How To Choose a Pest Control Company
When picking a pest control company, you want to make sure that you find the right one to meet your needs. You might consider a pest control company's qualifications and treatment methods as well as its customer reviews and years of experience. Of course, there is also the cost of services to consider.
Below, we dive into detail on 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 their supervisors must be licensed at the state level. The EPA maintains minimum standards of competency, and the Mississippi regulatory agencies handle the issuing, maintaining, and revoking of licenses.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
One certification that pest control companies can earn is the GreenPro Service Certification, which requires a company to show that its practices are eco-friendly and that its employees receive up-to-date training. Trade organizations such as QualityPro offer other certifications. These are not required, but can help show that a company is reputable.
Pest control companies can also belong to professional organizations. Companies can belong to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), or state-level organizations. NPMA membership provides companies with access to education, resources, and a network of other pest professionals. While not required, membership in professional organizations helps demonstrate a company's reputability.
Professional Experience and Specialties
A pest control company's website can tell you how long it has been in operation and what kind of pests it specializes in exterminating. Local reviews can also give you some insight into a company's experience dealing with a certain type of pest. If this information isn't available online, you can try reaching out to the company directly.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can view a company's reviews and rating on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), read social media and local review sites to find out what other people are saying, or verify its license standing through the Mississippi licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Things like the size of your house, your location, the type of pest being treated, and other factors can all affect the price of pest control.
You can find out whether a company provides free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget), as well as what type 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 eco-friendly a provider's pest control management solutionsare, in addition to how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Your pest control technician should be able to explain the safety precautions of all pesticides that they're going to use. They should be able to explain whether the pesticides are low toxicity or non-toxic; if they are not, they should explain what safety precautions will be in place to protect your family, your pets, and you. Any pesticides that pose more than a minimum risk need to be registered with the EPA.
Treatment Methods
It is now common for companies to begin with more eco-friendly solutions before employing harsh pesticides, using a framework called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). When using IPM, the following steps are taken:
- Identify problem pests and determine if immediate action is required.
- Decide on the safest course of action.
- Use a combination of mechanical, physical, biological, and cultural controls to manage the pest problem.
- Use chemical controls only when absolutely necessary, and always in combination with other controls for effective long-term pest management.
- Assess the outcome and implement additional pest control as needed.
