If you own your own home, there’s often a long list of potential problems that come with the deed of the house. Natural disasters like floods, storms and fires are all on the top of this list, along with pest infestations. In fact, when you’ve noticed the clues that your home has a pest infestation, you have to act fast.
The first determination you should make is whether a pest control service operates in your area. For Orkin, which operates in 47 states, this isn’t necessarily a problem; Cook’s, on the other hand, is a regionally focused company that’s only available in six states in the southeastern part of the country.
The second determination is whether or not the company you’re investigating deals with the pest that’s infesting your property. Granted, you’re not an expert (that’s why you’re looking for one) but you probably have a reasonable guess as to what’s bugging you.
At Home Pros can help in the critical beginning stages of this journey. Simply input your area and the service you’re looking for, and our experts will report back with a full list of appropriate service providers.
If Cook’s and Orkin are two companies that you’re reviewing, this overview will give you an idea about how these two pest control services operate.
Orkin vs. Cook’s: Overview
In terms of range, these two are a sketch in opposites: Cook’s is regional with high levels of expertise in local critters; Orkin is nationally known and available in almost every state.
Something these two do share is the seriousness with which they treat termites — one of the most pervasive pests to homeowners. Both Cook’s and Orkin use Sentricon when it comes to termites, as both companies know that these bugs need to be handled effectively in the first round of treatment.
Here’s some more information about where these two pest control services operate, what kind of bugs they handle, and how they can help you to achieve a healthy and pest-free environment.
About Orkin
This company has been dealing with one pest or another for decades. Orkin has been tackling termites for over 70 years and bed bugs for more than a century. With top-notch trained staff and serious resources, Orkin’s 1.7 million customers are well taken care of.
Each of Orkin’s technicians has over 160 hours of specialized training, and they treat your bug problem with their Points of Service plan — a six-step process that guarantees a pest-free environment. Reviews cite Orkin’s excellent response time and customer service skills, although some customers would prefer that Orkin’s website have a chat function, which it doesn’t.
Orkin Pest Control Locations
Orkin’s professionals have a presence in 47 states, excluding Wyoming, Alaska and South Dakota.
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montant
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
About Cook’s:
Centered mainly in the southeastern United States, Cook’s prides itself on high quality customer service and tailored expertise of the region’s pests. It has a particularly deadly process for eradicating termites, helping customers defeat these damaging bugs with certainty and consistency.
As for other pests, Cook’s covers rodents, other insects, and birds as well. Although the small company doesn’t have the widest range, it excels in local knowledge and customer service, going so far as to open its own Academy of Customer Service in 2014.
For a termite infestation, Cook’s uses a very effective treatment and procedure — the Sentricon® System with Always Active™ — which is top-of-the-line in the pest control industry. Showing a similar degree of care and consistency, Cook promises its customers, as it reads on the company’s website, “110% satisfaction guaranteed.”
Cook’s Locations
You can only find Cook’s in six states, mostly in the southeastern part of the United States. This company has offices in:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Mississippi
- Tennessee
Orkin vs. Cook’s: Services
With its Points of Service plan, Orkin guarantees that customers will be satisfied with their pest control experience. Each of Orkin’s professionals follows this six-step procedure to make sure that once pests have vacated your personal space, they stay gone.
Here are more details about each step in the plan that Orkin offers:
Inspecting your property: Professionals check foundations, outbuildings and other places to which pests and insects are attracted. The type of pest and where it entered your property are two key determinations made at this point in the process.
Protecting the perimeter: The next step is to focus on what the pests are drawn to on your property. Orkin’s teams look for standing water, brush or greenery growing near the sides of your house, and or nests and webs, and remove the elements. Teams also treat the inside and outside of your foundation.
Fortifying: Orkin looks for any areas around pipes or ducts that a pest might find inviting, and seals them up so bugs and critters can’t get in.
Monitoring the area: With high-tech pest monitors, Orkin keeps track of movement and more in prime pest areas.
Reporting to the customers: One of Orkin’s strongest assets is its clear reporting methods, so customers always remain in the know. You’ll get detailed write-ups on a regular basis so you stay informed of the process every step of the way.
Revisiting your place: After treatment, Orkin’s team will keep in contact, even revisiting your property if need be, to make sure the exterminated pests remain out of the picture.
Some of the pests that Orkin is well versed in dealing with are:
- Roaches
- Bees
- Crickets
- Ants
- Bed bugs
- Fleas
- Fabric pests
- Spiders
- Wasps
- Stink bugs
- Moths
- Mosquitoes
- Flies
- Termites
One of Cook’s strongest assets is that it has such a strong knowledge base in the local critters. There are no additional services like lawn care or wildlife removal, and it is unclear after perusing the website whether or not they handle bed bugs.
In terms of guarantees, Cook’s has a firm anti no-show policy, which states that if a technician does not arrive on your property for a scheduled visitation, your next visit is free.
You’ll notice that some of the pests on this list, like fire ants and carpenter bees, are very specific to the geography of the Southeast. Cook’s can handle:
- 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
Orkin vs. Cook’s: Termites
Once you see the telltale sign of a termite infestation, like discarded wings, bubbling paint, or sagging wooden elements, chances are these wood-eating bugs have already moved onto your property. Every year, termites cost homeowners money, time, and the integrity of their homes. Here’s how these two pest control companies deal with these insidious pests.
Orkin deals with termites using a multi-pronged approach. Sentricon® System bait and Termidor liquid treatment combine for a particularly lethal attack on these devastating insect colonies, and Orkinfoam swells up in the openings around pipes and ducts to make sure the bugs never get a foothold in your home again.
Cook’s also uses the Sentricon® System, which uses a unique bait station layout to lessen the environmental impact of a termite treatment. The company also employs what it calls its Maximum Perimeter Protection System or MPPS. With initial treatment, consistent visits and perimeter control, Cook’s takes termites just as seriously as Orkin does, and has a similarly effective treatment.
At Home Pros Conclusion
The moment you notice frass, discarded wings, or other telltale clues that your home has been infiltrated by a pest, you need to act. Bugs move in and make themselves at home easily and insidiously. When you’ve finally noticed their occupancy, the pests have probably been there for a while.
The first stage to maintaining a pest-free home is to find a pest control service on which you can count. Beyond the preliminary questions about service locations and pest type, you need to determine what other aspects are most important to you, like response time, guarantees and after-visits.
If you value an online chat function, Orkin may not suit your needs. If you definitely are dealing with bed bugs, Cook’s is somewhat vague about their treatment of these particular pests so you will need to contact Cook’s for confirmation.
Both companies prefer the Sentricon® System for termite control, as Orkin and Cook’s know that termites need to be dealt with swiftly and effectively for the treatment to hold.
At Home Pros wants to streamline this process by helping you find the ideal service provider as quickly as possible. Our experts know that time is of the essence in a pest infestation, and that quick action can be the best countermove. Contact At Home Pros today if you think a pest has set up home in your house.