How To Choose a Pest Control Company
The most important step is selecting the best pest control professional for the job. You might consider a company's qualifications and treatment methods in addition to its customer reviews and years of experience. And of course, there's the cost of services to consider.
Below, we explore the details of each of these factors.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
All pesticide applicators, as well as those that supervise them, should be licensed via the appropriate Indiana regulatory agencies. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets minimum standards of competency, but providing, maintaining, and revoking licensing is handled at the state level.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
Pest control companies can earn the GreenPro Service Certification, which requires that a company show that its practices are more environmentally friendly and that its employees receive up-to-date training. Trade organizations such as QualityPro offer other certifications. These are not required, but can help demonstrate that a pest control company is reputable.
Pest control companies can also belong to certain professional organizations. Pest control companies can join state-level organizations as well as 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 to compare best practices with.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Typically, a company will list information like specialities and years of experience on its website. Local reviews can also help you determine if a company has experience dealing with a particular pest in your area. If you're unable to find the information you need online, you can call the company directly to get the answers to your questions.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can look up a company's rating and reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), read social media and local review sites to learn what others in your area have to say, or verify its license standing via the Indiana licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Things like the type of pest being treated, the size of your house, your location, 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 provides. Often, a company will guarantee that if it does not take care of your pest problem, it will keep coming back until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control provider might be affected by how environmentally friendly a company's practices are, in addition to how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
Safety
You can ask your pest control provider if they plan to use low toxicity or non-toxic pesticides, and if not, ask about what precautionary measures they will take. Any pesticide that poses greater than minimum risk must be registered with the EPA. Your pest technician should be able to provide information about all of the pesticides used, in addition to how safe they are around people and pets.
Treatment Methods
Pest professionals looking to reduce their use of chemical pesticides often follow practices such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Using IPM involves a series of steps:
- Identify problem pests and assess whether immediate action is needed.
- Decide on the safest course of action.
- Use a combination of biological, cultural, physical, and mechanical 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.
- Observe the results and provide additional pest control as needed.
