Quick answer
People ask us this every April and again every September: when do we do pest control before the rain? Our answer never changes. Two to four weeks before it starts. For the June monsoon, that’s late April to mid-May. For Thulavarsham, somewhere between mid-September and the first week of October. One visit takes care of termites, cockroaches, drains, mosquito spots and rats, and it costs less than calling us in July when the cockroaches are already sitting in your kitchen.
Every rainy season, the same uninvited guests
Our phones start ringing in a very particular order every year. First week of June it’s termites, the winged ones that come out in hundreds around the tube light after the first big rain and leave their wings all over the window sill. A week later, cockroaches. Then ants. Then somewhere around the middle of July, someone calls in a panic because a rat has moved in behind the fridge.
There’s a reason for that order. When the soil gets soaked, termite colonies move upward looking for something dry to chew on, and the nearest dry thing tends to be your door frame. Drains fill up next. Anything living down there gets pushed out through floor traps and broken chamber covers, cockroaches mostly, rats too. Rats want a dry place to nest. A loft stacked with old suitcases and last year’s Onam decorations? Perfect for them.
Mosquitoes are sneakier. You don’t notice them for the first couple of weeks because they’re still larvae, sitting in a coconut shell behind the house or a blocked gutter or that plate under the money plant pot. Ten days later they’re biting. And during a Kerala monsoon, a few bites can turn into a dengue test pretty quickly.
The whole point of treating before the rain is to get in first, while the ground is dry and most of these pests are still outside.
What our pre-monsoon package includes
No two houses get exactly the same treatment. A 2BHK on the fifth floor in Kakkanad doesn’t need what a 60-year-old tharavadu in Kottayam needs, and we’d be wasting your money pretending otherwise.
The visit always begins with our technician walking around the place, inside and out. Foundation line, wooden frames, kitchen, bathrooms, drains, roof gutter, compound wall. Damp patches get noted. So do cracks, old mud tubes and loose manhole covers.
After that the work usually looks something like this. Termiticide along the outside of the foundation and wherever wood touches masonry. Gel bait in the kitchen (cabinet hinges, under the sink, behind the fridge), because spraying the whole kitchen is messy and frankly doesn’t work as well. Crack-and-crevice treatment in the bathrooms. The floor traps, inspection chambers and septic tank area get done too, since half your cockroach problem is probably breeding right there.
For mosquitoes we mostly show you where water is collecting, and you’d be surprised how many spots turn up. Things that can’t be emptied, like a sump or an open tank, get a larvicide. Fogging outside is optional. For rats: locked bait stations outside that kids and pets can’t open, plus a list of gaps around pipes and AC lines worth sealing. Ants get a slow bait they carry home to the nest themselves, which is sort of the point.
Quick note on chemicals, because people always ask. Everything we use is approved by the Central Insecticides Board. We also follow what’s called Integrated Pest Management, which really just means we don’t spray where there’s nothing to spray.
When to book
Kerala gets two monsoons, which people from outside the state always find a little funny. Edavappathi, the southwest monsoon, runs roughly June to September, so book between late April and mid-May. Thulavarsham, the northeast one, arrives in October and hangs around till about December. For that, mid-September to the first week of October is ideal.
If it’s early October as you read this, there’s still a small window. Do it now rather than after Diwali.
Who really shouldn’t skip it
Ground-floor flats and independent houses in the low-lying parts of Kochi. Edappally, Kaloor, Thrippunithura: we end up on the same streets every year. Houses near the Periyar in Aluva and around the backwaters in Alappuzha have higher groundwater, and the termites there are quick.
Old houses with wooden ceilings, obviously. New villas too, which surprises a lot of owners. All that plywood in the wardrobes and modular kitchen is basically a buffet.
Restaurants, bakeries, hostels: please, just book it. One cockroach crossing the wall in front of an FSSAI inspector and the whole day goes bad.
And to the family on the 12th floor who think they’re safe up there. Not really. Cockroaches travel through the drain stacks and duct shafts, and mosquitoes take the lift like everyone else.
Small jobs you can do at home first
Clean the roof gutter and sunshade. Tip out anything in the compound that’s holding water, the flower pot plates especially. Cut back the creepers on the walls. Move firewood and old cartons away from the house. Put rice, rava, biscuits and pet food into airtight boxes.
Will that alone keep pests out? No. A broom can’t reach termites under your floor or cockroaches living inside a pipe. It does help the treatment last longer, though, and our team will thank you for it.
Is it worth the money?
Picture one wardrobe eaten hollow by termites. Or the bill after a rat chews through the wiring under your car bonnet, which is always more than you expect. Or a week in hospital with dengue.
A pre-monsoon visit costs a lot less than any of those. It’s also cheaper than dealing with a big infestation later, which means more chemicals and more visits. We give the price only after the free inspection, so nothing goes into the quote that your house doesn’t need.
Questions people ask us
Is it safe for my kids and pets? It is. The only thing we’ll ask is that you keep them out of the treated rooms for a few hours, and the technician will tell you exactly how long. Nothing gets fogged indoors. The stuff goes into cracks and corners, not onto your sofa.
How long does it last? Usually the whole rainy season. The termite barrier, much longer. If your place had a really bad cockroach or mosquito situation to begin with, we might need to come back once.
Rain’s already started. Too late? Nope. We do inside work, drains and baits in the rain all the time. The outside soil job just waits for a day when it isn’t pouring.
Do you do shops and offices? We do, quite a lot of them actually. Restaurants, warehouses, hostels, offices. If daytime is a problem, we’ll come after you shut.
Where do you work? Pretty much anywhere in Ernakulam and Kochi: Kakkanad, Edappally, Kaloor, Thrippunithura, Aluva and around. We also go out to Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kollam, Kasaragod and Nagercoil.
Call us
Before the first heavy rain is the easiest time to sort this out. Call PCCS India on 0484 2354786, 9349550599 or 09633984599, or fill in the contact form. Someone from our team will come over, have a look around, and tell you what’s actually needed.
