· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Pest Control
Type “exterminator Nashville” and you get the same companies as “pest control Nashville.” The word is older and it stuck: people call the exterminator when they find droppings in a drawer or ants along the counter, and companies like ours mostly call themselves pest control. Nobody publishes a rule that separates the two names; the difference is in what the visit consists of now. Here is what an exterminator does today, why the first visit spends so long looking, and what to ask before you let anyone treat your house for general pest control.
Is an exterminator different from a pest control company?
No, they are two names for the same trade. Exterminator is the plain word most people grew up with, and pest control is what most firms put on the truck. Neither word is a separate category of work, and the agency that licenses this trade in Tennessee does not use the word exterminator on its licensing page at all.
Where the older word can mislead is in what it suggests: that the job is to kill everything in sight. That is not how the work is meant to go now, and it is not how we do it. The method the EPA describes for homes as well as farms is integrated pest management, and it puts identification and judgment ahead of any product.
What does an exterminator do?
An exterminator finds out what the pest is, why it is there and how many there are, and only then treats, with the narrowest method that works. The EPA’s integrated pest management principles lay out four steps, and each one has a plain meaning inside a house.
- Set an action threshold. The EPA says that seeing a single pest does not always mean control is needed. One cricket in the garage is not the same problem as roaches in the kitchen at noon.
- Monitor and identify. Not every insect needs control, and the EPA notes that many are harmless and some are useful. Getting the identification right keeps a product from being used when it is not needed, or the wrong one being used.
- Prevent. Before treating, the house is looked at for what lets pests in and keeps them there: gaps around pipes and doors, moisture, food and clutter.
- Control. When treatment is needed, the less risky, targeted methods come first, such as baits and traps placed where the pest travels. In the EPA’s words, broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort.
Which name to search, and what to ask
Search whichever word you like; what matters is the company behind it. A Tennessee company that applies pesticides for hire must hold a pest control charter from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, with a licensee for each kind of work it offers and technicians certified in the matching category, the structural one being C07 in the University of Tennessee’s pesticide safety education program. How to check that charter, and what a service agreement should spell out, is in our post on pest control contracts.
Beyond the paperwork, the questions that tell you how a company works are the same four steps turned around. What do you think this pest is, and how sure are you? Why do you think they are here? What will you treat, where, and with what kind of product? When will you come back to see whether it worked? A company that cannot answer the first question before it sprays is skipping the step the rest depends on.
What to tell us when you call
The more you can tell us about what you saw, the better the first visit goes. Note what it looked like, where you found it, what time of day, and whether you saw one or a steady stream; a photo, even a blurry one, helps with identification. Ants are a good example of why: the kind of ant decides whether the answer is a bait, a sealed gap or a moisture problem, which our post on ants in the house walks through.
Our technicians work this way in Nashville, Brentwood and across Middle Tennessee. Tell us what you found and where, and the inspection comes before any treatment or price.
Sources
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Principles — Four steps: action thresholds, monitor and identify, prevention, control; a single sighting does not always mean control is needed; many organisms need no control; targeted, less risky controls first; broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort.
- Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Certification, Licensing and Charters — A company offering custom pesticide application must hold a pest control charter for each location; at least one licensee in each category of service offered; technicians under a licensee must be commercially certified in the corresponding category; General Pest and Rodent Control requires C07 certification.
- University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Pesticide Safety Education Program, Commercial Applicator — Commercial applicators apply for a fee under a licensed pest control operator; certification requires a core exam and a category exam; C07 covers industrial, institutional, structural and health-related pest control.
FAQ
Exterminator or Pest Control Company: The Difference — questions
Is an exterminator the same as pest control?
Yes. Exterminator is the older, everyday word, and pest control company is what most firms call themselves today; both describe the same licensed trade. What has changed is the method: identify the pest first, decide whether there are enough to act on, prevent, and treat with targeted methods before anything broad.
Should I call an exterminator for a few ants?
Not always. The EPA’s pest management principles say a single sighting does not always mean control is needed. A few ants after rain may stop on their own once food and water are put away. A steady trail, ants nesting indoors or ants that come back after cleaning are worth a call.
Do exterminators still spray the whole house?
A careful one rarely does. Under the integrated pest management approach the EPA describes, targeted, less risky controls such as baits and traps come first, and broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort. Treatment goes where the pest lives and travels, after it has been identified.
Why does an exterminator inspect before treating?
Because the treatment depends on what the pest is and why it is there. The EPA notes that many insects need no control at all, and that identifying pests accurately keeps a pesticide from being used when it is not needed, or the wrong one being used. A good inspection often finds the entry point too.
Do exterminators need to come back after the first treatment?
Usually, yes. Monitoring is one of the four steps in the EPA’s integrated pest management principles, and a follow-up visit is how a technician learns whether the treatment worked or whether the pest needs a different approach. How often depends on the pest and what the first visit found.