The first necessity in your search for a competent pest control service is to ensure it is a service that operates in your area and deals with the type of bug, bird or rodent that is tormenting you. Once you’ve cleared this up, you must make a measured decision on price, service range and quality customer service.
Both Terminix and Cook’s have admirable track records in regards to customer service and have both been in business for almost 100 years. Cook’s offers a free inspection and 110% guaranteed retreatment (including repayment of 10% of your initial bill).
Terminix lets you chat with a representative in real time with their 24-hour online chat feature, so when you have a question or concern about your treatment service, you can get answers when it’s most convenient for you.
Both companies have trademarked methods to make your building free from bugs and to keep it that way — whether it’s commercial or residential. Cook’s and Terminix certainly know what they’re about with repeat visits and special sealants to bar access through cracks and crevices.
Terminix vs. Cook’s: Overview
When choosing a pest control business, you have to be quite careful. The first order of business is to check that the service actually operates in your area. Additionally, make sure they deal with the pests from which you’re suffering. Once you’ve determined these key features, you can then match your prospective service with your expectations and budget.
Here’s more about each company so you can go into your decision-making process with both eyes open.
About Terminix
Terminix has been in business for a long time, and it shows. Getting rid of pests for over 90 years has let the company develop into a pest control giant that’s available all over the country and even across the Pacific in Hawaii.
This company also has outstanding customer service with reviews to show for it. Unlike other extensive pest control services, Terminix has a 24-hour chat option, so you can get your pest emergencies dealt with the moment you discover them.
Terminix was the first to get a termite control patent in the 1930s, and the company has been going strong ever since. Not only does this pest control company offer a sterling guarantee, but it also gives you access to its experts, some of whom include ACE- and BCE-accredited technicians, as well as PhD-qualified specialists. Many of their employees are part of the Entomological Society of America, so you know those who arrive to fix your pest problem have genuine expertise.
Terminix Pest Control Locations
Terminix Pest Control’s service area includes teams in 47 states in the United States, excluding Alaska, North Dakota, and Montana. The states that Terminix operates in are:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
About Cook’s:
This pest control company is based in the Southeastern United States and uses its expertise to help you with regional issues such as fire ants and termites. Cook’s termite control system is absolute and has prevented thousands of homeowners from losing dollars daily to the pesky wood-eating insects.
For termites, Cook’s uses its Sentricon® System with Always Active™ and backs its methods with a 110% guarantee. Bait stations around your property omit the need for chemical liquid bait, which can erode your foundation over time.
Beyond termites, Cook’s deals with many other insects, rodents, and even pesky birds. In terms of customer service, Cook’s opened its Academy of Customer Service in 2014 to ensure that each employee is equipped with sensitivity and knowledge.
Cook’s Locations
Cook’s has offices in six states within the Southeastern United States as this company is regionally focused. The states where you can find Cook’s Pest Control services include:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Mississippi
- Tennessee
Terminix vs. Cook’s: Services
Both of these professional pest prevention services offer scheduled upkeep after treatment visits, so you know that if your pest problem should return, you’ll be backed up by some of the best exterminators in the industry
Terminix and Cook’s deal with pests that turn up both inside and outside of buildings. Terminix Pest Control specializes in:
- Clothes moths
- Rats and mice
- Cockroaches
- Scorpions
- “House” ants
- Silverfish
- Spiders (non-dangerous)
- Centipedes
- Earwigs
- House crickets
- Millipedes
- Paper wasps
Cook’s covers the primary pests that homeowners find in and around their homes and offers additional specialized services. Cook’s gets rid of:
- Ants (including fire ants)
- Bed bugs
- Bees (including carpenter bees)
- Cockroaches
- Crickets
- Earwigs
- Fleas
- Millipedes
- Mosquitoes
- Pillbugs
- Rodents
- Silverfish
- Spiders (including brown recluses)
- Stinging insects
- Stink bugs
- Nuisance birds
- Termites
- Ticks
Terminix vs. Cook’s: Bed Bugs
If you have a problem with one of the most insidious insects out there — the dreaded bed bug — you need a fast solution. The question is which company, Cook’s or Terminix, offers the best options for these hard-to-find critters. These insects bite, feed on human blood, only are active at night, and are expert hiders. To make things worse, by the time you’ve spotted egg casings or frass (the entomological term for insect poop), it’s already too late.
Not only are these tiny pests hard to find, but they’re also as tenacious as cockroaches and can be pretty tricky to get rid of permanently. Here’s how these two companies — Terminix and Cook’s — measure up against one another when it comes to getting rid of a homeowner’s least-favorite visitor: bed bugs.
Terminix
Having been in the pest control business for 90 years and counting, Terminix knows what’s what when it comes to getting rid of bed bugs once and for all. Terminix has a specific set of monitoring techniques and eradication methods that make reinfestation very improbable.
By steaming, encasing or using Terminix’s RapidFreeze® technology, any eggs or active bugs are annihilated. Your pest control professional will make sure that any entry point is sealed off and all living bed bugs are a thing of the past, eggs included. Terminix also offers a Bed Bug Guarantee so that if you see signs of reinfestation, the company will send experts back to your property to reassess, no questions asked.
Cook’s
Cook’s is so confident that they will successfully get rid of your bed bug problem that they offer a 110% satisfaction guarantee. If you see any insect casing or frass after the experts leave, they will come back and resolve the problem permanently. They will also pay you 10% of the initial visit’s cost to absolve you of any financial strain.
Cook’s works on a four-pronged control model that the company has dubbed PPS Max or Maximum Perimeter Protection System. The first stage is inspection, then initial treatment, perimeter control, and monitoring and prevention.
Inspection: Professionals tour your property and assess the vulnerability of every portion. After the initial assessment, Cook’s will share the results with you and offer a formal treatment plan.
Initial Treatment: Depending on what kind of pest you’re dealing with, your first treatment will consist of your Cook’s professional making sure that every crack and crevice is clear of infestation.
Perimeter Control: In addition to getting rid of existing pest problems, your Cook’s tech will caulk, seal, or otherwise take care of any area from which a bug or rodent might gain access to your home.
Monitoring and Prevention: Cook’s will return periodically to check that your property remains secure from pest infiltration.
The company’s generous guarantee, which includes a 10% refund, shows how confident Cook’s is about getting rid of these horrible insects for good.
At Home Pros Conclusion
Whether it’s bed bugs or termites or fire ants, you want the best in the industry by your side when you have a pest problem. It’s up to you which you prefer, a regional expert or 24-hour communication.
Cook’s Pest Control prides itself on knowing regional bugs, birds, or beasts that plague homeowners in the Southeast U.S. Terminix is a national giant in pest control and lets you pester their highly educated and acclaimed pest experts any time, day or night.
Whichever one you choose, make the best choice by contacting At Home Pros. We can connect you with the ideal choice for pest elimination in your area and help you get an initial inspection and quote. Reach out today to find the best option for your home’s pest problem.
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