Added on January 16, 2023
How Does Critter Control Differ From Pest Control?
One of the big shifts in our industry over the last few twenty to thirty years has been the emergence of critter control or wildlife control as it's own industry. Historically most animal problems were ignored, dealt with by homeowners or contracted to small companies that dabbled in the industry. Conversely, the pest control industry has been around for more than 100 years, is dominated by multi-billion dollar international corporations and has been well regulated for a long time. Pest Control programs are often designed as mostly preventative services whereas critter control is more of an "as-needed" service that is provided only when an existing problem becomes apparent.
Both industries (pest control and critter control) commonly deal with "commensal rodents" - rats and mice. The approach we take is for the most part very different. Although pest control companies are more and more commonly practicing "exclusion" where we identify and seal entry points, their programs are often based around a long term approach where they trap existing animals, seal some entry points and tell you to call them back when the problem shows up again. Critter control companies typically take a long term approach. Our method sees us remove the animals, seal the entry points - both active and potential - and clean up infested spaces to remove territorial scent markings. Another difference is in the animal we deal with. Many pest control companies don't touch anything other than insects, or if they do it's limited to rats and mice. Most critter control companies catch everything else from rats, mice and squirrels to snakes, raccoons, bats and armadillos. The other major difference is in the quality of work. We have spent many years practicing nothing but wildlife removal and improving the quality of our exclusion methods. As a result our repairs are typically. neater, cleaner and more effective than those performed by a pest control company.
In it's essence the main difference between critter control and pest control, when applied to rats and mice is the wildlife industry takes a more long term approach where we'll remove the animals and do all we can to ensure they don't return. The pest industry is more of a short term program that doesn't solve the root cause of the problem.
Dr. Critter has been practicing wildlife control for a long time in many different circumstances. We're good at what we do, offer the strongest warranty in the industry and are confident we can resolve your animal problem as efficiently as possible.
