How To Choose a Pest Control Company
Choosing the best pest control company for you is important. Along with a company's qualifications and treatment methods, you may also consider how long it has been in business and what the reviews are like. Finally, you'll likely want to consider the cost of services.
Below, we dive into detail on each of these factors.
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Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
All pesticide applicators (and those that supervise them) are required to be certified at the state level. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets minimum standards of competency, but all pesticide applicators working in Texas should be licensed via the necessary state regulatory agencies.
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Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
A pest control company can obtain optional certifications from QualityPro or similar trade organizations to back up its methods and standards. One particular certification is the GreenPro Service Certification, which is granted to any company that can demonstrate that its methods are more environmentally friendly. Companies that receive this certification also need to maintain certain employee training standards.
Pest control companies can also belong to various professional organizations. Membership in an organization such as the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or a state-level organization grants a pest control company access to resources and education, as well as a professional network to compare best practices with. Joining one of these organizations is not mandatory, but it can help indicate that a company follows industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
A company's website can tell you how many years it has been in business and what kind of pests it specializes in exterminating. Online reviews can also provide 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 contacting the company directly.
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Reviews and Recommendations
You can verify a company's legitimacy using social media or local review sites as well as the Better Business Bureau (BBB). You can also check with Texas' licensing board to verify the status of a company's license.
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Cost of Services and Guarantees
Things like your location, the type of pest being treated, the size of your house, and other factors can all influence the cost of pest control.
You can look into whether a company provides free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget) and what kind of guarantees it has. Often, a company will guarantee that if it does not solve your pest problem, it will continue treatment until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Your choice of pest control company might be influenced by how environmentally-friendly a provider's practices are, in addition to how safe its methods are around your family and pets.
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Safety
Your pest control technician should be able to discuss the safety of the pesticides they plan to use. They should be able to explain whether the pesticides are low toxicity or non-toxic, and if not what safety precautions they will put in place to protect you, your family, and your pets. Any pesticides that pose more than a minimum risk need to be registered with the EPA.
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Treatment Methods
Companies often begin with more environmentally friendly options before employing harsh pesticides, following a technique called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). When using IPM, the following steps are taken:
- Identify problem pests and assess whether immediate action is required.
- Decide on the safest course of action.
- Use a combination of physical, cultural, biological, and mechanical controls to manage the pest problem.
- Employ chemical controls only if needed, and always in combination with other solutions for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and provide additional pest control as needed.
