How To Choose a Pest Control Company
There are a number of factors you can take into consideration when choosing the best pest control treatmentfor you. You might consider a company's qualifications, methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and cost of services.
Below, we dive into detail on each factor.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains minimum standards of competency for pesticide applicators, but licensing is regulated at the state level. All pesticide applicators and their supervisors in Maryland must be licensed through the proper state regulatory agencies.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
Pest control companies can optionally obtain additional certifications such as the GreenPro Service Certification. This certification is granted once a company has proven that its treatment methods are more eco-friendly and demonstrated that it also maintains certain other standards, such as up-to-date employee training. A pest control company can also earn other certifications from QualityPro or similar trade organizations to further back up its practices and methods.
Pest control professionals can also hold membership in professional organizations. A pest control company can join both state-level organizations and national organizations like the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). By being a member of these optional organizations, a company helps support its reputability and gains access to education, resources, and a network of other professionals to compare best practices with.
Professional Experience and Specialties
You can get some insight into a pest control company's level of experience by looking at how many years it has been in business. The company's website and local reviews can also clue you in as to whether a company has the experience needed to deal with the specific species of pests invading your home. You can reach out to a representative directly to learn this information if you can't find it online.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can look for reviews and recommendations on local review sites or social media, verify a company's Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating, or check the status of its license through the Maryland licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Cost is important when hiring someone for pest control. Cost can be influenced by the size of your house, your location, the type of pest being treated, and other factors.
Companies will often offer free on-site estimates as part of their process, to help you determine whether it fits into your budget. You can also ask whether if your company has a satisfaction guarantee, meaning that it will continue to treat your pest problem until it is solved.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control provider might be influenced by how eco-friendly a company's practicesare, in addition to how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Be sure to ask your pest control provider if they plan on using low toxicity or non-toxic pesticides—if not, ask about what precautionary measures they plan to use. Any pesticide that poses greater than minimum risk needs to be registered with the EPA. Your pest technician should provide information about all pesticides to be used, and how safe they are around people and pets.
Treatment Methods
It is now common for companies to begin with more environmentally friendly treatment methods before using 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 whether immediate action is needed.
- Decide on the safest course of action.
- Manage the pest problem using a combination of physical, cultural, biological, and mechanical controls.
- Employ chemical controls only when required, and always in combination with other solutions for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and provide additional pest control as needed.
