How To Choose a Pest Control Company
Choosing the best pest control expert for you is important. Along with 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. Finally, you'll likely want to consider the cost of services.
Below, we explore the details of each of these factors.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all pesticide applicators and those that supervise them need to be licensed at the state level. The EPA sets minimum standards of competency, and the Illinois regulatory agencies handle the granting, maintaining, and revoking of licenses.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
Pest control companies can earn the GreenPro Service Certification, which requires that a company show that its practices are environmentally friendly and that its employee training is up to date. QualityPro and similar trade organizations also offer other certifications. While not required, these can help demonstrate that a pest control company is reputable.
Pest control companies can also belong to various professional organizations. When a company joins an organization like the National Pest Management Association(NPMA) (or a state-level organization), it gets access to education, resources, and a network of other pest control experts with whom to compare treatment methods. This can offer added peace of mind that a company is following industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Browsing a pest control company's website can tell you how long it has been in operation and what species of pests it specializes in eliminating. Local reviews can also offer some insight into a company's experience dealing with a specific pest. If this information isn't available online, you can try contacting the company directly.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can read reviews and recommendations on local review sites or social media, view a company's Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating, or check the status of its license through the Illinois licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
It's important to think about cost when hiring someone for pest control. Cost can be influenced by the type of pest being treated, your location, the size of your house, and other factors.
Companies will often offer free on-site estimates as part of their process, to help you decide whether it fits into your budget. You can also ask whether if your company has a satisfaction guarantee, meaning that if your pest problem is not solved by the initial treatment, it will continue returning until it is.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control provider might be influenced by how eco-friendly a provider's pest control management solutionsare, as well as how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Be sure to ask your pest control technician if they plan to use low toxicity or non-toxic pesticides, and if not, what kind of precautionary measures they are going to use. All pesticides that are not considered minimum-risk chemicals should be registered with the EPA. Your pest control provider will be able to provide you with information about all pesticides they plan on using.
Treatment Methods
Many companies will begin with more eco-friendly options before using harsh 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.
- Use chemical controls only when absolutely necessary, and always with other methods for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and provide additional pest control as needed.
