How To Choose a Pest Control Company
There are a number of factors that you can consider when selecting the right pest control professionalfor you. In addition to a company's qualifications and treatment methods, you may also look into how long it has been in business and what the reviews look like. Last but not least, you'll likely want to look at the cost of services.
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 their supervisors need to be licensed at the state level. The EPA has established minimum competency standards, and the California regulatory agencies take care of the granting, maintaining, and revoking of licenses.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
There are additional optional certifications that can help prove that a pest control company is reputable. One example is the GreenPro Service Certification. To obtain this certification, a company must show that its methods are more eco-friendly and that its employees receive up-to-date training. Other certifications can be obtained through trade organizations like QualityPro.
Pest control companies can also be members of certain professional organizations. Being a member of organizations such as the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or state-level organizations is not required, but helps verify a company's reputability. When a pest control company joins the NPMA, it gains access to education, resources, and a network of other professionals with whom to discuss practices and methods.
Professional Experience and Specialties
You can get some insight into a company's level of pest management experience by looking into how many years it has been in business. Local reviews and the company's own website can also tell you whether a company has the experience needed to deal with the specific species of pests invading your home. You can always contact the company directly to learn this information if it is not available online.
Reviews and Recommendations
Resources that can help you verify a company's reputation include the Better Business Bureau (BBB), local review sites, and social media. You can also confirm the status of a company's license via the California 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 cost of pest control.
You can look into whether a company offers free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget), as well as what sort of guarantees it has. Often, a company will provide a guarantee that if it does not take care of your pest problem, it will continue treatment until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control company might be affected by how eco-friendly a company's pest control management solutionsare, as well as how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Your pest control provider should be able to discuss the safety of the pesticides that they're going to use. They should be able to answer questions about whether the pesticides are low toxicity or non-toxic; if they are not, they should explain what safety precautions will be used to protect your family, your pets, and you. Pesticides that pose above a minimum risk should be registered with the EPA.
Treatment Methods
Many pest control companies are now exploring greener and cleaner pest control solutions that can be used before (or in place of) chemical pesticides. Many are following the practice of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which goes as follows:
- Identify problem pests and assess whether immediate action is required.
- Decide on the safest course of action.
- Manage the pest problem using a combination of physical, biological, mechanical, and cultural controls.
- Employ chemical controls only when required, and always along with other methods for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and provide additional pest control as needed.
