How To Choose a Pest Control Company
There are a number of factors that you can consider when choosing the right pest control treatment planfor you. Things you might 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?
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets minimum competency standards for pesticide applicators, but licensing is overseen at the state level. All pesticide applicators and their supervisors in Illinois need to be licensed through the proper state regulatory agencies.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
A pest control company can obtain optional certifications from QualityPro or similar trade organizations to support its standards and methods. One particular certification is the GreenPro Service Certification, which is given to any company that can demonstrate that its methods are more eco-friendly. Companies that receive this certification also need to maintain certain employee training standards.
A pest control company can also hold membership in certain professional organizations. When a company obtains membership in an organization like the National Pest Management Association(NPMA) (or a state-level organization), it gains access to resources, education, and a network of other pest control professionals with whom to compare methods. This can offer added peace of mind that a company is following industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Typically, a company displays information like its years of experience and specialities on its website. Online reviews can also tell you whether a company has experience dealing with a specific pest. If you're unable to locate the information you need online, you can contact a company representative directly to get your questions answered.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can look at a company's rating and reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), read social media and local review sites to learn what other people are saying, or verify its license standing via the Illinois 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 affect the price of pest control.
You can learn whether a company offers free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget) and what sort of guarantees it has. Often, a company will provide a guarantee that if it does not take care of your pest problem, it will continue treatment until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Keeping yourself, your family and your pets safe is an important consideration when selecting a pest control provider. You might also prefer one that uses eco-friendly treatment methods.
Safety
Be sure to ask your pest control expert if they plan to use low toxicity or non-toxic pesticides, and if not, what sort 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 technician will be able to provide information about all pesticides that they are going to use.
Treatment Methods
You can ask if your technician will begin with lower-toxicity and more eco-friendly methods before employing harsher chemicals.
Many companies now use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to treat pest infestations with minimal personal or environmental risk. The steps of IPM are as follows:
- Figure out what pests are causing the problem and assess whether immediate action is required.
- Determine the best and safest course of action.
- Use a combination of biological, cultural, physical, and mechanical controls to manage the pest problem.
- Use chemical controls only if needed, and always in combination with other solutions for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and provide additional pest control as needed.
