Welcome

Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.

I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.  

I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time.  As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree. 

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Product Review: Pestie

 


Pestie is a bug control subscription service. It claims to be customized to the types of bugs in the area you live. It ships throughout the year, basically quarterly, just before winter, early spring, mid-summer, and early fall. You have the option to pay as you go, when each shipment is sent out, or pay once a year, which has a higher upfront cost but is ultimately less expensive. There are also options for a single application or, if you have a larger area to spray (such as a large deck or patio), a double (XL) application. The first shipment includes a spray applicator and charging cable (which you keep and reuse), a bottle of concentrate, a pair of latex gloves, and a bag for mixing the concentrate (to which the applicator attaches). In every other shipment, you get a new bottle of concentrate, gloves, and bag. The price for a single application, if you pay per shipment, is about $43; on the XL plan, it's about $90 per shipment (as of this writing). On the yearly XL plan (which is what I subscribe to), you pay a little over $200. Either way, it is much less expensive than paying for a pest control company to come out and spray. 

Basically, you fill the bag with water up to the fill line, pour the bottle of concentrate in the bag (and rinse the bottle with water to get everything out), then attach the applicator to the bag, and start spraying. Primarily, you go around the perimeter of your house and spray from the ground about 2 feet up. I also spray around the windows on the ground floor and doors, around my garage doors, and my back deck and patio. I also spray in the unfinished storage room in the basement, around my sliding door, and inside the garage. 

I originally purchased a subscription when I lived in my old townhouse, because my association would not spray around individual units. The main issue at the townhouse was paper wasps, and Pestie really helped reduce their numbers. I moved into a new house last year and had a lot of spiders and boxelder bugs both inside and outside. It took a couple of applications, but I now notice a drastic decrease in the amount of boxelders and spiders inside the house. When I first moved in, there were tons of spiders on the back patio off the basement, and now there are almost none. So, it is definitely working.

The company has wonderful customer service. I had an applicator that was not working correctly, and they immediately shipped a new one. Also, when I discovered that one application would not provide enough coverage for my new house, they sent a second kit out free of charge and switched my subscription to an XL plan. Ultimately, if you are looking for a more affordable pest control option, this is a very good one. 

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