How To Choose a Pest Control Company
The most important step in the pest control process is hiring the right company for you. You may take into consideration a company's qualifications, treatment methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and cost of services.
Below, we discuss each factor in more detail.
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 need to be licensed at the state level. The EPA maintains minimum competency standards, and the New Jersey regulatory agencies handle the issuing, maintaining, and revoking of licenses.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
A pest control company can receive optional certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro in order to verify its methods and standards. One particular certification is the GreenPro Service Certification, which is awarded to any company that can demonstrate that its methods are more eco-friendly. Companies that receive this certification also need to maintain certain training standards for employees.
Pest control companies can also become members of certain professional organizations. A pest control company can join state-level organizations in addition to national organizations such as the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). By being a member of these optional organizations, a company helps support its reputability and gains access to resources, education, and a network of professionals with whom to compare best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
A pest control company's website can tell you how many years it has been in operation and what type of pests it specializes in eliminating. Online reviews can also provide some insight into a company's experience dealing with a specific pest. If you're unable to find this information online, you can try reaching out to the company directly.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can look up a company's reviews and rating on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), read local review sites and social media to find out what others in your area have to say, or verify its license standing via the New Jersey licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
The cost of pest control can vary based on things like the size of your house, your location, the type of pest being treated, and other factors.
When considering the cost of services, you should confirm whether a company includes free on-site estimates as part of its services. This can inform you whether the company fits into your budget. Also look into what guarantees a company offers: If the problem is not resolved, or if it returns, does the company provide additional treatment until the issue is satisfactorily resolved?
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control provider might be influenced by how eco-friendly a company's pest control management solutionsare, in addition to how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Your pest control expert should use pesticides that are low toxicity or non-toxic any time they can. If any pesticides they intend to use don't fit into one of these categories, your technician should explain what safety precautions they plan to use to protect your family, your pets, and you. 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 environmentally friendly treatment options before employing harsh pesticides, following 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 biological, cultural, mechanical, and physical controls to manage the pest problem.
- Employ chemical controls only when absolutely necessary, and always in combination with other techniques for effective long-term pest management.
- Evaluate outcomes and continue with additional pest control as needed.
