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. Things you may consider include licensing and qualifications, treatment methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and cost.
Below, we explore the details of each of these factors.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
All pesticide applicators, as well as those that supervise them, should be licensed via the appropriate California regulatory agencies. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets minimum standards of competency, but providing, maintaining, and revoking licensing is handled at the state level.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
An optional certification that may be worth looking for is the GreenPro Service Certification. To receive this certification, a pest control company must both show that its practices are more eco-friendly and maintain certain technician training standards. Companies can earn other certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro to further support their work.
Pest control experts can also belong to professional organizations. Becoming a member of an organization such as the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or a state-level organization gives companies access to education and resources, as well as a network of professionals with whom to compare best practices. Joining one of these organizations is not required, but it can help indicate that a company follows industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Browsing a pest control company's website can tell you how many years it has been in operation and what type of pests it specializes in exterminating. Online reviews can also provide some insight into a company's experience dealing with a certain type of pest. If this information isn't available online, you can try contacting the company directly.
Reviews and Recommendations
Resources that can be used to verify a company's legitimacy include local review sites, social media, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Additionally, you can confirm the status of a company's license through the California licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Things like the type of pest being treated, your location, the size of your house, and other factors can all influence the price of pest control.
You can find out whether a company offers free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget) and what kind of guarantees it has. Often, a company will provide a guarantee that if it does not eliminate your pest problem, it will keep coming back until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control company might be influenced by how environmentally friendly a company's practicesare, in addition to how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Ask your pest control provider if they plan to use low toxicity or non-toxic pesticides, and if not, what precautionary measures they are going to use. Any pesticides that are not minimum-risk chemicals need to be registered with the EPA. Your pest technician should be able to provide you with information about all chemicals that they plan on using.
Treatment Methods
Many pest control companies are now exploring cleaner and greener 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:
- Figure out what pests are causing the problem and assess whether immediate action is needed.
- Determine the best and safest course of action.
- Manage the pest problem using a combination of biological, cultural, mechanical, and physical controls.
- Employ chemical controls only when absolutely necessary, and always along with other solutions for effective long-term pest management.
- Evaluate outcomes and continue with additional pest control as needed.
