It seems like there’s a subscription service for everything nowadays and pest control seems to not have been safe from the trend. Although it should be! This isn’t like sending you vegetables that you can try or clothes you can wear. Pest control is done by trained professionals for a good reason. Read on for what you get with traditional pest control versus what you get with DIY – which is what a subscription service is really providing. They send you the products – and YOU treat.
| Traditional Pest Control | DIY Pest Control | |
| Technicians Trained by Entomologists | YES | NO |
| Custom Plan Based on Pest Identification | YES | NO |
| Products Applied by Licensed & Certified Technicians | YES | NO |
| Professional Grade Products | YES | MAYBE – do you know the product they are sending? Even if you did, how do you know it’s professional grade? |
| Satisfaction Guarantee | YES | MAYBE – be sure to read the fine print. They may be guaranteeing the product but what about the treatment itself? |
| Customer Service Team | YES | YES |
| Retreating Option | YES | NO |
| Someone to Call if You’re Dissatisfied | YES | NO |
| Indoor & Outdoor Treatments | YES | NO |
| Integrated Pest Management Strategies | YES | NO |
| Proper Amounts of Pesticides Used | YES | NO |
| Proper Safety Measures Taken | YES | MAYBE – carefully read the instructions provided! Pest control products should be used by professionals for a reason. |
| Direct to Door Delivery | NO | YES |
What Does Maybe Mean?
Be careful with any “maybe” answer in the comparison chart. How can you know if you’re getting professional grade products? Even if you do the research on the products they’re sending you, you’re not a professionally trained and certified pest control technician working for a company that is regulated. How can you possibly know the products are professional grade? In addition, some professional products are “restricted use” meaning you are required by law to have a license to apply them. We can’t believe these products are often available online but then we can’t believe a lot of stuff that is online nowadays.
Having a Satisfaction Guarantee is super important but what are they guaranteeing? The products? The treatment? Who will you turn to if the treatment doesn’t work? Unfortunately – you’re the one doing the treatments, so it’s a very good bet the subscription company won’t be guaranteeing your work. And the proper safety measures? What could be more important than that? There’s a reason pest control products are federally regulated. There’s also a reason many pest control companies will perform Integrated Pest Management strategies that don’t even include products or sprays. The subscription company can give you all the information in the world about safely using these products – but unless you’re trained to use them safely, you are assuming a good amount of risk. Who will you turn to if you hurt yourself or someone else? The subscription service may have a customer service team, but it’s kind of too late at that point. It’s just not worth it to do this stuff yourself.
At the end of the day, the products used to eliminate pests are dangerous in untrained hands. And oftentimes, you don’t need pesticides – but that determination should be made by a professional. On the other hand, if you do need pesticides, the proper amount is important. Too little and you won’t take care of the pests. You could actually make them hide further inside the home – or force them into another room – exacerbating the problem and making the professional service more expensive than it would have been if you called them first. Too much and you could harm your pets and family. That’s unacceptable. No matter what a subscription service or someone behind the counter at the big box store tells you – pest control should not be done by anyone but a professional exterminator.