How To Choose a Pest Control Company
The most important step is picking the best pest control company for the job. You might consider a company's qualifications, methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and cost of services.
Below, we explore the details of each factor.
-
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all pesticide applicators and those that supervise them must be licensed at the state level. The EPA sets minimum standards of competency, and the Oklahoma regulatory agencies handle the granting, maintaining, and revoking of licenses.
-
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
A pest control company can obtain optional certifications from QualityPro or similar trade organizations in order to back up its standards and methods. One particular certification is the GreenPro Service Certification, which is awarded when a company 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. When a company joins 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 experts with whom to compare methods. This can offer additional peace of mind that a company is following industry best practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
How long a company has been in business can tell you something about its experience dealing with the pests that live in Tulsa. Customer reviews or the company's website itself can also inform you whether it has the skills and experience necessary to eliminate the particular pests that are plaguing you. If you can't find the information you need online, contacting the company directly is an easy way to learn about its areas of expertise.
-
Reviews and Recommendations
You can look for reviews and recommendations on local review sites or social media, verify a company's rating on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), or check its licensure status through the Oklahoma licensing board.
-
Cost of Services and Guarantees
For many people, cost is one of the main deciding factors when hiring for pest control. Cost can be determined by factors like the type of pest being treated, the size of your house, and your location.
You can look into whether a certain company offers free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget), and what sort of guarantees it provides. Often, a company will guarantee that if your pest problem isn't fixed by its treatment, it will continue to treat until it is.
Safety and Treatment Methods
Safety is an important consideration when selecting a pest control provider. You might also prefer a provider who uses more natural, environmentally-friendly methods.
-
Safety
Make sure to ask your pest control technician if the chemicals they're using are low toxicity or non-toxic, and if not, what kind of precautionary measures they will have in place. All pesticides that are not considered minimum-risk chemicals need to be registered with the EPA. Your pest technician should be able to provide information about all chemicals that they plan on using.
-
Treatment Methods
Companies often begin with more environmentally friendly options before using harsh pesticides, using a technique called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). When using IPM, the following steps are taken:
- Identify problem pests and determine whether immediate action is needed.
- Determine the best and safest course of action.
- Use a combination of mechanical, physical, biological, and cultural controls to manage the pest problem.
- Use chemical controls only when absolutely necessary, and always with other solutions for effective long-term pest management.
- Evaluate outcomes and continue with additional pest control as needed.
