Do you need one visit or a plan?

Chosen when: Where do you stand: Not seen, offered a preventive plan · or · Any other answers

Michigan's MCL 324.8313(12) says a licensed applicator may not represent that an application is necessary to control a pest that is not present or likely to occur. The statute does not define likely. A preventive plan can be legitimate when the company can name the pest and show why it is likely at your address, such as a neighbor's termite find or a moisture problem. If it cannot, you are entitled to say no, or to ask for a one-time inspection first.

Service shape: Inspection first, then a decision

Ask the company:

• Which pest does the plan cover, by name?
• What did you find, or why is it likely here?
• Is an inspection available on its own, and is it credited if I sign?
• What are the cancellation terms?

Quarterly service · When is pest treatment necessary? Michigan law and what a fair inspection says

Chosen when: Which pest: Termites

The EPA says termite treatment can only be properly performed by a trained pest management professional, and that approved methods include soil termiticides, baits, treated materials and wood treatments. How long a treatment is covered, and what happens if termites return, are contract terms that vary, so get them in writing. We found no Michigan source for how often a termite plan must be renewed.

Service shape: Inspection, then one method with written terms

Ask the company:

• Which method, and why that one?
• What area is treated?
• What happens if termites return, and who pays?
• How long does the contract run, and what does renewal require?

Termites · Termite inspection when buying or selling a Michigan home

Chosen when: Which pest: Bed bugs; Where do you stand: I have it now

The EPA says bed bug control takes time and patience because they reproduce quickly and eggs resist many methods, and that pesticide alone will not easily eliminate an infestation. MDHHS calls elimination complicated and labor-intensive. So the realistic shape is an inspection, a treatment and follow-up checks, not a single spray.

Service shape: Inspection, treatment and follow-up checks

Ask the company:

• How many visits are in the price?
• What methods do you use, and why?
• What do you need me to do beforehand?
• What happens if bugs return between visits?

Bed bugs · Bed bugs in Michigan: how to confirm them, what works and what does not

Chosen when: Which pest: Bed bugs

MDHHS says a live bug is the only way to be sure. If the problem went quiet, a monitoring inspection may make sense, and a plan sold on the strength of a past sighting alone is the case Michigan's honesty rule is for. Ask what the company found, not what it fears.

Service shape: A monitoring inspection

Ask the company:

• What did you find, and where?
• Is there evidence of live bugs now?
• Is a follow-up check available without a long contract?

Bed bugs · Bed bugs in Michigan: how to confirm them, what works and what does not

Chosen when: Which pest: Mice or rats

The EPA's advice is to remove food, water and shelter and seal the holes. A single visit to find the entry points, trap or bait and a check visit later fits that advice. A recurring plan is a choice. If one is offered, ask what it does about the entry points, which the EPA and DNR both put at the center.

Service shape: One visit with sealing, and a check visit

Ask the company:

• Where are the entry points, and who closes them?
• Is bait or a trap proposed, and where?
• What does the plan cover that sealing does not?
• How long will you check back?

Rodents · Mice in October: seal first, then decide who to call

Chosen when: Which pest: Ants or roaches

The EPA says pests need food, water and shelter, and to seal food, clean spills and remove water and shelter before using pesticides. For carpenter ants, Penn State Extension, a Pennsylvania source, points to moist wood. That fits a single visit plus repairs better than a calendar. A recurring plan makes sense only if a named pest keeps returning to a condition you cannot change.

Service shape: One visit, plus fixing the cause

Ask the company:

• Which ant or insect is it?
• What is feeding or sheltering it?
• Is a return visit included?
• What does the plan add?

Ants and roaches · Carpenter ants or termites in a Michigan house: how to tell and who to call

Chosen when: Which pest: Wasps or bees

No Michigan source on stinging insects tells us when a plan is justified, so we do not say. A nest that is there is a one-time job, and a plan that adds wasp prevention to a yard package should say which pest it expects and why. Anyone having a reaction to a sting needs 911, not a plan.

Service shape: One visit for the nest

Ask the company:

• Which insect is it, and how do you know?
• Is nest removal in the price?
• Is a return visit included?
• If a plan is offered, what does it add?

Wasps and bees · Wasps, wildlife and Michigan rules: which agency covers your pest

Chosen when: Which pest: Mosquitoes

Oakland County says West Nile risk is highest from late July through September. A mosquito plan should name the months it covers and the number of visits, and the label for the product used. How much yard treatment reduces bites or disease is not sourced, so the question is what you are buying and when.

Service shape: A seasonal plan, if any

Ask the company:

• Which months and how many visits?
• What product, and what does its label say near water and gardens?
• What does it not cover?
• How do I cancel mid-season?

Mosquitoes · Mosquito and tick season in Michigan: what the state has counted

Chosen when: Which pest: Wildlife

Wildlife removal in Michigan is a DNR-permitted job: remove the animal under the rules, then close the entry. A recurring plan is not what the DNR documents describe. Ask what happens to the animal, who repairs the entry and what the price covers.

Service shape: One removal and a repair

Ask the company:

• What is the DNR permit number?
• What happens to the animal?
• Who repairs the entry, and with what?
• Is a check visit included?

Wildlife removal · Raccoons, skunks, squirrels and bats in a Michigan attic