How To Choose a Pest Control Company
When choosing a pest control company, there are a number of factors that you can consider to make sure that you're choosing the right one for you. Important decision-making factors include the company's qualifications, its treatment methods, experience and reviews, and of course the cost of services.
Below, we explore the details of each of these factors.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
Per the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all pesticide applicators and those that supervise them need to be certified at the state level. The EPA sets minimum standards of competency, but all Texas pesticide applicators should 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 like the GreenPro Service Certification. This certification is awarded once a company has shown its methods to be more environmentally friendly and demonstrated that it also maintains certain other standards, such as up-to-date employee training. A company can also earn other certifications from QualityPro or similar trade organizations to further support its methods and practices.
A pest control company can also belong to certain professional organizations. When a company obtains membership in an organization like the National Pest Management Association(NPMA) (or a state-level organization), it gets access to resources, education, and a network of other pest control professionals with whom to compare methods. This can give you additional peace of mind that a company is following industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
For the most part, a company provides information like its years of experience and specialities on its website. Online reviews can also tell you whether a company has experience dealing with a specific pest. If you're unable to find the information you need online, you can speak with a company representative directly to get the answers to your questions.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can look at a company's rating and reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), explore local review sites and social media to see what other people are saying, or verify its license standing via the Texas licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Cost is important when hiring a pest control company. Cost can be affected by your location, the type of pest being treated, the size of your house, and other factors.
Many companies offer free on-site estimates before starting work, to help you decide whether it fits into your budget. You can also ask whether if your company has a satisfaction guarantee, meaning that if your pest problem is not solved by the initial treatment, it will continue returning until it is.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Keeping yourself, your family and your pets safe is an important consideration when selecting a pest control provider. You may also prefer one that uses eco-friendly pest management treatment methods.
Safety
Your pest control provider should be using low toxicity or non-toxic pesticides any time they can. If any pesticides used don't fit into one of these categories, your technician should explain what safety precautions they will put in place to protect your family, your pets, and you. All pesticides that pose more than a minimum risk must be registered with the EPA.
Treatment Methods
Many companies will start with more eco-friendly treatment options before using pesticides, using a framework 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.
- Use a combination of physical, cultural, biological, and mechanical controls to manage the pest problem.
- Use chemical controls only if needed, and always in combination with other solutions for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and implement additional pest control as needed.
