us.

Yes. Every product we use is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and its label, which is federal law, specifies where it can be applied, at what rate, and how long before re-entry. Your licensed technician follows it on every visit.

Stay off treated areas until they’re dry. If someone in the home has allergies, chemical sensitivities or other medical concerns, we recommend they leave the treated area for 4 hours. We can work around most concerns, including using our Green Service.

Fish and reptiles are the most sensitive household pets. Cover aquariums and turn off the aerator during interior treatment.

Our Green Service is our eco-friendly pest control service. It uses botanical products, many with plant oils as their active ingredients. They provide quick knockdown and control of a wide range of indoor and outdoor pests.

Regular service uses conventional products chosen for the specific pest and location. The NorPest Green program makes it the standard quarterly service for homes.

Botanical products are designed to control the same household pests as conventional programs, on the same quarterly schedule.

Early botanical products, fifteen or twenty years ago, broke down faster than synthetics. Modern formulations are stabilized to last between quarterly visits.

Where a conventional product is the right tool, such as certain termite and rodent work, we’ll use it and tell you why.

Tell your technician where your pollinator plants and edible beds are, and they won’t be treated. This is a standard request, and it goes into your account notes for future visits.

• Vegetable gardens and edible plants are never treated with structural pest control products. Those products aren’t labeled for food crops.
• Flowering plants in bloom are avoided during mosquito and perimeter applications, because that’s where pollinators feed.
• In2Care mosquito stations are designed to target mosquitoes.

Yes. Ask and we’ll provide them. Your technician can tell you the product name and EPA registration number for every application, and can provide the full label and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) on request.

You can also look up any product by its EPA registration number through the EPA Pesticide Product Label System, or call the National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-858-7378 for independent information.

For most pest control services, you won’t need to leave your home.

Flea and bed bug treatments require a 4-hour vacancy immediately after the service. We also recommend leaving for 4 hours if you’re chemically sensitive or have specific allergies. We’ll make sure the service fits any health concerns you have.

Yes. We guarantee all our services. The length and terms of the guarantee differ by type of service, and your agreement spells out yours.

There’s no charge for a retreatment within your guarantee period. If you have a problem or a question, call 704-283-1527.

Almost never. Standard homeowners policies exclude termite damage as a maintenance issue, because it develops gradually and is considered preventable, unlike a sudden covered event such as a fire.

Check your own policy language and ask your agent directly.

Four signs, in rough order of reliability:

1. Mud tubes: pencil-width tunnels of soil running up foundation walls, piers or crawlspace framing. This is the clearest sign of subterranean termites.
2. Discarded wings: small piles of translucent wings on windowsills or floors, usually after a warm spring day.
3. Hollow-sounding wood: termites eat from the inside out. Tap baseboards, door frames and window trim with a screwdriver handle.
4. Bubbling or uneven paint: often mistaken for water damage.

Most termite damage happens where you can’t see it: inside walls, under floors and in crawlspaces. A professional inspection is the dependable way to know.

Check the waist, the wings and the antennae.

A pile of loose wings with no insects attached is almost always termites. Save a few in a sealed bag and call for an inspection.

Termites are active year-round once a colony is established. What changes is swarm season.

Eastern subterranean termites, the main species in the Charlotte region, swarm on warm days in late winter and spring, most often March through May and usually after a rain. Swarmers inside the house mean a mature colony is close by, typically one that has been feeding for several years.

Carolina Pest is an Authorized Operator for the Sentricon termite baiting system, and we also offer liquid termite treatments.

Sentricon stations are installed in the soil around your home and loaded with bait that termites prefer over wood. Foraging termites carry it back to the colony, and the active ingredient stops them from molting, so the colony collapses, queen included. Sentricon needs no drilling into your slab and no trenching.

Liquid treatments create a treated zone in the soil around the foundation. Your inspector will recommend the approach that fits your home’s construction and termite activity.

A termite bond is an ongoing termite protection agreement. With Carolina Pest’s termite coverage, we schedule a full termite inspection every year and perform any treatment needed.

Because homeowners insurance rarely covers termite damage, a bond is the main way to keep your home protected over time. Ask about the coverage and terms when you schedule your inspection.

Termites cause an estimated $5 billion in property damage across the United States each year, according to the National Pest Management Association, and standard homeowners policies rarely cover it.

A mature eastern subterranean colony can contain hundreds of thousands of workers feeding around the clock, out of sight. By the time damage is visible from inside a room, it’s usually well advanced. New customers get a free termite inspection.

With gel baits and growth regulators applied over several visits, never with foggers. Our cockroach control includes follow-up treatments.

German cockroaches breed extraordinarily fast and live inside voids, behind refrigerator motors, inside dishwasher panels and under cabinets, where sprays never reach. What works:

• Gel bait placed directly where they hide. Roaches feed, return to the void, and the effect spreads through the population.
• Insect growth regulator to stop the next generation from reproducing.
• Follow-up visits to catch roaches hatching from eggs already laid.
• Fixing moisture. German cockroaches need water more than food, so a dripping trap under the sink undoes a lot of work.

Ants are looking for water and shelter at least as much as food, and a clean house has plenty of both.

• Moisture. A slow drip under a sink, a leaking hose bib or a damp crawlspace draws ants in.
• Weather. Heavy rain floods colonies and pushes them indoors; drought drives them in to find water.
• A bridge to the house. Shrubs touching siding, limbs over the roof, or mulch piled against the foundation give them a path around your perimeter treatment.
• Food you don’t notice. Pet food bowls, the recycling bin, a hummingbird feeder.

Don’t spray a visible ant trail with a store-bought repellent. With some species, that causes the colony to split into several new colonies. See our ant control service.

Our mosquito control is a monthly service from spring through fall. A visit takes 20 to 30 minutes for a typical yard, and each treatment includes:

• Treatment of resting areas, the shaded undersides of shrubs and foliage where adult mosquitoes spend the day, with traditional or botanical products.
• Larvicide on standing water where mosquitoes breed.
• In2Care Mosquito Trap System, an optional add-on that uses mosquitoes themselves to carry a larvicide to breeding sites you’d never find.

No treatment eliminates every mosquito, since they fly in from neighboring yards and woods. You can help by dumping anything that holds water each week and keeping gutters clear.

No. In almost every case, your mattress and furniture can be treated and kept.

Throwing furniture out is usually a mistake, for three reasons:

• Bed bugs are rarely confined to the mattress. They hide in headboards, baseboards, outlet plates and carpet edges.
• Dragging an infested mattress through the house spreads bed bugs into hallways and other rooms.
• Without treatment, the replacement gets infested too.

Bed bug treatment requires a 4-hour vacancy afterward. Learn about our bed bug treatment.

Our rodent control combines three things:

• Bait in locked stations to control rodents around the property.
• Traps to remove rodents inside the structure.
• Sealing entry points to keep new rodents out. A house mouse fits through a gap the size of a dime.

Trapping without sealing just makes room for the next rodent.

Yes. All three are separate services from General Pest Service, with an extra charge.

Flea and tick control treats the home and yard. Treat your pets at the same time, following your veterinarian’s advice.

Stinging insect control covers yellow jackets, hornets, paper wasps, carpenter bees, mud daubers, bumblebees and honey bees. Don’t try to knock down a nest near a door or play area yourself.

Yes. Carolina winters are mild enough that most pests stay active, and some are at their worst indoors.

• Rodents are in peak indoor season. Mice and rats move into houses as temperatures drop.
• German cockroaches are unaffected by outdoor temperature and thrive year-round in kitchens and bathrooms.
• Overwintering pests such as stink bugs, lady beetles and spiders gather in attics, wall voids and crawlspaces.

Our wildlife control team handles birds, squirrels, raccoons, skunks, opossums, bats and snakes.

Yes to both. Trapping and live removal is the most common method we use, and it’s the most humane approach. We don’t recommend poisons or other chemical solutions for wildlife problems.

Every wildlife job includes exclusion: sealing the gaps, vents, roof-line openings and chimney openings the animal used. Without it, animals can return through the same opening.

Spring and early summer removals often involve young. A proper inspection checks for a nest before anything gets sealed.

Our moisture control services include:

• Crawl Space Care, with a dehumidifier, supply air inducer, wall and floor liner, sealing tape and a temperature and humidity monitor
• Vapor barriers
• French drains
• Sump pumps
• Automatic temperature vents

If a home has foundation vents, they’re sealed before the vapor liners go in. Moisture control inspections are free.

A damp crawlspace is one of the most common reasons pests settle under a home. Subterranean termites need soil moisture. Cockroaches, silverfish, camel crickets and many ants are drawn to humidity. Damp wood is also easier for wood-destroying insects to attack.

Controlling the moisture removes the conditions they’re looking for, which makes your pest control and termite protection work better.

Yes. We service all types of commercial and residential properties, including homes, condos, townhouses, restaurants and businesses, and tailor the service to the needs of each property.

We serve the Charlotte region and surrounding North and South Carolina towns from our offices in Monroe, Charlotte and Rockingham:

• North Carolina: Charlotte, Monroe, Belmont, Concord, Davidson, Gastonia, Huntersville, Lake Norman, Laurinburg, Matthews, Pineville, Rockingham, Wadesboro, Waxhaw and Weddington.
• South Carolina: Fort Mill and Rock Hill.

Don’t see your town? Call 704-283-1527 with your address and we’ll confirm coverage.

Every new service starts with a free quote:

• Call 704-283-1527, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Our Charlotte office is at 704-536-1133 and Rockingham at 910-895-3075.
• Request a free inspection online through our free inspection request form.

Have your address ready, along with a short description of what you’re seeing: which pest, where in the house, and for how long.