A pest is any organism that spreads disease, causes destruction to the crops, and can serve as a nuisance. They may bite and cause unwanted diseases followed by the disruption of everyday human activities. Thus, pest control has become a need of the hour.
The most immediate and obvious relationship between housing and health involves exposure to various sources, which can be biological, chemical as well as physical agents which can affect the health and safety of the residents living in the place.
Severe health conditions have increased subsequently, such as childhood lead poisoning and respiratory illnesses caused by exposure to tobacco smoke, and radon.
A report showing the health status indicators among the slums has inclined to the data that the rates of deaths recorded from communicable diseases in these areas were found to be the same as it was for the rest of the world fifty years ago.
Most of the tuberculosis cases were recorded from theses that lacked proper housing conditions, and the infant mortality rate was recorded as five times higher than the rest of the country.
Many housing-related problems are increased by exposure to dust mites, cockroaches, pets, and rodents that may trigger asthma. This means that they may serve as vectors for significant problems that may harm human health and well-being through the transmission of pathogens.
Some of the most damaging pests that need to look out for are discussed below:
Rodents: Rodents are capable of destruction of properties, spreading disease, competing for similar food sources utilized by humans, and are aesthetically displeasing. There are various rodent-associated diseases, which include plague, murine typhus, and rat-bite fever.
Cockroaches: Cockroaches have adapted to being near and living with humans, and their robustness is appreciable. Cockroaches may become a homeowner’s nightmare depending on the time and special knowledge it takes to eradicate them. Cockroaches are considered to be an allergen source and an asthma trigger for the occupants residing in the house. There has been no evidence that links cockroaches to any disease outbreaks, but it has been found to carry Salmonella, Entamoeba, and poliomyelitis virus.
It is also observed that cockroaches produce a repulsive odor, which is found in infested areas. They do not bite. However, they may cause scratches.
Fleas: Fleas are critical vectors of many disease-causing pathogens, such as they carry murine typhus and bubonic plague. Moreover, they serve as intermediate hosts for some species of dogs and rodent tapeworms that occasionally infect people.
It has been found around 2000 species of flea, the most common type of flea that infects cats and dogs is Ctenocephalides felis. It is from the exposure to the dogs and cats that the pet owners are infected with the disease.
Termites: One of the most destructive pests that cause damage to properties is termites. Subterranean terranean termites are the most destructive insect pests damaging the wood.
It has been found that the infestation of termites causes damage to more properties as compared to what is caused by fires and windstorms.
In the natural environment, these insects are found to be beneficial as they cause the breakdown of dead trees and other wood materials that would accumulate if not broken down. The biomass is later recycled to form a humus.
Termites consume wood, and cellulose products such as paper, cardboard, and fiberboard.
In addition, they may damage many materials while they search for food. The tunneling efforts of the termites can pass through lead and electric wires and result in electric system failure.
Typical symptoms of termite infestations take place from March through June and from September to October.
Mosquitoes: All mosquitoes have four stages to complete their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult mosquito. They spend most of the duration in water. In addition, the female of some mosquitoes lay eggs on moist surfaces.
Mosquito-caused diseases such as malaria, and yellow fever have threatened human civilization.
The proper method for the management of mosquitoes in a community is through a network of organized integrated pest management that takes into account all the approaches for the control of the disease. The spraying of toxic agents is one of the many approaches that can be used for the eradication of pests.
Huge infestations may not be eradicated by any DIY methods. Thus, professional pest control agencies come to help in such a dire situation. Professional pest control companies will utilize the right tools and get rid of the pests using suitable pesticides.
There are many options to choose from the pest control agencies that provide a wide range of services in India to eradicate troublesome bugs and rodents from the residence or office space.
What are the critical symptoms of a pest infestation?
One must essentially check the signs of pest infestation. Neglecting the symptoms may prove to be a red flag and severe the situation.
1. Gnaw marks: Rodents, including rats and mice, often chew on the belongings to maintain the sharpness of their teeth. So, if one has a rat infestation in their home, he or she will notice bite marks on food packages and cable wires. The food can be easily contaminated and thus, it is necessary to discard the food packages that show gnaw marks and store the rest in an air-tight container. The damaged cable wires can prove to be a source of fire hazards. Hence, they should be immediately fixed.
2. Blood spots: Tiny red spots of blood in the bedsheets are the critical signs of bedbugs. The insects live inside the bedsheets and mattresses and are difficult to get rid of. If one sees red spots in the bedding, he or she should immediately ask for help.
3. Nesting: Rodents often search for places that they can use for nesting purposes. The shredding of paper, fabrics, and other items shows the infestation of rodents.
4. Droppings: Rodents leave behind tiny, dark-colored pellets. They can be easily spotted and are one of the major infestation signs. The droppings should be cleaned immediately.
Bed bugs usually have dark-colored droppings, and eggshells of cockroaches can be easily identified.
5. Physical damage: if the pests are not taken proper care of immediately, they may prove to be threatening and cause physical damage to the properties. They will create holes in the floor walls for nesting purposes. Termites will cause serious damage to wooden furniture, flooring, electric wires, etc. Such signs of damage should not be ignored, and one should approach a suitable pest control company that can eradicate the pests before the situation worsens.
The criterion for selecting a suitable pest control company:
If one has observed any pest infestation in his home, he should immediately seek an expert’s help. There are numerous options in the market for pest control. However, one should select a company that matches the following criteria:
- Skilled staff: One of the essential criteria is the presence of skilled staff. A professional pest control team will have a skilled team with sufficient and excellent knowledge of pest examination. In addition, they have enough expertise in handling toxic chemicals that are involved in the killing of pests.
The chosen pest control agency must be provided with sufficient staff members that have the required experience in the field.
- Top quality service: The best pest control agencies provide efficient and affordable services for the eradication of pests in housing and commercial spaces. They enlighten their customers about the sanitation measures undertaken by the company and use integrated pest management schemes for the handling of pests.
- Insurance: India’s best pest control services offer insurance to customers to safeguard them against any mishaps during the pest removal process. One should make it necessary to ask his pest control service provider if they offer insurance for any household item or office during the pest removal process.
- Customer support: A professional pest control company will extend support to the customers with a responsive customer support team that will assist the customers by solving their queries and problems related to the pest examination services. The customer service should be user-friendly and responsive.
Top 10 best pest control agencies in India in 2023:
1. Firstcare Pest control:
First care is a famous pest control company introduced in the Indian market in 2012 as a proprietary business. The renowned company is a part of the All India Pest Care Association and provides excellent solutions to all pest problems, including termite control, cockroach control, and many others.
The company provides top-notched and reliable pest control services with the expertise of ten years in the field followed by affordable services operating in various parts of the country.
They have partnered with big brands such as Apollo Tyre, CEAT Tyre, and many other companies.
They have expertise in the following fields, such as rat control, mouse control, wood-borer treatment, mosquito control, cockroach treatment, and bird control.
They are famous in the sector for their unrivaled expertise, which implies that the pest control technicians and experts have to pass through various certified and challenging training programs to ensure a trained employee in the field of services.
In addition, Firstcare is constantly developing and discovering innovative approaches which are non-toxic, more effective, and sustainable to the environment to control pest activity and provide ongoing protection, especially in severe cases of termite control.
The company provides the best-suited treatment to the customers with multiple layers of quality control and feedback, which ensure consistent quality of the services.
The solutions are cost-effective ensuring that the customer’s needs are met without adjusting the commitment to quality and safety of the client as well as the workers.
They provide services in the following cities including Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Indore, Chandigarh, Gurgaon, and Lucknow.
2. Orion Pest Solutions:
Orion Pest solutions are one of the best-known pest control agencies in India and offer top-quality services for eliminating pests at a very affordable price. The most reputable firm in the pest control agency first came into existence in 1989 and has been fully functional since then satisfying the needs of the customers.
One of the integral features of the company is that they use toxin-free pesticides to get rid of pests. Some prominent clients of the company include Fort Hospital, the Apollo Clinic, and many others.
They are an ISO-certified company and a member of the Indian Pest Control Association.
The company has an extensive pan-India presence operating in Kolhapur, Kodaikanal, Dehradun, Mysore, Coimbatore, and many other areas.
Orion Pest control solutions claim to provide the best pest control services in India. They provide prompt, affordable, and efficient pest control solutions to clients to eliminate pest infestation.
The company is based in Kolkata and offers eco-friendly projects to overcome pest infestations.
They provide services in vast areas specializing in rat control, mouse control, home disinfection service, and garden pest control followed by many other services.
3. Pest Gogo:
Pest Gogo is another renowned firm that offers trusted pest control solutions to customers at highly competitive prices. The company aims to provide customers with helpful and effective pest control services in India through environment-friendly and sustainable approaches for a healthy home and workspace. The company utilizes advanced tools and non-toxic chemicals to detect the presence of termites, cockroaches, and other pests to eliminate them from homes.
They provide a complete range of services from the identification of pests which is an integral process to treat them. They utilize advanced equipment to detect the presence of termites in unreachable places.
Apart from that, they have expertise in termite control involving termite pre and post-construction treatment, reticulation system followed by rodent control, bedbug, lizard, mosquito control, and many other options.
The most integral yet interesting feature of the company is that they examine dogs for the presence of fleas or ticks.
They have excellent domain expertise in the category followed by the multi-industry experience the firm has built over the years has helped to manage the process.
They use environment-friendly chemicals that are certified by the government of India.
In addition, they do not charge the customers if the problem is not resolved.
The company operates in many locations, including Hyderabad, Delhi, Agra, Gurgaon, Mumbai, and many other cities.
4. One India Pest Control:
One India Pest Control has acclaimed its position since it was launched in India. The company was formed years back to provide customers with the utmost satisfaction in terms of the infestation of termites, rats, mice, etc.
The firm provides budget-friendly services to customers for its excellent services. In addition, One India Pest Control has managed to win many acclamations for its excellent services provided by pan India. The services provided by the company include rat control, bedbug control, termite control, and sanitization services.
The workforce is extremely educated and quality conscious. They receive proper training from Government Institutes and the company.
The company employs the latest insecticides to which the pests have not developed any resistance so far.
The company has been prominent in the sector since 2016 and is a proprietary business that has recorded an annual turnover of 50 lakh INR.
5. All India Pest Control:
All India Pest Control is located in the capital of India and offers excellent pest control services to customers since its launch in the market 28 years ago. 
The company has established more than five branches and provides a top-notched solution for the eradication of ants, termites, silverfish, lizards, and other pests without any difficulty.
On request, one can opt for a hassle-free identification process for pests in any residential area and office space around the area. The team prioritizes top-quality services, which are delivered on time using sustainable, environment-friendly chemicals for pest control and ensuring that the location is kept clean after the treatment has been completed.
The company is a suitable choice for any customer looking for pest control services at a budget-friendly price.
The services offered by All India Pest Control include rat treatment, termite control, silverfish treatment, mosquito control, and spider control.
The company uses laboratory and clinically tested chemicals and pesticides to conduct its services. In addition, the fumigation processes are carried out with the help of the latest and most advanced technologies.
The experts have deep insights into the field and are capable to cater the needs of various clients in different spaces. The customer care unity is efficient and is solely devoted to answering and solving any queries made by the clients at any point.
The company operates in Noida, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Southern Delhi, Gurugram, and Nangloi.
6. Max Pest Control Services:
Max Pest Control Services was launched a year ago to provide affordable pest control services to customers looking for effective pest control treatment at economic rates. Today, the company operates in various regions of India. The main aim of the company is to be one of the top five pest control companies in India. The company control pests with the help of eco-friendly pesticides which are approved by the Pest Control Association of India. They provide instant services for eradicating pests, are fully approved by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon, and are an ISO-certified company. In addition, they provide annual maintenance contracts under all premises of the whole of India, which require regular pest management services. 
The pesticides used are eco-friendly, user-friendly, odorless, not harmful to humans and pets, and approved by the municipality pesticide.
The services provided by the company include ants control, bees and wasp control, mosquito control, cockroach control, wood borer control, and many others.
7. Jukaso Pest control:
In India’s pest control industry, Jukaso Pest Control is well-known. This business provides its clients in several locations, including Bareilly, Delhi, Mumbai, Panipat, etc., with affordable pest control services. Additionally, the business has a long history of success in this industry, guaranteeing complete client satisfaction. Jukaso Pest Control’s staff is knowledgeable and trained, which aids in providing top-notch pest extermination services.
The company started its operations in February 2015 and is an ISO-certified company. They aid in residential and commercial pest control services.
The company has an enormous base of millions of customers and treats pests with safe chemicals which are free of any toxins that may prove to be threatening to humans and their pets, followed by operations in different parts of the country.
The major clients include IDBI Bank, GVGN, Vectus, and many others.
8. Rentokil PCI:
Since its founding, Rentokil PCI has been one of India’s most renowned and dependable pest control service providers. The business provides a wide range of pest management services at competitive pricing, including termite control, rodent control, house disinfection, and others. The organization now employs a sizable team of professionals that deliver high-quality services in India and other international places.
The company was formed as a joint venture between Pest Control India and Rentokil, the world’s biggest pest control brand, and has set new standards for pest control services in India operating in 300 prominent locations of the country. It emphasizes using new technologies, and digital and advanced services for controlling the infestations of pests in residential areas.
The pest control company has come up with an interesting concept of a virus killer that aims to kill coronavirus in the air and enhance the air quality of homes. The installation of the units can prevent the transmission of any airborne diseases making the space safer for humans.
9. RPA Pest Control:
One of the top pest management firms in India, RPA Pest Control, provides its clients with the best pest control solutions for homes, businesses, and institutions of higher learning. It is made up of qualified and experienced personnel that has received certification from the Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute (IGMRI) and other governmental organizations. Customers can get in touch with this business for prompt pest control if they’re looking for competent and reasonably priced treatment for rats, bugs, lizards, etc.
The company was established in 2015 and managed by a team of experts experienced in the field of pest control, especially in the field of Termite control treatment as well as pre-construction termite control.
The company is registered under the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. It plans to provide customers with effective results for controlling pests and termites. It has provided satisfactory services to clients in the corporate world.
10. Pest Quit:
Customers in India may rely on Pest Quit to provide them with any pest control treatment they require. The business provides top-notch pest control in Noida, Delhi, Amritsar, and many other locations around the nation. On both commercial and residential properties, they offer pest extermination services with a dedicated team of qualified professionals. Additionally, they provide sanitization and disinfection services for residences.
The services provided by the company include rat control, termite control, bedbug treatment, and many others.
Wrap Up:
The pest control industry has many challenges despite the industry growing steadily over many years. The increased chances of the insects relocating indoors have caused an increased demand for pest control services. Peats are continuously evolving and becoming resistant to the chemicals used by the companies making their treatment challenging for the firms.
The pest control industry can be categorized as a seasonal business that has to deal with a changing cash flow, hiring technicians, and scheduling jobs.
Despite all these challenges, the pest control agency will experience extensive growth in the unforeseeable future.
Edited by Prakriti Arora
