Questions to Ask When Hiring a Pest Control Company

Pest control services in Baton Rogue LA - Dugas Pes ControlPest control is not an issue that you want to play around with. When you find that there’s been an infestation in your home, whether it be termites, ants, rats, cockroaches, or anything else, you want those critters gone as soon as they possibly can be.

So who do you call? A quick search for extermination services in your area will yield loads of results, but you’re the one that has to make the decision on who to call. Here are a couple of questions to keep in mind when you’re looking for the right pest control company.

Are your pest control treatments safe?

Some popular pesticides have been shown to contain chemicals that are harmful to plants, animals, and people that they aren’t intending to target. Ask your chosen pest control company if their products are:

  • EPA-approved
  • Environmentally friendly
  • Up to the latest standards of performance

At Dugas Pest Control, we take humane approaches to pest removal whenever possible, and never endanger our customers or the plants in their yard with toxic chemicals.

How do you decide your method of treatment?

Every home and every infestation is different. Ask a company that you’re considering what their method looks like when taking on a new client.

Our approach starts with a primary inspection, after which we develop a plan to make a return visit equipped with the right equipment and gameplan to remove the pests from your property and ensure that they don’t come back. Additionally, we will send a technician back to your home as many times as is necessary to rid your home of unwanted vermin.

Can I see reviews?

If a pest control company is truly professional, they should have nothing to hide. If you can’t find a link to their reviews on their website, ask to see what customers have said about them.

On the bottom right corner of all of our webpages, you’ll find a link to reviews that our customers have left us. We currently have a 4.9-star overall rating, spanning 662 different reviews! We have proudly and efficiently served customers all around the Baton Rouge area and are prepared to do the same for you.

Do you have licenses and insurance?

A trustworthy pest control company will be able to show that they have comparable licenses and insurance to the most established and reputable exterminators. It’s crucial that your trusted company has liability insurance to protect you against any further damage that is caused to your property during the extermination process.

Properly accredited companies should make the top of your list. Here at Dugas, we proudly present our certifications on our homepage, including our QualityPro certification and Better Business Bureau accreditation.

Can you prevent pests from returning?

A good exterminator stops a pest problem at its source. This means assessing the situation to find the reasons that it became an issue in the first place. As your local pest control companies what they do in terms of pest prevention. We at Dugas follow IPM (Integrated Pest Management) practices, meaning that we prioritize long-term prevention that coincides with the vitality of the ecosystem.

If you’re having a pest problem right now, contact us today. We will set up a plan to inspect your home, determine the safest and most effective method of extermination, and promptly send out our experts until the job is done.

What Are The Flying Insects You’re Seeing All Over The Place?

What flying ants look like in Baton Rouge LA - Dugas Pest ControlEvery spring, we see a huge rise in calls from people in the Baton Rouge area whose homes have been overrun by flying insects. With the current weather conditions here in Louisiana, this year’s termite swarming season is expected to be widespread. Eastern subterranean termites and Formosan termites are both swarming now, but if you’re starting to find flying insects in your house, how can you be sure if they’re termites?

Can Termites Fly?

Certain termites can fly, although they’re not very good at it. They are very weak, and can only travel considerable distances in windy climates. There is only one class of termites that can fly – these are the reproductives, a type of termite specifically tasked with spreading the colony to new homes.

A termite colony will start producing reproductives once it has reached a certain level of maturity, usually about three years of development. The reproductives will fly to new locations to mate and find a new place to proliferate. After they mate, the male reproductive sheds its wings. Finding discarded termite wings or living winged termites in your home could be a sign that there is a termite colony thriving somewhere in the wooden structure of your house. If you think you might have a termite problem, let your local pest control company know.

Termites vs Flying Ants

It’s easy to mistake termites with their less destructive friends, flying ants. Here are three indicators that the flying insects that you’re seeing are termites, and not ants:

  1. Their appearance: Termite swarmers have longer wings, but shorter limbs and antennae. Flying ants will usually be larger – termite sizes vary by species, but some, like the Eastern subterranean termite, are as small as 10mm long.
  2. Signs in your house: If you’ve noticed damaged or hollow-sounding wood anywhere in your house, those flying insects in your house are most likely termites. Contact a local termite exterminator to assess the extent of the damage.
  3. Signs in your yard: If a subterranean termite colony is swarming near you, look out for tunnels on the surface of your yard. These are called mud tubes, and they are the paths that subterranean termites take from their nests to nearby food sources.

Other Flying Insects

The flying bugs around your house might not be termites or flying ants! Plenty of different winged insects reemerge around springtime, so you could be dealing with:

Visit our pest identification library for help narrowing down what kind of pests you’re dealing with.

Professional Pest Control in Baton Rouge LA

If you’re ready to get rid of the flying insects in your Louisiana home, it’s time to ask your local extermination experts at Dugas Pest Control for help. Our employees are trained to specialize on pests that commonly plague the Baton Rouge area. Over decades of service, we’ve helped loads of families rid their homes of pests with environmentally-friendly tactics. Reach out today for a free quote!