ACTION ENVIRONMENTAL SVC

Our condo has used AES for pest control, and in general we do not have pest problems. We chose them because of their commitment to "green" pest control. They come to our property once a month. If a resident is having pest issues (ants, rodents), the company requires the resident to clear out under the sink, and any infested areas, pull out the stove, remove pet food. I find this to be particularly onerous and somewhat unnecessary--previous buildings I have lived in do not require so much effort by the resident before getting treatment. I also find that the environmentally friendly products are not as effective as traditional--so one has to balance those considerations--we just went to the hardware store and bought our own ant and mouse traps. A recent termite infestation was not covered in our contract, so our condo decided to add it on. AES was slow in producing a "contract" which we had to rewrite because it was very informal and did not clearly spell out what was in the scope of work. Initiation of the termite was delayed for weeks (blame for that can be shared both by our condo and AES) but the bottom line is that AES assured us that termite damage is very slow (on the scale of weeks, not years) so we shouldn't worry too much. It's been a few months, and their termite traps have yet to attract termites--so they have not yet been successful). $475 for termite abatement seems to be about average price-wise.

The most important thing to us was the fact that they were the most environmentally friendly company we found. We have pets and a child with a suppressed immune system, safety was paramount. They were professional, and they solved the problem. It's now been four years, and we have not had a single cricket in the basement area, and they have not had to come again. They were expensive, but the peace of mind and, in retrospect, the permanence of the solution made the price worth it.