How To Choose a Pest Control Company
When picking a pest control professional, there are a number of things that you can consider to be sure you choose the best one for you. You may take into consideration a company's qualifications, treatment methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and service prices.
Below, we dive into detail on each factor.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains minimum competency standards for pesticide applicators, but licensing is regulated at the state level. All pesticide applicators and their supervisors in Wisconsin must be licensed through the proper 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. In order to obtain this certification, a pest control company needs to both demonstrate that its practices are more environmentally friendly and uphold certain technician training standards. Companies can earn other certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro to further support their work.
There are several professional organizations that a pest control company can be a member of. When a company becomes a member of an organization such as the National Pest Management Association(NPMA) (or a state-level organization), it gains access to education, resources, and a network of other pest control professionals with whom to compare methods. This can give you extra peace of mind that a company is following industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Looking at 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. Local reviews can also offer some insight into a company's experience dealing with a certain type of pest. If you can't find this information online, you can try calling the company directly.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can verify a company's legitimacy using the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and social media or local review sites. You can also check with Wisconsin's licensing board to verify the status of a company's license.
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 learn whether a company provides free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget), as well as what sort of guarantees it offers. Often, a company will guarantee that if it does not resolve your pest problem, it will continue treatment until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control company might be affected by how eco-friendly a provider's practicesare, in addition to how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
Your pest control expert should be using low toxicity or non-toxic pesticides when possible. If any pesticides used don't fall 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 need to be registered with the EPA.
Treatment Methods
Many companies have started offering options for more environmentally friendly pest control techniques before moving to harsh pesticides.
One common method for making pest control safer and greener is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The steps of IPM are as follows:
- Figure out what pests are causing the problem and determine if immediate action is required.
- Determine the best and 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 controls for effective long-term pest management.
- Evaluate outcomes and continue with additional pest control as needed.
