How To Choose a Pest Control Company
When choosing a pest control company, you want to make sure that you find the right one for you. Factors you might consider include qualifications and licensing, treatment methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and cost.
Below, we discuss each of these factors 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 competency standards for pesticide applicators, licensing is taken care of at the state level. All pesticide applicators (and their supervisors) in Washington need to be licensed by all the necessary state regulatory agencies.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
An optional certification that might be worth looking for is the GreenPro Service Certification. To get this certification, a pest control company must both show that its practices are more environmentally friendly and maintain certain training standards for its technicians. Companies can earn other certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro to further support their work.
Pest control companies can also belong to various professional organizations. Pest control companies can obtain membership in both state-level organizations and national organizations like the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). While not mandatory, membership in these organizations helps prove a company's reputability and gives it access to education, resources, and a network of other professionals with whom to compare best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
How long a company has been in business can tell you something about its experience dealing with pests in your area. Customer reviews or the company's own website can also inform you whether it has the experience needed to deal with your particular pests. If the answers to your questions aren't available online, contacting the company directly is a great way to learn about its areas of expertise.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can browse reviews and recommendations on local review sites or social media, view a company's rating on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), or check its licensure status through the Washington licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Pest control costs can vary based on things like the type of pest being treated, the size of your house, your location, and other factors.
When thinking about the cost of services, you should verify whether a company offers free on-site estimates as part of its services. This can help determine whether the company fits into your budget. Also consider what guarantees a company offers: If the problem is not fixed, or if it returns, will the company provide additional treatments until the issue is satisfactorily resolved?
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control company might be influenced by how eco-friendly a company's pest control servicesare, in addition to how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
All pesticides that will be used (except those that pose only a minimum risk) are required to be registered with the EPA. Your pest control expert should be able to provide information on all the pesticides that they plan to use. They should be able to tell you whether these chemicals are low toxicity or non-toxic, and if not, what safety precautions they plan to take.
Treatment Methods
Many pest control companies have started making the switch to using more natural and greener treatment methods before, or in place of, harsh chemical pesticides. Some use a program called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The steps of IPM are as follows:
- Identify the source of the pest problem and determine whether immediate action is required.
- Determine the best and safest course of action.
- Use a combination of physical, biological, mechanical, and cultural controls to manage the pest problem.
- Employ chemical controls only when absolutely necessary, and always in combination with other methods for effective long-term pest management.
- Assess the outcome and continue with additional pest control treatments as needed.
