4 Best Pest Control Companies

Hiring a pest control company can be a smart decision for a homeowner, whether you discovered a severe termite infestation in your home’s foundation or you just want some peace of mind that your home is free of any creepy-crawlies frightening you or causing damage.

We listened to more than 100 customer service call recordings from top pest control providers and analyzed hundreds of customer reviews from third-party websites to determine the most important concerns of real-life customers. We then researched dozens of brands, secret-shopped for their pest control plans, and compared them on those concerns to determine which ones offer the best pest control services.

The 4 Top Professional Pest Control Companies

Here are four top pest control companies to consider:

• Terminix
• Orkin
• Bulwark Exterminating
• Hawx Pest Control

Terminix

Fast Facts:

• Reservice Guarantee: Yes
• State Availability: 45 states (not in Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont)
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit Terminix site or call 866-569-4035

Upsides and Downsides of Terminix

What Terminix Covers

Terminix offers a general pest control plan that includes quarterly visits by a technician, an initial inspection and treatment, a guarantee with free off-schedule reservices if pests come back between treatments, and the ability to pay quarterly or monthly, depending on your preference. It also provides a one-time pest control service that includes a comprehensive interior and exterior inspection and treatment with a 30-day reservice guarantee.

If you have a termite infestation, Terminix also offers three plan options for termite treatments: the Basic Termite Plan, Advanced Termite Plan, and Premium Termite Plan. They each come with a variety of guarantees and custom treatment plans based on your home’s needs. You can also get specialized treatments for bed bugs, mosquitoes, ticks, and wildlife, if you have those specific infestations in your home or yard.

Covered Pests:

• Bed bugs
• Centipedes
• Cockroaches
• Crickets
• Earwigs
• House ants
• Mice
• Millipedes
• Mosquitoes
• Moths
• Rats
• Scorpions
• Silverfish
• Spiders
• Termites
• Ticks
• Wasps
• Wildlife

What Homeowner Reviews Say

We read 100 recent customer reviews on Google Reviews for multiple Terminix locations, and we found that more than 80% of those customers were satisfied with the service. Many homeowners mentioned positive experiences with their local technician’s communication and thorough service. On the other hand, a small number of negative experiences referenced no-shows and scheduling conflicts.

Orkin

Fast Facts:

• Reservice Guarantee: Yes
• State Availability: 47 states (not in Alaska, South Dakota, Wyoming)
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit Orkin site or call 877-544-4104

Upsides and Downsides of Orkin

What Orkin Covers

Orkin’s general home pest control provides preventative and targeted treatments against common household pests, such as rodents, ants, beetles, and cockroaches. Based on the secret shopping we performed during our research, the general pest control plan typically comes with bi-monthly visits in addition to a thorough initial visit and treatment, and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and free off-schedule return visits.

Orkin also offers termite treatments for your home using termidor liquid treatments to build a protective barrier around your home; OrkinFoam dry foam treatments to help get to those hard-to-reach locations in walls, ducts, and piping; and the Sentricon baiting and monitoring methods, which attack termite nests in your home and can eliminate entire colonies. Orkin’s termite control also comes with follow-up service and the Orkin Guarantee, offering free return visits and refunds up to 30 days after your treatment.

Covered Pests:

• Ants
• Bed bugs
• Beetles
• Centipedes
• Cockroaches
• Crickets
• Earwigs
• Fleas
• Flies
• Millipedes
• Mites
• Mosquitoes
• Moths
• Rodents
• Silverfish
• Spiders
• Stinging insects
• Termites
• Ticks
• Wildlife

What Homeowner Reviews Say

After analyzing more than 100 recent reviews from multiple Orkin locations on Google Reviews, we found that the overall feedback was positive with existing customers, with only a few negative reviews commonly mentioning issues regarding their technician arriving late or not showing up during the scheduled time. However, many positive reviews reflect an opposite experience, mentioning the technicians’ experience and knowledge in addition to timeliness and good communication.

Read More: Orkin Review (2022)

Bulwark Exterminating

Fast Facts:

• Reservice Guarantee: Yes
• State Availability: 15 states (view a full list of Bulwark locations)

Upsides and Downsides of Bulwark

What Bulwark Covers

Bulwark is a family-owned and -operated business covering a range of common household pests with its general pest control plan. Its plan comes with bi-monthly treatments to the interior and exterior of your home for prevention of a wide range of common pests. It offers a 100% money-back guarantee, free return visits, and a no-show policy that ensures your technician will arrive in your allotted time window or your next service will be free of charge.

Additionally, Bulwark offers a mosquito treatment plan and specialized termite control. The mosquito treatments are seasonal and performed each month between April and October with a guarantee of free reservices between those periods. Bulwark’s termite treatments are customized to your home’s specific infestation during a termite inspection, and they can include baiting, monitoring, and spraying around your home to build a protective barrier.

Covered Pests:

• Ants
• Beetles
• Centipedes
• Cockroaches
• Crickets
• Earwigs
• Fire ants
• Fleas
• Grasshoppers
• Millipedes
• Mites
• Mosquitoes
• Pill bugs
• Rodents
• Silverfish
• Spiders
• Springtails
• Termites
• Wasps

What Homeowner Reviews Say

Based on the 100 most recent customer service reviews we read on Bulwark’s Google Reviews pages for multiple locations, more than 90% of homeowners express their satisfaction with their home’s pest control service. While most reviews we analyzed were positive, often praising individual technicians on their knowledge and care for the homes they service, a few negative comments did mention ineffective initial treatments.

Hawx Pest Control

Fast Facts:

• Reservice Guarantee: Yes
• State Availability: 12 states (view a full list of Hawx locations)
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit Hawx site or call 818-273-1741

Upsides and Downsides of Hawx

What Hawx Covers

Hawx offers the residential Home Service Plan for ongoing, general pest control treatments to your home. Depending on your preference, you can customize your Home Service Plan by choosing between quarterly or bi-monthly schedules. In addition to the initial visit, the quarterly plan comes with four services per year, and the bi-monthly plan comes with six services. They both provide a reservice guarantee with free return visits between scheduled visits if pests come back.

Hawx also offers the Mosquito Abatement Plan, which includes monthly treatments during peak season, free reservices, and a satisfaction guarantee. You can hire Hawx for specialized termite control treatments, as well, that include the Advance Termite Bait System. This system strategically places monitoring stations in the ground around your home, then places bait in areas with the most termite activity. Your Hawx technician may also recommend other methods customized to your home.

Covered Pests:

• Ants
• Bed bugs
• Bees
• Cockroaches
• Hornets
• Mosquitoes
• Rodents
• Spiders
• Termites
• Ticks
• Wasps
• Wood-destroying insects
• And more

What Homeowner Reviews Say

We analyzed 100 recent reviews on multiple Hawx locations’ Google Reviews pages to get a sense of common likes and dislikes about the service from existing customers. We found that around 90% of the reviews were positive, highlighting the company’s same-day service, informative technicians, and the service’s effectiveness. However, some complaints express dissatisfaction with cancellation costs and having to pay extra for German cockroaches, which are usually included by other companies’ plans.

Our Recommendation

Although Terminix scored the highest in our review for its combination of impressive customer service availability, convenient online pricing details, and overall positive reputation, other providers may make more sense based on your needs, such as Orkin for its long tenure in the industry or Bulwark’s impressive guarantees.

Regardless of which company you’re leaning toward for your pest control service, we recommend getting quotes from at least three providers, since offered services, scheduling, and pricing can vary depending on your location and home’s size.

What to Expect From Professional Pest Control

Hiring a pest control company for the first time can feel like a daunting process, especially if you’re in a hurry to get your pest problem eradicated. Fortunately, these top providers try to make the experience stress-free. Be prepared for the following topics and questions to come up with the representative when you call:

• Cost and pricing. When you speak with a representative on the phone, they may offer a free quote with estimated pricing for general pest control services and discuss payment options, such as monthly or annual billing. However, in some cases pricing and cost can change depending on your home’s size and level of infestation, but the technician should inform you during their initial inspection of any additional charges that may be required for your treatments.

• Types of pests and treatments. If you’re looking for general preventative pest control services, you may not know exactly which types of pests to look out for, but if you’re looking for a targeted solution to a specific infestation of a common pest type in your home, such as cockroaches, ants, or rodents, you should let the company know. Additionally, if you need specialty treatments against particularly severe pest issues, such as termites or bed bugs, your treatment and pricing can be considerably different from general pest control services.

• Scheduling your first appointment. You should be ready with some preferred dates and times on your schedule for the first treatment, since they’ll speak with you about scheduling during your initial call. If you’re looking to have a technician out to your property as quickly as possible, they may be able to provide same-day service upon request, so let the company know if your issue is urgent.

• Initial inspection and treatment. Once your first visit is scheduled, your local technician will visit your home during the allotted time frame for a full inspection of your property and comprehensive initial treatment. This is the perfect time to ask questions about your home’s level of infestation, specific treatment type, any pricing changes that may be required, and the technician’s overall recommendations for keeping your home pest-free and comfortable.
• Service guarantees. Before choosing your professional pest control service, you should be aware of any guarantees they offer to ensure your satisfaction. All of these brands provide a free reservice guarantee, meaning your technician will return to your home for additional service between normal scheduled visits if pests come back after treatment. Some providers, such as Orkin and Bulwark, also offer money-back guarantees for a refund of the service if you’re dissatisfied.
  

  ---

Is Professional Pest Control Worth It?

If you have a pest problem growing into an infestation, you’ll need to act quickly to eradicate it. While there are some do-it-yourself solutions you may want to try, hiring a professional exterminator may be your best option. 

Some invading pests, such as cockroaches or flies, can often be handled with a thorough cleaning of your kitchen or DIY traps, but other pests such as bed bugs and termites can cause severe damage to your health or your property. These creepy-crawlies may need specialty treatments to be thoroughly ridded from your home before the infestation gets worse, such as bed bug steam treatments and termite baiting and monitoring.

Additionally, some DIY solutions such as foggers, fumigations, and chemical sprays can be dangerous to you, your family, and your pets living in your home if not used with the proper safety precautions. Professional exterminators can use their knowledge of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to identify chemical-free treatment methods whenever possible, and they know how to safely apply pest control products to your home when they’re necessary.

Even if you don’t currently have a pest problem, hiring a pest control service for preventative service and maintenance of your home’s barriers can be a worthwhile investment into your peace of mind, keeping you happy and comfortable in your home without worrying about that frightening feeling when you spot a spider on your shower wall or a cockroach scurrying out of your cabinet.

How We Chose the Top Pest Control Companies

Our pest control research process starts with combining takeaways from a deep analysis of more than 1,000 customer reviews on third-party websites, such as Yelp, Google Reviews, Best Company, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and listening to more than 100 customer service call recordings from large pest control brands.

From there, we compile a list of important factors that commonly come up in that customer feedback, build out a scoring tool based on those factors, and analyze each company to find how they stack up against each other. For instance, companies that offer more guarantees for their service earned more points than others, and pest control plans with a larger range of covered pests earned more points than ones with fewer.

After analyzing dozens of residential and commercial pest control businesses through this process, we were able to determine the best pest control companies on the market that offer services in a wide range of states across the country to help our readers find the best professional near them.