How To Choose a Pest Control Company
When choosing a pest control company, you want to be sure to find the right one to meet your needs. You may consider a company's qualifications, treatment methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and service prices.
Below, we explore the details of each factor.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
All pesticide applicators, as well as those that supervise them, need to be licensed via the appropriate California regulatory agencies. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets minimum standards of competency, but issuing, maintaining, and revoking licensing is handled at the state level.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
A pest control company can receive optional certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro in order to back up its methods and standards. One particular certification is the GreenPro Service Certification, which is awarded to any company that can demonstrate that its methods are more environmentally friendly. These companies also need to maintain certain employee training standards.
Pest control companies can also become members of professional organizations. Becoming a member of an organization like the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or a state-level organization gives companies access to resources and education, as well as a network of professionals with whom to compare best practices. Membership in one of these organizations is not mandatory, but it can help show that a company follows industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
The number of years that a company has been in business can give you some insight into its experience dealing with pests in your area. Online reviews or the company's website itself can also enlighten you about whether it has the skills and experience needed to eliminate the particular pests that are plaguing you. If the answers to your questions aren't available online, contacting the company directly is an easy way to learn about its areas of expertise.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can look for reviews and recommendations on local review sites or social media, verify a company's Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating, or check the status of its license through the California licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Pest control costs can vary based on things like the type of pest being treated, the size of your house, your location, and other factors.
When thinking about the cost of services, you should confirm whether a company includes free on-site estimates as part of its process. This can help determine whether the company fits into your budget. Also consider what guarantees a company offers: If the problem is not fixed, or returns, does the company provide additional treatment until the issue is handled satisfactorily?
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control company might be affected by how eco-friendly a company's pest control management solutionsare, in addition to how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
You can ask your pest control provider if they plan to use low toxicity or non-toxic pesticides, and if not, ask about what precautionary measures they will take. Any pesticide that presents above a minimum risk must be registered with the EPA. Your pest technician should be able to provide information about all of the pesticides used, as well as how safe they are around people and pets.
Treatment Methods
Many companies will begin with more eco-friendly solutions before using pesticides, using a technique called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). When using IPM, the following steps are taken:
- Figure out what pests are causing the problem and determine if immediate action is required.
- Decide on the safest course of action.
- Use a combination of physical, cultural, biological, and mechanical controls to manage the pest problem.
- Employ chemical controls only when required, and always in combination with other controls for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and implement additional pest control as needed.
