Mosquitoes, spiders, ants…oh my! When pests invade your home, it can really feel like you’ve been to war. But with the right pest control company at your disposal, victory is easy.
USA TODAY researched the top 15 pest control companies in the United States and created a list of the top six pest control companies that exterminate everything from the smallest bed bugs to the largest wild animals.
Which pest control is best?
The best pest control companies are Orkin and Terminix. Both companies operate nationwide and can exterminate everything from ants and ticks to termites and bedbugs.
However, the right pest control company will depend on your home, location, pests, and budget. This means that one of the other companies on our best list may be a better fit.
best pest control company
- Orkin Pest Control: Ideal for general pest control
- Terminal: Ideal for termite extermination
- Proper pest control: Ideal for environmentally friendly pest control
- Viking Pest Control: Best service guarantee
- mosquito joe: Ideal for exterminating mosquitoes and ticks.
- Creature control: Ideal for wildlife control
Why trust USA TODAY?
The USA TODAY review team conducts all research in-house and vets all companies featured on our ranking list. We call customer service, get real quotes, and comb through customer reviews to truly understand what these pest control companies have to offer.
Orkin Pest Control: Great for general pest control
- Average cost: $50 to $80 per month
- Top pests: Crawling pests, flying pests, rodents, termites, bed bugs, stinging pests
Orkin Pest Control is well known in the pest control world, and for good reason. General pest control services are performed quarterly and treat over 20 common household pests, including ants, cockroaches, beetles, fleas, and ticks.
Each treatment comes with a 60-day service guarantee that guarantees re-treatment if your pest problem returns. To work with Orkin, all technicians must complete 160 hours of training, so each provider you visit is a certified pest specialist.
Strong Points:
- 125 years of pest control experience
- Over 400 locations nationwide
- Certified technicians who have completed 160 hours of training
- Providing general pest control, specialized pest services, and home services.
Cons:
- There is no free inspection, but estimates are free.
- Specialized pest management can be expensive
- Quality of service may vary depending on branch location
Terminix: Ideal for termite extermination
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- Average cost: $40-$70
- Top pests: Termites, crawling pests, biting pests, rodents, flying pests, bed bugs
Although Terminix is best known for termite control, we also offer general pest control and home insulation services.
If termites are eating away at your home, give Terminix a call. Our trained technicians will perform a free inspection to determine the extent of the damage, eliminate the termite colony, and develop a plan to prevent termite infestations from recurring. Terminix also offers an annual termite prevention plan (PestFree365+) that can prevent up to 39 common pests from taking over your home.
Strong Points:
- Experienced termite extermination experts
- Up to $250,000 in termite damage repair coverage on eligible plans
- Nearly 100 years of pest control experience
- We also offer residential services such as attic insulation and subfloor space encapsulation.
Cons:
- Quality of service may vary by branch
- Some pest species excluded from general pest control plans
Proper Pest Control: Best for eco-friendly pest control
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- Average cost: $50/month
- Top pests: Ants, spiders, cockroaches, wasps, rats, mice, centipedes, crickets, earwigs, silverfish, mites, fleas, millipedes and other common household pests
Aptive pest control is a child, pet, and eco-friendly pest control company that offers three different annual plans: Basic, Pro, and Premium. Each of these plans includes seasonal pest control in advance of pest activity, while professional and premium treatments occur more frequently during peak pest season. Treatments start at $49, a bargain compared to the cost of regular pest control treatments, which cost nearly three times as much.
Aptive focuses primarily on outdoor pests. Pro and Premium services include pantry pests, but you’ll have to pay extra for other specialized pest control, such as rodents.
Strong Points:
- We focus on environmentally friendly pest control methods.
- Available nationwide
- Free re-treatment guarantee if target pests return between scheduled treatments
Cons:
- We do not treat bed bugs.
- Wildlife management services are generally not provided
- Rodent removal usually requires a separate professional service
Viking Pest Control: Best Service Guarantee
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- Average cost: $55 per month
- Top pests: Ants, rats, mice, cockroaches, spiders, termites, mosquitoes, ticks, biting insects, centipedes, earwigs, paper fish, fleas, etc.
What sets Viking Pest Control apart from our competitors is our service guarantee. An active home pest prevention plan entitles you to unlimited free service requests for covered pests. So if the pests return during treatment, you’ll be covered right away.
Viking Pest Control’s Anticimex SMART pest control system is an environmentally friendly system that tracks mouse activity. By monitoring your home 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, we can predict and prevent rodent intrusion. This is different from what our competitors offer.
If you live in the Northeast, it’s worth giving Viking Pest Control a call. However, homeowners in other areas will need to look elsewhere for pest control services.
Strong Points:
- Top plan covers up to 72 pests
- Unlimited free service calls between scheduled visits
- Mosquito, tick and termite coverage can be included in premium plans
Cons:
- Limited service area (primarily available in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland)
- Preventive visits occur quarterly
Mosquito Joe: Perfect for killing mosquitoes and ticks
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- Average cost: $80 to $100 per month
- Top pests: Mosquitoes, flies, gnats, ticks
Mosquitoes can ruin even the most beautiful summer day. Mosquito Joe is a pest control company that keeps mosquitoes away. During mosquito season, Mosquito Joe sprays your yard every three weeks to turn your backyard into a paradise for summer BBQs, pool days, and bonfires.
Mosquito Jaw treatments don’t just cover mosquitoes. It also keeps dust mites away. And with the worst tick season ever predicted, this treatment is more important than ever.
Strong Points:
- Specializes in mosquito control
- Providers offering tick and fly treatment services
- Comes every 3 weeks during the summer
Cons:
- We do not provide general pest control services.
- Few professional pest control services available
Creature Removal: Ideal for wildlife removal
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- Average cost: Not applicable, quote required
- Top pests: Wildlife such as rodents, squirrels, and bats
Critter Control is exactly that. Get rid of unwanted wild animals that have settled in your home. Critter Control offers specialized pest control plans to get rid of raccoons, squirrels, rats, mice, bats, and more.
This company does not offer general pest control services like the other providers on our list, instead focusing entirely on wildlife services.
Strong Points:
- We also provide rat and mouse extermination.
- We provide wildlife removal that most pest control companies don’t offer
- Available nationwide
Cons:
- There is no general pest control plan
- You need to get a professional quote for the price.
Do I need a pest control company?
DIY pest control can be effective to some extent, but in the case of large-scale pest infestations or nuisance pests like termites or bed bugs, you should call in the professionals. They have the knowledge, experience, and equipment to deal with pest problems quickly.
Pest control companies know how to exterminate pests and prevent them from returning, which can prevent serious problems like structural damage to your home and the spread of disease.
What to expect from a pest control company
When choosing a pest control company, you should keep the following points in mind:
- Fee: Most pest control companies charge a fee based on their processing fee, so you end up paying a fee each time you receive pest control services. pest control cost $40 to $80 per month or $80 to $160 per treatmenton average. Choose a company that fits your budget.
- Pest specialist services: Not all exterminators can exterminate all pests. For convenience, if you want all your pests covered by the same company, choose a provider that covers all the major pests in your area. Wildlife such as fleas, termites, bed bugs, and bats are also common.
- Treatment frequency: Most pest control companies offer quarterly treatments, while others offer monthly or bimonthly treatments during high pest seasons (such as spring and summer).
- Service guarantee: A service guarantee is one of the most important features to look for in a pest control company. Most providers will set back your yard for free between services, but some have a 30-day limit on reprocessing.
- Customer service: When you have a pest problem, what you have to deal with is withholding. For the best experience, choose a provider with positive reviews and solid customer service.
Pests commonly included in general pest control plans
Almost all common pests are included in the average pest control plan. Pests you are likely to encounter include:
- crawling insects These include ants (though fire ants may be redundant), cockroaches, silverfish, centipedes, millipedes, earwigs, and crickets.
- Arachnids including spiders (the most common variety) and scorpions.
- rodent such as mice and rats.
- stinging insect Hornets, hornets, yellow hornets, honeybees, etc. (but this varies by provider)
Rodent coverage is a wild card. Some pest control companies include them in their general pest control, while others include them in higher-level plans or offer rat and rat control as an additional specialty service.
Special pest control plan
Unfortunately, the most difficult pests to get rid of are often left out of typical pest control plans. Pests such as fleas, termites, bed bugs, and wildlife infestations require professional treatment and prevention. Serious stinging insect infestations, such as wasps and carpenter bees, may require special plans that are not included in typical pest control services.
“If you have termites, they’re a pest that I highly recommend you don’t try to deal with on your own,” says Matt Smith, co-owner of Green Pest Management, a pest control company serving Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. “At the very least, get it checked by a professional to find out where the problem is and how serious the problem is.”
