Do Pest Control Companies Need to Be Licensed?

If you’re looking into hiring a pest control specialist to come in and take care of the nasty critters plaguing your house and property it can sometimes be tough to know where to begin. You may have a hundred questions that you want to be answered, but one of the most important ones may be: does the person or company I’m hiring need to be licensed? The easy answer is yes. Just like 007, the pest control team you hire needs to be licensed to kill.

So hold off on texting your friend’s “guy” who does their extermination because his methods can be potentially unsafe to you, the environment, and your kids and pets. Here are just a few reasons why you should put your pest control in the capable and licensed hands of the pros. Or if you’re a pro and not licensed yet, these are incentives to go out and get some extra certification.

They’ve Studied Up

Licensed pest control professionals haven’t just walked off the street with a can of Raid and an aversion to critters, they’ve had to undergo multiple tests to call themselves pros. In the state of Indiana, to become a certified pest control specialist you have to pass two rigorous tests.

License applicants must pass a closed book written exam in each category as well as take the Core Exam or Service Technician Exam and get a score of 70% or higher. In addition to that, Indiana licenses expire after five years so the applicant must retake them to get the license again. In Jersey City, to be a licensed pest control specialist you must take a course, pass an exam, and get 40 hours of on-the-job experience.

What you get when you hire a licensed pest control specialist or company are people that have up-to-date industry knowledge that’s state-certified. You don’t have to worry about them not knowing how to do something right and safely because they’ve studied up all about it.

The Bottom Line Should Be Safety

What many people don’t realize is that the chemicals and products that specialists use aren’t the same ones you can pick up for a few dollars at the hardware store. In many cases, these are dangerous and toxic chemicals that if applied incorrectly can do more harm to you, your family, your property, and the environment than pests ever caused. Don’t risk your health to save a few coins, and hire someone who’s going to be able to deliver the results you want.

Licensed pest control specialists have done the required on-the-job training and have studied up-to-date industry laws and requirements, so they’ll know and follow state safety regulations to a T.

It’ll Be A Job Well Done

Not only will the job be done safely and by someone in-the-know about state standards, but when you hire a licensed pest control company the pests will be gone and for longer. The worst thing to have happen is when you hire an inexperienced and un-licensed company to come over and take care of weeds, they take your money, and a couple of weeks later the weeds are back in full force because they didn’t clear out all of the roots.

Save yourself time, money, and hassle by hiring people that will do a job well done the first time around. Moreover, a licensed professional knows what to look for to determine the cause of the critter infestation. If you’ve got a lot of ants in your garage and you know why, a professional can determine where the bugs are getting in and why they’re coming in that way. Maybe there’s been a spill or there’s an opened bag of sweet-smelling stuff that’s attracting the ants. A knowledgeable professional will tell you the cause behind your problem so you can take care of it and the pests won’t keep returning.

You’ll Get The Right Person For Your Job

What sometimes fails to get mentioned on a company’s website is what kinds of pest control experts they employ. If you’re searching for someone to get rid of termites and a company doesn’t specify what kinds of licenses their employees have, you may be hiring the wrong person for your job.

In Indiana alone, there are multiple levels and types of pest control licenses that a person can get. For instance, there are forest pest management licenses, aquatic pests, turf management, seed treatment, agricultural pests, and many others. A company that employs people who are licensed experts in a broad spectrum of areas will certainly help you find the right person for your job.

Licensed Pest Control Companies Are Better Known

When you sign up for a job done cheaply by some of your friend’s college buddies, don’t be surprised when you get exactly what you pay for. You’re walking into that contract knowing little about their experience, their certifications, and what kinds of pests they’re familiar with, so don’t be shocked when the job is done less than spectacularly.

When you hire a licensed company you’re getting a service that has been recognized on a community level. They’re more than a phone number on a piece of paper, and they have a website with customer testimonials to back up the claims they’re making about their pest control treatments. They’re a trustworthy business that welcomes your feedback because at the end of the day they want to help meet the needs of the community. Hire people who are willing to invest time, money, and reputation into their business instead of strangers who probably don’t know how to do the job the right way.

Many well-known and trusted pest control services get that way because their service is reliable and trusted. A handy trick if you own a pest control business to get your business to reach this level is to enlist the help of pest control software. Arborgold offers software that lets you keep track of jobs and schedule pest control services, as well as make and manage projects. When you check it out it’ll be clear that this is one of the tricks a licensed pro-pest-control company is using.

These are just a few reasons why a pest control company should be licensed. At the end of the day, quality service is done by companies and people willing to put the time, money, learning, and outreach into doing a good job. It’s a worthwhile investment a company needs to make otherwise they’re ignoring state laws and regulations and putting you and your family’s well being at risk. 

Don’t make your life harder than it has to be. Hire someone who’s going to get rid of the pests and give you a little peace of mind. Your home, property, and people close to you will thank you for it.