How To Choose a Pest Control Company
When picking a pest control company, you want to make sure that you find the right one for you. You might consider a company's qualifications, methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and price of services.
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 Florida regulatory agencies. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established 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?
An optional certification that might be worth looking for is the GreenPro Service Certification. In order to get this certification, a pest control company needs to both demonstrate that its practices are more eco-friendly and uphold certain training standards for its technicians. Companies can obtain other certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro to further back up their work.
There are several professional organizations that a pest control company can be a member of. Membership in organizations like the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or state-level organizations is not required, but helps confirm that a company follows industry best practices. The NPMA gives companies access to education, resources, and a network of pest professionals with whom to discuss methods and practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Typically, a company provides information like years of experience and specialities on its website. Local reviews can also help you figure out if a company has experience dealing with a specific pest. If you're unable to find the information you need online, you can speak with a company representative directly to get the answers to your questions.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can look for reviews and recommendations on social media or local review sites, verify a company's rating on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), or check the status of its license through the Florida licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Cost is an important consideration when choosing a pest control company. Cost may be determined by the type of pest being treated, your location, the size of your house, and other factors.
A pest control company may offer a free on-site estimate to help you figure out if it fits into your budget. You can also look at whether it offers a guarantee of satisfaction.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control provider might be influenced by how environmentally friendly a company's pest control servicesare, as well as how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Your pest control provider should be able to explain the safety precautions of any pesticides that they're going to use. They should be able to answer questions about whether the pesticides are low toxicity or non-toxic, and if not what safety precautions they plan to use to protect your family, your pets, and you. All pesticides that pose greater than a minimum risk need to be registered with the EPA.
Treatment Methods
You can ask if your pest control expert will start with lower-toxicity, more natural methods before trying harsher chemicals.
Many companies have started to use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to reduce personal or environmental risk when treating pest infestations. The steps of IPM are as follows:
- Figure out what pests are causing the problem and determine whether immediate action is needed.
- Decide on the safest course of action.
- Manage the pest problem using a combination of biological, cultural, mechanical, and physical controls.
- Use chemical controls only if needed, and always in combination with other techniques for effective long-term pest management.
- Assess the outcome and implement additional pest control as needed.
