Pests are more common than you might think. For example, of the 124 million homes in the US, around 14 million saw roaches in their home in the last year — and another 14 million saw rodents!

If you’ve been in this situation, you might have contacted your local pest control company in the hopes that they can help you out.

They should be able to — but before hiring them, you should ask these key questions to ensure they’re the best people for the job.

Do You Have Experience With This Specific Pest?

Any good pest control company has experience with a variety of different pests, but that doesn’t mean they know how to deal with them all. Some might deal with termites, others with rodents, etc. 

Make sure that the pest control company you talk to has experience with this actual type of pest and knows how to get rid of them and ensure they do it successfully. Pests can be very hard to get rid of if you aren’t an expert since they keep coming back.

Are You Licensed and Insured?

Before going any further, you must make sure they’re licensed and insured.

If they’re successful in the pest control industry, they should have both of these things in place. A license lets their customers know that they know what they’re doing and have the correct training and qualifications.

Insurance accounts for anything that might go wrong.

Hopefully, nothing will, but when they’re bringing equipment into your home to get rid of something, you’ll want to make sure it’s in place just in case. Accidents happen, and something may get damaged or broken.

Do You Have Reviews or Customer Testimonials?

Some professional pest control companies will be able to point you to customer testimonials on their website. At the very least, they should be able to confirm that they have a number of reviews available to read on Google, Yelp, or Facebook.

Take your time and look through them, even if you’re desperate for a solution! They should have a good rating overall but you can also dive into the five-star and one-star ratings to see which look deserved and which don’t.

If they have a bad rating because they were unprofessional or didn’t actually solve the issue, it’s important to remember that there are other companies out there you can choose from.

Any smart homeowner looks at reviews before inviting any service into their home, not just pest control!

How Should I Prepare?

There are many different types of pest control and the techniques that the company use will depend on how you need to prepare. Make sure you know in advance.

For example, you might need to contain pets in one room or get them out of the house entirely. This will usually last for a couple of hours so it’s better to know in advance.

They might require that people vacate the premises too for a few hours.

Most types of pest control can be done with animals and people in the home and pose no risk to them, but some kinds will require this sort of preparation.

What’s the Chance of Reinfestation?

Although the pest control company should do a good enough job that you’ll be free and clear for a long time, you need to know what the chance is that the pests will come back — and what the timeframe looks like.

Remember, if they tell you there’s a chance again in a year, that’s likely not their fault — especially with seasonal pests. However, if their work seems to have a short lifespan and they aren’t too confident in it, it might be time to reevaluate.

How Much Will This Cost?

It’s a good idea to get quotes from multiple companies on this particular pest. For example, the cost of termite control might be different than the cost of roach control! As well as that, it will vary from business to business.

Don’t automatically go with the cheapest. Instead, weigh the price up against other factors like reviews and professionalism. After all, the cheapest may be that way for a reason — maybe they don’t have a license and are more of a DIY service, or maybe they have bad reviews and are desperate for business.

Make sure it’s within your budget, but don’t use the quote as the single determining factor of whether to hire them.

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When Can You Come Out?

Judge the urgency of the situation with the company’s availability. Pest control will usually try to be there as quickly as possible to deal with the problem but sometimes you may realize that they don’t have the time — and this can be a huge issue.

If you have to wait weeks, it may be a good idea to look into someone else!

What’s the Best Way to Contact You

Finally, you should make sure you know the best way to contact them, especially after the service. You may have clarifying questions or may need them to come back out.

Whether it’s emailing, texting, or calling, make sure you know the best way to get a response.

Ask the Pest Control Company These Questions

If you want a good service and to ensure everything is done right, ask the pest control company these questions.

The answers will ensure you know how to prepare for the service as well as inform you about the success rate and everything that’s going to be done. Doing your research means you’ll hopefully get rid of those pests forever!

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