What is Extermination?
Extermination is the elimination of insects and vermin from a variety of residential and commercial locations. Exterminators are the professionals who specialize in such services, working to both solve any current infestations as well as performing treatments and inspections to prevent any pest issues from occurring in the first place.
The term “exterminator,” while still used, was a more popular term in the past. More recently, within the pest control business community as well as colloquially, there has been a switch to the terms ‘pest control technician’ and ‘pest control professional,’ but ultimately, we are one and the same.
What to Expect from an Exterminator Visit
Pests are everywhere, which is why we are consistently travelings around to homes and businesses to perform on-sight inspections and treatments. We conduct our business with a 5 Star Service standard. Not only does this mean that we place a precedence on customer service, we also provide cutting edge techniques, professional tools, and eco-friendly products. At your appointment, your local exterminator will:
- Professional discussion regarding your pest concerns and treatment plan
- Full outdoor inspection of the perimeter of your home
- Application of preventative outdoor treatments
- Indoor treatments upon request
- A careful assessment of any current pest issues or potential pest risks
- Followup treatments and support in between scheduled visits for persistent pests
Do I Need an Exterminator?
A lot of people initially try to handle pest problems by themselves, but this can often lead to more trouble than it’s worth. Pests can cause a multitude of problems from a simple annoyance all the way to your home burning down and spreading fatal diseases to your family; and the longer you wait to call in an exterminator, the worse a problem can become. As such, it is important to seek professional intervention at the first signs of a pest infestation. If you simply suspect a problem and feel hesitant about calling, no worries, we offer inspections completely free. Some indications that you may have a pest problem include:
- Chew marks on food and food packaging
- Musty or rotting smells
- Odd noises including buzzing, scratching, squeaking, etc.
- Mysterious bug bites
- Appearance of pest droppings or nesting materials
- Damaged plants
- Buildups of dirt and grime
- Holes and gnaw marks in walls, furniture, fabrics, or other fixtures
Seeking professional pest control is especially important if you have any of the following:
- Pre-Existing Heath Concerns – pests like mosquitos and rodents can transmit horrible diseases to people, which can be increasingly risky if you have any pre-existing health concerns. (Asthma in particular is a condition that can be really exacerbated by both cockroaches and rodents.)
- You Have Children and/or Pets – not only are the pests dangerous to the health of both pets and children, but some DIY/at-home sprays can be extremely toxic for them as well. Our professional-grade treatments are all safe for your family as well as the environment – protecting you without toxic side effects.
- Bug Bites – being bitten is not only maddeningly annoying, but depending on the culprits that are biting you, you could potentially be at risk of contracting some very detrimental and even life threatening diseases. It is not worth the risk messing around with DIY pest control techniques when so much can be on the line – so if you’re being bitten, it is time to scheduled a professional pest inspection.
- Recurring Pest Problems – when problems persist and return time and time again, it is typically due to an underlying problem that has not been solved. Our professional exterminators are trained and experienced with rooting out the source of pest problems in order to end them for good.
Perks of Professional Extermination Services
Not only is professional pest protection efficient and keeps you safe, but there are additional perks to choosing professional intervention over DIY tactics.
- Saving Money – the potential destruction of pests is shocking to say the least. Rodents can dismantle your walls, chew through metal, and even start electrical fires by gnawing through wiring. Similarly termites and carpenter ants can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage in just one year. These infestations can be extremely devastating to your wallet due to the property damage, not to mention any medical bills that can arise from contracting pest-transmitted diseases from mosquitos, ticks, rodents, roaches, etc.
- No More Recurring Problems – a lot of DIY treatments act like band-aids for the problems. Our exterminators have years of experience, training, and licensing that allow them to find and treat the source of your pest problems, eliminating them for good.
- Minimal Product Use but Maximum Effects – our tried-and-true methods, paired with our professional grade product and tools allow us to drastically reduce the amount of spraying/applications around your home without sacrificing the highly measurable effects of our treatments.
What Qualifies as Extermination Services/Pest Control?
Understandably there is some occasional confusion as to what does and does not qualify as pest control. Pest control is actually part of a larger umbrella business, the business of “creature control.” Creature control encompasses pest control companies/exterminators, wildlife control/animal control companies, and animal shelters/humane societies; and what separates each of these company types are the licenses, control methods, and the types of creatures that are being handled.
Humane societies/animal shelters deal solely with domesticated animals and strays including cats, dogs, horses, domesticated birds, etc. The focus of their companies are the care and adoption of pets to loving homes. Somewhat similarly, animal control/wildlife control services also handle animals, but they deal with non-domesticated animals such as: bats, birds, chipmunks, lizards, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, and more. Their services typically involve catch and release methods that relocate wildlife to most hospitable habitats.
Pest control companies such as ourselves are quite a bit different from the other two as our focus revolves around securing homes and businesses against infestations of insects and tiny rodents. Depending on the specific pest issues that we are treating, our methods are either preventative or focused on eradication, a far-cry from the re-locating and adoption-based practices of the other two… although, we highly doubt anyone would ever want to ‘adopt’ cockroaches or spiders.
At Green Pest Services, you can call us for any of the following pests that may be pestering you:
- Ants
- Bed Bugs
- Carpet Beetles
- Carpenter Bees
- Centipedes
- Clove Mites
- Cluster Flies
- Cockroaches
- Crickets
- Drain Flies
- Ear Wigs
- Fleas
- Hornets
- Mice
- Millipedes
- Mosquitos
- Moths
- Rats
- Silverfish
- Spiders
- Termites
- Ticks
- Wasps
- Yellow Jackets
Explore your Extermination Options Today
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“I have been using Green Pest Services for 4 years and am very happy with their service. They treat inside and outside of my house quarterly and re-treat as needed at no additional cost. I also like that their products are environmentally friendly. I highly recommend Green Pest Services to others!!!” -Linda
– Linda
Chantilly, VA
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Your Pest Control
Critters and insects don’t belong in your home, no matter how much you love nature. But that doesn’t mean your pest control technician has to wipe out half the neighborhood as a response. With our knowledge and experience, you’ll get a quicker, healthier result than many other pest control companies can provide. And with our prevention methods, you won’t be seeing pests in your home.
So if you want those ants out of your kitchen, those mice out of your closet, those bed bugs out of your sofa, we are your Alexandria pest control experts. We will keep you and your home safe from both pests and chemicals. Give us a call today to set up an appointment.