Green Pest Management
Green pest management and control is a highly regulated industry requiring extensive and continuing training of personnel using only environmentally friendly products to eliminate pests.
During training, pest control technicians learn about the life cycles and habits of each species of household pest, and more to the point, they learn what kinds of treatment are most effective in eliminating infestations.
These also include how to prevent recurrences, precise quantities of chemicals to apply where necessary, and how to handle and dispose of chemicals with the least impact on homes, people, pets, and the surrounding environment.
Few home- or business owners, regardless of how much online research or reading they do, achieve the level of knowledge and skill that each pest control professional receives in order to be licensed. And the results of well-meaning but non-professional pest control efforts can be disastrous.
Whereas a householder may figure if a little is good, more is better, a trained pest control professional assesses the situation, determines the most effective treatment to meet the customer’s needs and cost considerations, and then applies a precise amount of pesticide to a defined location.
And a pest control professional is trained in safe disposal and storage of unused chemicals, the source of far too many accidental poisonings and other household tragedies.
Theory has it that it’s an encouraging sign for the future of our planet that so many consumers are concerned about the environment and want to make changes in their day-to-day lives.
But, being regular pest control, green pest management service does not quite work as expected.
Regardless of its advantages, being “green” does not yield the results a standard pest control service would.
1) It costs a little more. Typically “green” pest management solutions carry a higher price tag, for the simple reason that they are more labor-intensive and time-consuming than traditional pest control methods.
For example, green services may include placement and periodic checking of monitoring stations or glue traps. Typically, green pest management methods add 10 to 20 percent to the cost of treating a home or commercial site.
On the other hand, many “green” techniques, such as pre-construction wood treatment or proper sealing of a home can result in cost savings over the long run.
2) It’s more than simply using an environmentally safer product. While scores of new green products are coming on the market every day, there’s more to green pest control than that stuff coming out of your sprayer.
Green means using an entire arsenal of techniques together, from sealing or screening to prevent invasions to carefully targeted applications of the safest and most effective products.
3) The customer has to do his or her part. Traditionally, the customer has picked up the phone, called his local exterminator, and said, “Take care of it.”
A true pest control management depends on the customer to ensure food and other attractants are stored properly; that vents, electrical conduits, windows, and doors are properly sealed; that basements and crawlspaces are kept moisture-free.
