How To Choose a Pest Control Company
The first step is choosing the right pest control company for the job. You might consider a company's qualifications and treatment methods in addition to its years of experience and customer reviews. And of course, there's the cost of services to consider.
Below, we dive into detail on each of these factors.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
Per the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all pesticide applicators and those that supervise them need to be licensed at the state level. The EPA maintains minimum competency standards, and the Alabama regulatory agencies take care of the granting, maintaining, and revoking of licenses.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
A pest control company can optionally apply for additional certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro to support its standards and methods. One particular certification is the GreenPro Service Certification, which is awarded to any company that can demonstrate that its methods are more eco-friendly. A company that receives this certification also needs to maintain certain employee training standards.
There are certain professional organizations that a pest control company can be a member of. When a company joins an organization such as the National Pest Management Association(NPMA) (or a state-level organization), it receives access to education, resources, and a network of other pest control professionals with whom to compare treatment methods. This can offer added peace of mind that a company is following industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Generally, a company will list information like its years of experience and specialities on its website. Online reviews can also help you figure out if a company has experience dealing with a specific pest. If you can't get the information you need online, you can speak with a company representative directly to get your questions answered.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can browse reviews and recommendations on social media or local review sites, look up a company's rating on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), or check its licensure status through the Alabama licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Cost is probably high on your list of priorities when hiring someone for pest control. Cost can be influenced by the size of your house, the type of pest being treated, your location, and other factors.
Often, companies will offer free on-site estimates as part of their process, to help you decide whether it fits into your budget. You can also ask whether if your company has a satisfaction guarantee, meaning that if your pest problem is not solved by the initial treatment, it will continue returning until it is.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your preferences regarding safety for yourself, your children, your pets, and the environment may affect the provider and the treatment methods you choose.
Safety
Your pest control expert should be using pesticides that are low toxicity or non-toxic whenever possible. If any pesticides they intend to use don't fit into one of these categories, your technician should explain what safety precautions they will put in place to protect your family, your pets, and you. Pesticides that pose more than a minimum risk need to be registered with the EPA.
Treatment Methods
Many companies are using options for more eco-friendly pest control solutions before employing harsh pesticides.
One popular way of making pest control safer and greener is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The steps of IPM are as follows:
- Identify problem pests and assess whether immediate action is needed.
- Decide on the safest course of action.
- Manage the pest problem using a combination of biological, cultural, mechanical, and physical controls.
- Employ chemical controls only when required, and always along with other methods for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and continue with additional pest control as needed.
