Finding out that you have a bed bug infestation in your home can be a very stressful time in your life. Not only do they attack you while you are most vulnerable, they are extremely resilient and difficult to get rid of.
Although there are many claims to effective home remedies online, only a few of these actually work, and must be applied with great precision or the problem can actually become much worse. The reason they are so difficult to get rid of is that they are great at hiding and can withstand extreme conditions such as not eating for months at a time. As a result, anyone who is faced with a bed bug infestation is highly recommended to hire a professional bed bug exterminator to properly eliminate these pests.
When hiring a bed bug exterminator don’t just go for the lowest price, choose a reputable and licensed company so that the problem is taken care of properly the first time. In this article you will find tips on how to ensure you are hiring a good bed bug exterminator and what you should expect from a truly professional bed bug exterminator.
Choose an exterminator that is licensed and registered with a professional organization
This is a very important step in choosing a good bed bug exterminator or any other pest control specialist. Being part of a professional pest management organization ensures that the company you are dealing with abides by professional codes of conduct that are required to deliver great results every time.
Bed bug exterminators that are registered with professional organizations are required to undergo ongoing training to maintain their membership. This ensures that they are up to date with the newest practices and thus will use the best approach in dealing with your specific problem. Some of the professional organizations that bed bug exterminators in Ontario can register with are:
- National Pest Management Association (NPMA)
- Canadian Pest Management Association (CPMA)
- Structural Pest Management Association of Ontario or Ontario (SPMAO)
Choose an exterminator that uses an Integrated Pest Management approach
An integrated pest management (IPM) approach has been accepted to be the most efficient and effective way to deal with any pest problem you may have, especially regarding bed bugs which tend to be one of the most difficult pests to get rid of. In using this approach, a pest control expert would evaluate your specific situation and then determine a combination of products and methods that they will use to solve the problem in a way that will cause the least risk to your health and the environment.
There are too many pest control operators out there that claim they have a cookie cutter solution to your bed bug problem. Unfortunately this does not exist and each situation requires a customised approach to safely and effectively ridding your home of bed bugs. Some of the factors that may be taken into consideration with an IPM approach are:
- The level of infestation in your home
- Whether you have children or pets
- Health or environmental concerns you may have with certain chemicals
- How much you can afford to spend on solving the problem
Choose an exterminator with a proven track record of dealing with bed bugs
Now that you have found a pest control company that is registered with professional organizations and follows an IPM approach, it is time to determine which one is the best for fixing your bed bug problem. Most pest control companies will claim that they can get rid of your bed bug infestation but the reality is that bed bugs are much more difficult to exterminate than other pests. Pestend Mississauga is one such pest control operator which can be found by clicking on this link www.pestendmississauga.ca.
Considering the cost associated with hiring a pest control specialist, you should make sure to hire someone with a proven track record in dealing with bed bugs to ensure they get it right the first time. If the problem is not taken care of properly it could make matters worse and more costly in the future. Some questions that you should ask when qualifying a pest control specialist to get rid of your bed bug infestation are:
- How long have they been doing bed bug treatments for?
- What is their procedure for inspecting your home and how long will it take?
- What methods do they use for exterminating bed bugs and how do they determine what the best approach would be for your situation?
- What is their success rate with eliminating bed bugs from a home?
- Are there any guarantees offered with their service?
If they can not adequately answer these questions then keep searching for a more qualified bed bug exterminator.
What you should expect from a good bed bug exterminator
Once you have done your research and found a bed bug exterminator who is licensed, follows an IPM approach and has a high success rate of dealing with bed bugs, here are some of the things you should expect from them if they truly are the right choice:
- A thorough inspection of your home – Before the treatment process begins, your bed bug exterminator should thoroughly inspect your home to determine the extent of the infestation and areas of your home that need to be treated.
- They should provide a detailed plan – After they have completed their inspection, the exterminator should let you know what their proposed plan is and the methods they will use. Within this plan they should advise you of any potential dangers with chemicals that they will use and what is expected from you such as cleaning up clutter, washing and potentially infested linens or clothing and how long you will need to stay away from your home during the treatment process.
- Clearly labelled costs and guarantees of their treatment – If everything checks out fine with the exterminator that you chose, make sure that they provide you with a detailed contract outlining the treatment methods that were previously discussed and costs associated with it. Since beg bug infestations can re-occur if not handled properly it is very important to have any guarantees that they verbally discussed written within the contract.