Tips for hiring pest control professionals

Joel Kangiser

Pesticide Management Division

WSDA is getting reports that someone claiming to be a pest control professional is canvassing neighborhoods in Kitsap County, using high pressure sales tactics to sell pest treatments that could be unnecessary and asking for bank account information from the people he has contacted.

This person may represent a legitimate business; we don’t know. Here’s our advice -- don’t be pressured into buying a pest control service before you’re ready. Pests that can attack your home, such as carpenter ants and termites, are rarely a problem requiring immediate resolution. So you should have time to get other bids and do your own research.

Here are three tips from WSDA to consider before hiring a pest control professional:

• Thoroughly check out the person or business before providing any personal information or purchasing any service. 
• Get multiple estimates if you need pest control work done.
• Pest control companies and their employees who apply pesticides must be licensed by WSDA, so visit WSDA’s pesticide license database or call the WSDA licensing office at (360) 902-1937 to verify that a business or individual is properly licensed.

Finally, you can always call your local Better Business Bureau or the Washington State Pest Management Association, a private industry association, at 1- (800) 253-3836 to get more information about a particular company.

Pests can be a serious problem, but don’t let anyone  push you into paying for services or signing a contract before you are fully confident and comfortable with the company and the service they propose to provide.