12 questions to ask before hiring a pest control company
Pest control is one of those services where the customer has almost no way to evaluate the work — the chemicals are invisible and the timeline for failure can be months. The questions below pull most of the signal forward before hiring.
Licensing and credentials (questions 1–4)
1. Are you licensed as a structural pest control operator in this state? (Mandatory; varies by state — Florida, California, and Texas have the strictest requirements.) 2. What's your pesticide applicator certification level? 3. Do you carry general liability and pollution liability insurance? 4. How long have you been licensed?
Methodology (questions 5–8)
5. Do you follow IPM (Integrated Pest Management) principles? (Should answer yes and explain.) 6. What pesticides will you use and what are the active ingredients? 7. Are you EPA-WPS or GreenPro certified? (Optional but signals quality.) 8. Do you use any organic / lower-toxicity options for households with kids or pets?
Warranty and follow-up (questions 9–11)
9. What's your warranty period for the treatment? 10. Is re-service included if the pest returns within the warranty? 11. Are termite treatments warrantied separately and for how long?
Logistics (question 12)
12. What's your typical response time for emergency calls (bed bugs, stinging insects, wildlife in attic)? Should be same-day for emergency-class pests.
These questions take 10 minutes and rule out the bottom 40% of operators. Combine with checking state license verification online (most boards have a public search tool) and you've done more due diligence than most homeowners.