How To Choose a Pest Control Company
When choosing a pest control company, you want to be sure to find the best one to meet your needs. You might consider a pest control 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 discuss each of these factors in more detail.
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 must be licensed at the state level. The EPA maintains minimum standards of competency, and the Arizona regulatory agencies take care of the granting, maintaining, and revoking of licenses.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
One optional certification that could be worth looking for is the GreenPro Service Certification. To obtain this certification, a pest control company must both show that its practices are more environmentally friendly and maintain certain training standards for its technicians. Companies can also earn other certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro to further support their work.
Pest control professionals can also obtain membership in professional organizations. While not mandatory, membership in organizations like the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or state-level organizations help demonstrate a company's reputability. In the NPMA and other organizations, pest control companies have access to resources, education, and a network of professionals with whom to share best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
The number of years that a pest control company has been in business can shed some light on its experience dealing with the pests that live in Tempe. Customer reviews or the company's own website can also help you figure out whether it has the skills and experience needed to deal with your particular pests. If you can't find the information you need online, speaking with a representative is an easy way to learn about the company's areas of expertise.
Reviews and Recommendations
Resources that can be used to verify a company's legitimacy include social media, local review sites, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Additionally, you can verify the status of a company's license through the Arizona licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Things like your location, the size of your house, the type of pest being treated, and other factors can all influence the price of pest control.
You can learn whether a company provides free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget) and what type of guarantees it offers. Often, a company will provide a guarantee that if it does not eliminate your pest problem, it will continue treatment until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
When it comes to picking a pest control provider, you want to select one that will keep you, your family, and your pets safe. You'll likely also prefer an environmentally-conscious provider.
Safety
All pesticides used by your company (except those that are classified as minimum-risk) are required to be registered with the EPA. Your pest control expert should be able to provide information on all the pesticides that they are using. They should be able to tell you whether the pesticides are low toxicity or non-toxic, and if not, what safety precautions they plan to take.
Treatment Methods
Many pest control companies are making the switch to using more natural and environmentally friendly treatment methods before (or instead of) harsh chemical pesticides. Some employ a program called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The steps of IPM are as follows:
- Identify problem pests and determine if immediate action is needed.
- Determine the best and safest course of action.
- Use a combination of physical, biological, mechanical, and cultural controls to manage the pest problem.
- Use chemical controls only if needed, and always along with other controls for effective long-term pest control management.
- Observe the results and implement additional pest control services as needed.
