How To Choose a Pest Control Company
When hiring a pest control professional, there are several things you can consider to make sure that you're choosing the right one for you. The qualifications of and treatment methods used by a company are important to consider, as are its years of experience and what other customers have said. Of course, you also want to think about cost.
Below, we dive into detail on each of these factors.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
Per 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 Maryland regulatory agencies handle the granting, maintaining, and revoking of licenses.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
Pest control companies can optionally obtain additional certifications like the GreenPro Service Certification. This certification is given once a company has shown that its treatment methods are more environmentally friendly and demonstrated that it also maintains certain other standards, such as up-to-date employee training. A company can also earn other certifications from QualityPro or similar trade organizations to further verify its methods and practices.
Pest control companies can also join various professional organizations. When a company becomes a member of an organization like the National Pest Management Association(NPMA) (or a state-level organization), it gets access to resources, education, and a network of other pest control professionals with whom to compare methods. This can give you added peace of mind that a company follows industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
You can look at a company's years in business to help determine how much experience it has taking care of various pests in Essex. You can also look at its website or read customer reviews to decide whether it has the right kind of experience handling the species of pests you are struggling with. If this information can't be found online, getting in touch with a company representative is a great way to learn more.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can view a company's Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating, explore reviews on local review sites or social media, or check the standing of its license via the Maryland 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 influence the price of pest control.
You can look into whether a company offers free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget), as well as what kind of guarantees it offers. Often, a company will provide a guarantee that if it does not eliminate your pest problem, it will keep coming back until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control provider might be influenced by how environmentally friendly a provider's pest control servicesare, as well as how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Ask your pest control provider if the chemicals they're using are low toxicity or non-toxic, and if not, what sort of precautionary measures they are going to use. Any pesticides that are not minimum-risk chemicals must be registered with the EPA. Your pest technician should be able to supply you with information about all of the pesticides they plan to use.
Treatment Methods
Companies often start with more eco-friendly treatment options before employing harsh pesticides, following a framework called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). When using IPM, the following steps are taken:
- Identify problem pests 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 when absolutely necessary, and always along with other solutions for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and implement additional pest control as needed.
