How To Choose a Pest Control Company
The most important step is picking the best pest control company for the job. You may 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?
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all pesticide applicators and their supervisors must be licensed at the state level. The EPA sets minimum competency standards, and the Texas regulatory agencies handle the issuing, maintaining, and revoking of licenses.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
One optional certification that might be worth looking for is the GreenPro Service Certification. In order to get this certification, a pest control company needs to both show that its practices are more environmentally friendly and uphold certain training standards for its technicians. Companies can earn other certifications from QualityPro or similar trade organizations to further back up their work.
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 education, resources, and a network of other pest professionals with whom to compare treatment methods. This can offer added peace of mind that a company follows industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Looking at how long a company has been in business can help determine how much experience it has handling various pests. You can also explore its website or peruse 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, calling the company directly is a great way to learn more.
Reviews and Recommendations
Resources that can help you verify a company's reputation include the Better Business Bureau (BBB), local review sites, and social media. You can also check the status of a company's license via the Texas licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Things like your location, the size of your house, the type of pest being treated, and other factors can all influence the price of pest control.
You can find out whether a company offers free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget) and what type of guarantees it offers. Often, a company will guarantee that if it does not resolve your pest problem, it will keep coming back until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control company might be influenced by how environmentally friendly a company's pest control servicesare, as well as how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Your pest technician should be using pesticides that are low toxicity or non-toxic any time they can. If they plan to use pesticides that don't fall into one of these categories, your technician should explain what safety precautions will be in place to protect your family, your pets, and you. Pesticides that pose more than a minimum risk should be registered with the EPA.
Treatment Methods
Nowadays, many companies are exploring more eco-friendly pest management that can be implemented before (or instead of) chemical pesticides. Many are following the practice of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which goes as follows:
- Identify problem pests and determine if immediate action is needed.
- Determine the best and safest course of action.
- Manage the pest problem using a combination of physical, biological, mechanical, and cultural controls.
- Use chemical controls only if needed, and always in combination with other controls for effective long-term pest management.
- Assess the outcome and implement additional pest control as needed.
