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No scare tactics and no sales pitch. These are the questions homeowners actually ask about pests and pest control, answered directly from EPA, extension, and state regulator guidance, with links to the deeper guides when you want the full story.
General information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Figures reflect the sources on each linked page and change over time; the linked pages carry the details and citations.
Hiring a company
How do I know if a pest control company is legitimate?
Check the license before anything else: every state licenses structural pest control, and Arizona (Department of Agriculture's Pest Management Division), Texas (Structural Pest Control Service at TDA), and Florida (FDACS) all offer public lookups. Beyond that, the EPA's own warning list covers the rest: no secret formulas exist since all pesticides must be EPA registered, government agencies never endorse companies, and pressure to sign today because your house is about to collapse is a walk-away signal.
Per EPA and university extension guidance: the pest being treated, identified by name, with evidence of an active infestation; the products to be used with their EPA registration numbers; the maximum cost; and guarantee terms in writing, including what keeps the guarantee in force. A company that will not put those four things on paper is telling you something.
Can I cancel a pest control contract I signed at my door?
Usually yes, within three business days. The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule covers door-to-door sales of $25 or more made at your home; the seller must tell you about the right, include it in the contract, and give you a cancellation form, and refunds are due within 10 business days. The catch: a service call you requested yourself generally is not covered, so the rule protects you most against unsolicited door-knock sales.
It depends on your pest pressure, not the salesperson's quota. The EPA's guidance is that service contracts should involve periodic inspections, with pesticides applied only when pests are actually present and non-chemical methods have not worked. In high-pressure climates a quarterly plan can earn its keep; in others, an inspection-first arrangement fits better. Ask what the recurring visits actually do.
Does the government recommend or endorse pest control companies?
No. The EPA states plainly that government agencies do not endorse any service company, so claimed government approval is itself on the EPA's list of warning signs. What the government does provide is license records, which let you verify a company yourself.
No treatment is risk-free, and reputable sources never claim otherwise. What the EPA and the National Pesticide Information Center provide instead is a manageable checklist: remove pets and their bowls, toys, and bedding before treatment, cover fish tanks, and keep animals away for the label's re-entry time or until surfaces are fully dry, whichever is longer. Cats deserve extra caution because they break down some common insecticides slowly.
Follow the label, not a rule of thumb. NPIC's guidance is the label's re-entry time or until sprayed surfaces have dried completely, whichever is longer, with good ventilation. The exception people miss: granular lawn products can require keeping pets and kids off the area for 24 hours or more while granules dissolve. Your technician should be able to quote the label's number.
Extension entomologists say skip them. UC IPM notes total-release foggers are often ineffective because the fog never reaches the cracks and crevices where roaches actually live and breed, and the products can be hazardous. University of Minnesota Extension is blunter: do not use them. Baits placed near harborage areas beat fog every time.
Baits. UC IPM calls bait products the primary pesticides used against cockroach infestations and notes insecticide sprays do not provide long-term control. Sprays can also scatter roaches without reaching the population. Pair baits with sanitation and sealing and you are treating the problem rather than the sighting.
What do CAUTION, WARNING, and DANGER mean on a pesticide label?
They are the EPA's relative acute toxicity tiers: CAUTION means slightly toxic if eaten, absorbed, or inhaled; WARNING means moderately toxic; DANGER means highly toxic by at least one route of exposure. The label as a whole is a legal document, and using a product inconsistently with it violates federal law, which is why asking your technician for the label is a normal request.
The approach the EPA recommends and reputable companies practice: prevention, monitoring, and the least hazardous effective option, rather than spraying on a schedule and hoping. In practice it means identifying the pest, cutting off food, water, and entry, monitoring with traps, and using targeted treatments like baits where the evidence says they are needed.
Does seeing one cockroach mean I have an infestation?
It depends which roach. A German cockroach, the small light-brown kind, breeds indoors fast, with egg cases of 30 to 40 eggs, so one sighting in a kitchen deserves immediate attention. A single big American or Oriental roach near a door or drain is often an outdoor wanderer. Sticky traps and a check for droppings, cast skins, and egg cases will tell you the truth within a few nights.
A polite Southern name for large outdoor cockroaches. University of Florida entomologists note the American cockroach carries the nickname, and it also gets applied to the smokybrown and Florida woods cockroaches. These are outdoor species that wander inside, which calls for sealing entry points more than fumigating the kitchen.
The documented health issue is allergies and asthma: the EPA notes proteins in cockroach droppings and saliva can trigger asthma symptoms and allergic reactions in some people, and shed skins carry allergens too. Roaches can also carry bacteria such as salmonella that can cause illness if deposited in food. Sealed food and clean surfaces attack both problems at once.
Because clean is not sealed. Large outdoor roaches live in sewers, drains, mulch, and woodpiles and forage indoors through gaps, no crumbs required. Extension guidance targets the routes: caulk cracks, add door sweeps and weather stripping, and fix moisture. Sanitation still matters for the indoor-breeding German cockroach, but exclusion is what stops the wanderers.
Call when the evidence says population, not visitor: traps catching roaches night after night, droppings or egg cases in cabinets, a German cockroach sighting in a kitchen or bath, or any infestation in an apartment where pests move between units through shared walls. Termites and other structure-threatening pests are professional territory from the first sign.
The pest control hub covers the programs, the process, and the companies, or compare providers directly. Many offer free initial consultations; check individual providers for details.
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