What should a homeowner look for when selecting a pest professional, commonly called an exterminator?
- A qualified and licensed pest management company that is a member of national, state or local pest management associations.
- Ask friends and neighbors to recommend companies they have used successfully.
- Buy value, not price.
- Before signing a contract, be sure to fully understand the nature of the pest, the extent of the infestation, and the work necessary to solve the problem.
- Find out if the company has liability insurance to cover any damages to your house or furnishings during treatment.
- If a guarantee is given, know what it covers, how long it lasts, what you must do to keep it in force, and what kind of continuing prevention and management are necessary.
Tips For Choosing the Right Exterminator Service
Things Your Pest Control Company Can Ask You to Do
- Let the sprayed pesticide settle and dry before allowing pets and/or kids to get indoors.
- Keep all household pests off the treatment area to prevent them from ingesting the harmful pesticide chemicals.
- Empty kitchen cabinets, remove personal items lying on the floor, and keep pets away from the treatment area before the team of professional exterminators arrive.
- Use heavy plastic to cover your aquarium or remove it from the area or structure to be treated. Do not forget to turn off the air pump to ensure no pesticide gets into the aquarium.
Always follow instructions given to you by your exterminator service company, especially if they intend to use both pesticides and non-chemical pest control techniques in your home. With good cooperation, your local exterminator company will not just get rid of pests from your home, but also minimize the amount of pesticide it uses.
If not used according to the manufacturer’s instructions on the product label, pesticides can pollute the environment or even impair your health due to their toxic nature. Different pesticides have varying level of risks and side effects. A professional exterminator can help you find a pesticide that best suits your needs. All-State Pest and Lawn pest exterminator service provider also offers bed bug control service.
Pest Control: Tips and Secrets
To ensure this is a top-notch resource you can come back to again and again, we personally contacted insiders you can trust. Below are some of our favorite pest control tips:
- Keep your gutters clean
- Ensure food is covered
- Leave the lights on
- Eliminate standing water
- Reduce pest hiding spots
- Don’t store wood near your home
- Keep deer away
- Clean up cluttered storage areas
- Cap your chimney
TIPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD PEST CONTROL COMPANY
SCOPE OF SERVICES
You should engage a pest controller that provides the complete scope of works. This ensures that they are fully accountable for their work and do not rely on others to complete other aspects of pest treatment and control. Prior to engaging the company, sit down with the pest controller to understand exactly what they are going to do. There should ideally be a short-term treatment plan and routine and periodic inspections following the initial treatment to check on progress.
DO THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE?
Even though the pest controller might have leading products and equipment, they might not have the experience to use them in all scenarios. Each property is situated in a unique environment and is subject to many internal and external forces that differ between properties. Pest controllers typically rely on their customer to provide a history of the pest problem so that they can develop their understanding of the issue. If you sense that the pest controller might be engaging in trial and error, consider asking the pest controller if they have a colleague who is more experienced to deal with the task at hand.
ASK QUESTIONS
Any question is an important question. It is vital that you ask the questions that you have, relating to pest control, so that you feel comfortable with the pest controller providing the services. Pests are a nuisance and you want to be certain that the pest controller will target and remove all pests in your property. If you feel that the pest controller has difficulty answering your questions, this might suggest that they do not have the experience or knowledge.
Tips and Tricks for Finding the Right Exterminator for Your Needs
- Make sure the exterminator you hire has the right amount of insurance and the correct license. This is a real “trust but verify.” It is really important that they have the right amount of insurance. When people work on or around your home, if something goes wrong, you may be held liable. Also, licenses can be forged so you should check with the government to make sure your exterminator has the license you need.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau. That is something you can do whenever you need to hire someone to work on or around your home.
- Ask the company about their experience. It can be really hard to get rid of pests and keep them from coming back. Termites are notorious for being hard to kill. You need to find out how much experience they have both in pest control but also in dealing with the exact pest you have to deal with. You want a company who has a lot of experience.
- Get to know the pests in your home. Every pest is different, but all are in your home to be warm, get food, and find access to water. Find what pests you have in your home. This can make it easier for you to help the pest exterminator find and get rid of the pests in your home. Knowing what pests you are dealing with can also help you hire the right people. If you have mice, you do not need to talk to bed bug exterminators.
- Talk to people you know. If you have pests in your home, the chances are good that the people who live around you do as well. Not everyone likes to admit they have pests, so you should talk to the people you know well. It is great to hire companies or get services for just about everything this way.