10 best pest control companies in Ocean, New Jersey

Common pests such as ticks, flies and rats can regularly get into homes in Ocean. You can take action yourself to prevent potential pest problems, but you may need to reach out to a pest control company if you already have an infestation. A professional pest control service in Ocean can pinpoint, address and solve your pest problems.

Pest infestations pose risks to your home, family and pets. Insects and small animals can contaminate your food, cause irreversible damage to the structure of your home and spread disease.

Hiring a professional pest control company can decrease these risks. These specialists identify infestation hot spots and create personalized treatment plans that may include closing off entryways, using traps or applying chemicals. Once the right solution is administered, pests can be controlled for the long haul.

Find the best local pest control company for you in Ocean

Look for pest control companies in Ocean 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 Ocean?

While pests are everywhere, not all of them invade the same areas. The following pests are common in Ocean, and these are some signs of an infestation:

• Ticks: Ticks usually stay close to the ground outdoors, but they can easily enter your home on your pets, clothing or shoes. Once inside, a female tick will lay her eggs on curtains, in upholstery and in carpet fibers. You may also find nests along baseboards, in corners and even in the linings or pockets of clothing.
• Fleas: If you notice your pet has black flecks on its skin and it's scratching more than usual, you may have a flea problem. Although fleas can't live on human skin or hair, if you have an infestation, you'll often find red, itchy marks near your feet and ankles from them leaping up and biting. Fleas also transmit disease, such as the bubonic plague.
• Wasps: A surge of wasp activity, including frequent indoor appearances, may signal that there's a nest nearby. Wasp nests can be in trees or in your home, but they can also be underground, which you may not realize until you accidentally step on one. More hostile than bees, wasps readily swarm, so it's advisable not to attempt nest removal yourself. Seek assistance from pest management experts to take care of a wasp nest as they have the tools to do so safely.
• Moths: Clothes moths and pantry moths often invade homes. Clothes moths consume wool and cotton garments, leaving trenches, silky furrows, tunnels and small tubes behind, which are larvae casings. Pantry moths bore holes in plastic food bags and leave a webbed residue in the corners of your pantry. Fermented sugar, light and ripe fruit all attract moths.
• Flies: It's normal to find the occasional fly buzzing around your home during the summer months, but if you see more than usual, you could have an infestation. Flies leave waste that looks like clusters of black dots near sink drains, on high shelves and around trash. The presence of maggots, which are fly larvae, in trash or other food waste also suggests an infestation.
• 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 frequently infest homes. Ant trails inside your home indicate larger ant nests are nearby.

How can you prevent pests in your Ocean home?

While an infestation will usually require professional help, the best way to avoid pest infestations is to implement preventative steps.

Schedule regular preventative pest control

Bugs and small animals are troublesome and can cause significant damage to your home and health if left unchecked. Consult with a pest control company about taking proactive measures to keep pests from invading your home. They may recommend sealing gaps, setting traps or spraying the area with pesticides.

Cover, seal or eliminate food sources

Because pests usually seek out food sources, limiting their food access will discourage them from infesting your home. Place food at least six inches above floor level and slightly away from walls. Be sure to keep sinks, food storage areas and counters clean and sanitized 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, standing water, trash 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 entry points will prevent insects and small animals from coming inside. Rats, for example, can squeeze into holes as little as half an inch in diameter. Don't neglect gaps in your roof or siding, and remember to seal up broken window frames. Some pest control services specialize in pest prevention.

What are questions to ask your pest control provider?

To find a pest control service with the proper qualifications for your individual needs, ask the following questions during the hiring process.

Are your technicians properly licensed and insured?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the use of pest control chemicals under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. Additionally, the EPA requires restricted-use pesticide applicators and their supervisors to have certification in accordance with the agency and state, territorial and tribal laws.

New Jersy pest control professionals should be licensed through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Compliance & Enforcement, having completed 40 hours of training in order to earn a Commercial or Private Applicator License.

What treatment schedule do you recommend?

A pest specialist will make a treatment schedule based on the location of your property, type of treatment, type of pest and severity of the infestation. Pest control technicians typically discourage a single-treatment approach, as insects are often at different stages of their life cycles and may have laid eggs in hard-to-spot locations.

Pest specialists often suggest recurring treatments, some of which may be only done in the warmer months, while others occur across all seasons. As a proactive measure, they might also recommend preventive treatments every two or three months to stop infestations from developing.

How long will it take to get rid of pests?

How long it will take for your pest issue to go away depends on the type and severity of the infestation 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 see increased activity after the first treatment, as it can force pests out of hiding places. Luckily, this should subside within a few days.

Can I remain in my home during pest control treatments?

You should be able to stay in your home for some stages of the pest control treatment, such as when the professional is sealing holes and cracks. But if a pesticide is used, it may need hours to dry completely, and you'll have to leave the house while it dries.

Certain treatments can be especially time-consuming like termite fumigation. The pest control provider erects a tent around your home, which is left in place for three days to release the pesticide. During this period, you'll need to find alternative accommodations.

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 come back 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, animals and plants.

Do you offer any “green” pest control methods?

Some pest specialists offer environmentally friendly methods for managing an infestation. This involves using methods that don't impact the environment as much as traditional chemical approaches. Examples of eco-friendly pest control include sealing potential pest entry points, using humane traps for rodents and using less harmful ingredients.

What do I do if pests come back?

Many pest control services have guarantees and warranties in place to protect you if pests return before a predetermined date. These companies may offer a single service or continuous treatments to tackle a stubborn pest problem. Be sure to discuss the service packages with your provider.

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.