Home Sense; Thursday, June 23, Noon ET
Washingtonpost.com

Byline: Mike McClintock

Have questions about how to keep your home fit and trim?

Home Sense columnist Mike McClintock is online every other Thursday at Noon ET to answer your questions about home building, remodeling, repairs and the wide range of home-consumer issues. If it has something to do with the place where you live -- from home security to the latest on appliances, energy-saving and a lot more -- just ask. Mike has the answers.

McClintock's column appears in the Post Home section every Thursday. He is the author of 10 books, including "Alternative Housebuilding."

The transcript follows.

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washingtonpost.com: Here is Mike's latest column:Home SenseBy Mike McClintockChecking into Professional Pest ControlAs summer heats up, bugs of every description come out of the woodwork-or eat into it. To halt the invasion you could try home remedies such asspreading boric acid for roaches or setting traps for mice. But many people turn toprofessionals, with mixed results.To start with, don't be looking through the phone book for anexterminator. That highly descriptive term has gone the way of garbage man (sanitationengineer) and mattress salesman (trained bedding consultant). Now it's pestcontrol operator, or PCO.You'll want to consider basic consumer issues of payments and guaranteeswhen you deal with them, and check with local consumer agencies and the BetterBusiness Bureau. Because health issues are involved, also use the sourcesbelow to gather more information about the people, pests and pesticides inquestion.Professional servicesOn the positive side, professional pest control is a $6.5 billion dollarbusiness with revenues growing at almost six percent annually, according tothe Fairfax-based National Pest Management Association.That growth is explained by research conducted by the association. Itfound that 24 percent of consumers believe the risks associated with pestinfestations have increased, and that 72 percent believe professional services aremore effective than DIY products.But a study of area firms by Consumers' Checkbook (checkbook.org) found awide range of service satisfaction and an even wider range of prices.* Ratings. Some 15 area firms were rated superior for overall performanceby more than 80 percent of surveyed customers, but 17 others were rated thatway by fewer than 40 percent.* Prices. For a single visit, some firms charged $125 or less, whileothers charged $250 or more. For providing the paperwork required with termiteinspections in real estate transactions, charges ranged from $15 to $175.* Approaches. Checkbook found that different firms have very differentstrategies for treating pest problems. For instance, some use poisonous bait,which confines the exposure of toxins, while other favor sprays.* Services. Some pest control firms provide one-time treatments forspecific problems. Others push service contracts and repeated visits- and won't dobusiness any other way. The obvious drawback: you could pay a monthly fee evenif initial treatments take care of the problem.* Staff. You want a certified pest control operator to do the job. Allfirms should have at least one- someone who has passed a state test to qualifyas a certified pest control applicator. But some firms price the job with theirmost qualified candidate and then send employees who are not certified to dothe work.* Guarantees. Checkbook reports that firms offer guarantees ranging induration from 30 days to six months. For termite control, most offer a one-yearguarantee with extended coverage for an extra fee- generally one year at atime with an annual inspection included. Re-treatment is generally covered, butonly some guarantees also cover the repair of property damaged by furtherinfestations.Checkbook doesn't take a position on extended warranties- a thorny issuethat arises with many consumer products and services. It's standard with titleinsurance (against a faulty search of real estate ownership), and has becomea common sales pitch to enhance the coverage on new cars.On one hand, it's nice to have the protection- just in case there isanother infestation. On the other hand, when a pest control firm sets the price todeal with a problem, why should you need to pay extra?I'd rather pay for products and services that do what they are supposedto do- without an extra charge as a hedge against failure. Taken another way,when a company pushes or even insists on a contract that protects against badwork, I figure I've got the wrong company.Information SourcesThese sources will help you check on pest control companies, and provideinformation about pesticides and other treatments. Some help in very practicalways- like where to set traps after discovering that mice live close to theirfood supply and often spend their entire lives within a 20-foot radius.* Maryland Cooperative Extension-Home and Garden Information Center;hgic.umd.edu* Virginia Cooperative Extension; ext.vt.edu* Virginia Department of Agriculture Pesticide Regulation Service;vdacs.state.va.us/pesticides* California's Integrated Pest Management Program; ipm.ucdavis.edu.* National Pest Management Association; pestworld.org* Consumers' Checkbook; checkbook.org* Council of Better Business Bureaus; bbb.orgFinally, my main reference- the best book by far that I've found on pestcontrol- is Common-Sense Pest Control by William Olkowski (Taunton Press;1991; 715 pages). It's clear, detailed, well illustrated and adopts a least-toxicapproach within a sensible and practical system of integrated pest management.Try the library as the, back then, $40 book seems to have been replacedon the Taunton list by a much shorter paperback related only to pest control ingardens.NOTE: The Home Sense column will be posted here online next week, andevery week, while the chats continue every other Thursday at noon. Check theonline schedule and I'll see you then.