10 best pest control companies in Lakewood, Washington

Pests commonly seen in Lakewood are flies, mice and rats. Taking preventative measures on your own can help you stop pest problems, but calling a pest control company is advisable if you have an existing infestation. These pest control professionals in Lakewood can pinpoint the problem and treat it safely and effectively.

Pests that infest your property put your home and family in danger. Insects and small animals can spread disease, damage your home's structure and contaminate food.

Hiring pest control pros can substantially reduce the risk of an infestation. These specialists identify infestation hot spots and create personalized treatment plans that could include plugging cracks, using traps or spraying chemicals. The right pest treatment can take care of your pest problem for the long term.

Find the best local pest control company for you in Lakewood

Look for pest control companies in Lakewood with at least 3.5 out of 5 stars on Google Reviews and a good rating on Better Business Bureau (BBB). Use the filters below to help you find the right company for your needs.

What are common pests in Lakewood?

Different pests infest different areas. If you suspect you have an infestation, here are some signs of common pests in the Lakewood area:

• Mice: If mice have infiltrated your home, you might see one darting by or find droppings around the size of a grain of rice. Mice often damage furniture and have a distinct musky scent. They make nests with foraged materials and shredded fibers, and favor tight areas, so you may hear them in your walls and ceilings.
• Flies: Flies often buzz around homes in the summer, but a noticeable increase could mean an infestation. Fly droppings look like black specks and are often found in around trash, sink drains and high shelves. Another sign of an infestation is seeing maggots, which are fly larvae, in waste.
• Ants: Your home could be invaded by various ant types. Carpenter ants nest in wood, while fire ants like oily food scraps. Both bite, unlike pavement ants, which also commonly get into homes. Ant trails inside your home signal larger infestations are nearby.
• Fleas: Fleas typically target pets. Your pet may have fleas if it scratches itself often and has black dots on its skin. While fleas don't live on human skin or hair, they do jump up and bite people, particularly around the ankles. Fleas can also carry various diseases, including the bubonic plague.
• Moths: Clothes moths and pantry moths often invade homes. Clothes moths consume wool and cotton garments, leaving silky furrows, tunnels, trenches and small tubes behind, which are larvae casings. Pantry moths puncture in plastic food bags and leave a webbed residue in the corners of your pantry. Fermented sugar, light and ripe fruit all attract moths.
• Termites: Termites eat and nest in wood. You may have a termite infestation if you have spots in your walls that sound hollow when you knock on them, or if you see termite swarms, mud tubes, cracked or bubbling paint or droppings.
• Rats: Signs of rats include seeing a rat, finding droppings about half an inch long or hearing scurrying in your walls or ceiling. Rats can nibble through walls, doors and food packaging to create more entry points for themselves.

How can you prevent pests in your Lakewood home?

While an infestation will typically require professional extermination, the best way to avoid pest infestations is to take preventative measures.

Schedule regular preventative pest control

Left uncontrolled, insects and vermin can significantly harm your home and well-being. Discuss preventive options with a pest control company to stop infestations before they start. Experts may suggest that you set traps, seal gaps or apply pesticides in specific areas.

Cover, seal or eliminate food sources

Because pests usually seek out food sources, limiting their food access will prevent them from invading your home. Place food at least half a foot above floor level and slightly away from walls. Be sure to keep food storage areas, sinks and counters clean and disinfected when not in use. Dispose of food scraps and other garbage regularly, and keep the areas around trash cans and dumpsters clean.

Keep up with yard maintenance

Tall grass, trash, standing water and leaves create ideal habitats for insects and small animals. Maintaining a debris-free yard and regularly mowing your lawn and trimming foliage are among the easiest ways to prevent an infestation from taking hold. Should you need expert lawn care assistance, look into whether national lawn care companies such as TruGreen service your location.

Seal off pest entrances

Closing off small access points will help keep insects and small animals from invading your home. Rats can maneuver through holes as tiny as half-inch in diameter. Inspect your roof and siding for holes, and be sure to seal off damaged window frames. Some pest control companies specialize in keeping pests out.

What are questions to ask your pest control provider?

Ask the following questions to make sure you get a pest control professional that can handle your specific needs.

Are your technicians properly licensed and insured?

Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the use of pest control chemicals. Moreover, the EPA requires restricted-use pesticide applicators and their supervisors to hold certifications according to the agency's standards and the laws of the affected states, territories and tribes.

Those using pesticides in Washington must earn a Commercial or Private Applicator License from the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

What treatment schedule do you recommend?

The treatment plan a pest professional recommends will vary based on the severity of the infestation, the specific treatment method, the location of the property and the particular pest type. In most cases, pest control companies advise against relying on a one-time treatment to get rid of household pests, as there will likely be insects at different stages of their life cycles that may have laid eggs in hard-to-find locations.

Pest pros typically suggest recurring treatments, some of which may only occur during the warmer months, while others are year-round. They may also suggest bimonthly or quarterly preventative treatments to stop an infestation before it starts.

How long will it take to get rid of pests?

How long it will take for your pest problem to go away depends on the infestation type and severity and the insect's life cycle. When the pest control professional applies the first treatment, you may notice a decrease in activity, but pests can return after they hatch, requiring additional treatments. You may also notice increased activity after the first treatment, as it can drive pests from hiding places. Luckily, this should decrease within a few days.

Can I remain in my home during pest control treatments?

You should be able to remain in your home for certain portions of the pest control treatment, such as sealing holes and cracks. Should your service provider use a pesticide, you'll most likely need to leave your home along with your family and pets while you wait for the pesticide to dry. This typically takes a few hours.

Certain pest control treatments can take a while. For termite fumigation, the pest control company erects a tent over your entire home for three days to apply the pesticide. You'll have to vacate your home during this process.

Are your treatments safe for my family and pets?

A service professional will know how much of a particular product to use, how long it takes to dry and when children and pets can safely return to the area that's been treated. Before applying any treatment, they should educate you on what you must remove from the affected space, such as food, plants and animals.

Do you offer any “green” pest control methods?

Some pest control providers offer green solutions for treating infestations. This means they use products with a lower environmental impact than traditional methods. Some examples of eco-friendly pest control include sealing up gaps for pests, setting catch-and-release traps for rodents, and using pesticides derived from organic ingredients.

What do I do if pests come back?

Most pest control providers offer guarantees and warranties should pests reappear before a specified date. Some companies may provide a single treatment, while others offer continuous service to address recurring pest issues. Discuss the available options with your pest control expert.

Our methodology for selecting pest control companies

The Homefront Local team employs a proprietary scoring algorithm that evaluates companies based on key factors you value, such as average customer review ratings and trustworthiness indicators. Our method for determining trust involves a comparative analysis of the number of reviews a company receives compared to its local competitors. This leads to companies that have earned more trust from your local community being awarded a higher score. We review national pest control companies against our full pest control methodology. We score pest control companies based on service options, safety and certifications, service guarantees and customer service.