How To Choose a Pest Control Company
It's important to choose the best pest control treatment planfor you. You might take into consideration a company's qualifications, methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and price of services.
Below, we discuss each factor in more detail.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
While the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established minimum standards of competency for pesticide applicators, licensure is taken care of at the state level. All pesticide applicators (and their supervisors) in New York should be licensed by all the necessary state regulatory agencies.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
An optional certification that may be worth looking for is the GreenPro Service Certification. To get this certification, a pest control company needs to both show that its practices are more environmentally friendly and maintain certain training standards for its technicians. Companies can also obtain other certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro to further support their work.
Pest control experts can also hold membership in professional organizations. Joining an organization such as the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or a state-level organization grants a pest control company access to education and resources, and a professional network to compare best practices with. Belonging to one of these organizations is not required, but it can help show that a company follows industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Browsing a pest control company's website can tell you how many years it has been in business and what type of pests it specializes in eliminating. Online 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
Resources that can be used to verify a company's legitimacy include the Better Business Bureau (BBB), social media, and local review sites. Additionally, you can check the status of a company's license via the New York licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
The cost of pest control can vary based on things like the type of pest being treated, your location, the size of your house, and other factors.
When thinking about the cost of services, you should verify whether a company provides free on-site estimates as part of its process. This can help determine whether the company fits into your budget. Also look into a company's guarantees: If the problem is not resolved, or returns, does the company promise to offer additional treatments until the issue is satisfactorily handled?
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your preferences regarding safety for yourself, your children, your pets, and the environment might influence which provider and treatment methods you choose.
Safety
Be sure to ask your pest control expert if they plan to use low toxicity or non-toxic pesticides, and if not, what precautionary measures they will have in place. Any pesticides that are not minimum-risk chemicals need to be registered with the EPA. Your pest technician should be able to supply information about all of the pesticides they plan to use.
Treatment Methods
Many companies are using options for more environmentally friendly solutions before moving to harsh pesticides.
One popular method for making pest control safer and more eco-friendly is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The steps of IPM are as follows:
- Identify problem pests and determine whether immediate action is needed.
- Decide on the safest course of action.
- Use a combination of physical, biological, mechanical, and cultural controls to manage the pest problem.
- Employ chemical controls only when required, and always in combination with other methods for effective long-term pest management.
- Evaluate outcomes and continue with additional pest control as needed.
