How To Choose a Pest Control Company
The first step is selecting the right pest control professional for the job. Factors you might consider include qualifications and licensing, 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, need to be licensed via the appropriate Connecticut regulatory agencies. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established minimum standards of competency, but issuing, maintaining, and revoking licensure is handled at the state level.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
One optional certification that may be worth looking for is the GreenPro Service Certification. To earn this certification, a pest control company needs to both demonstrate that its practices are more eco-friendly and uphold certain technician training standards. Companies can earn other certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro to further back up their work.
Pest control professionals can also belong to professional organizations. Companies can be members of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), or state-level organizations. NPMA membership provides companies with access to resources, education, and a network of other pest professionals. While not required, membership in professional organizations helps back up a company's reputability.
Professional Experience and Specialties
You can gain some insight into a pest control company's level of pest management experience by seeing how many years it has been in operation. The company's website and local reviews can also let you know whether a company has the experience needed to deal with the specific species of pests that are afflicting your home. You can contact the company directly to learn this information if it is not available online.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can verify a company's legitimacy using social media or local review sites as well as the Better Business Bureau (BBB). You can also check with Connecticut's licensing board to see the status of a company's license.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
For many people, cost is one of the most important factors when looking for pest control services. Cost can be influenced by factors like your location, the type of pest being treated, and the size of your house.
You can take into consideration whether a company offers free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits your budget), and what kind of guarantees it provides. Often, a company will guarantee that if its treatment doesn't resolve your pest problem, it will continue to come back until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control company might be influenced 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
Your pest control provider should be using pesticides that are low toxicity or non-toxic any time they can. 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. Any pesticides that pose more than a minimum risk are required to be registered with the EPA.
Treatment Methods
Many pest control companies are making the switch to using more natural and environmentally friendly treatment methods before, or in place of, harsh chemical pesticides. Some utilize a program called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The steps of IPM are as follows:
- Identify the source of the pest problem and determine whether immediate action is needed.
- 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 techniques for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and implement additional pest control treatments as needed.
