Boston Pest Control Services | Free Consultations | GreenHow

Pest Control Services in Boston

Carpenter ant problem

You have a pest problem.
We are here to solve it…for you and your family.

Pest control where you live can be a little nerve wracking. First, you acknowledge you have animals sharing your space that are not pets and need to leave. Second, you have to decide to try to get rid of them on your own or enlist help. On your own you seek out advice online from a YouTube specialist or from the hardware store or big box store associate who may know less about pests than any other item in the store. Or you can reach out to family and friends for help, until you realize that then your family and friend’s will know you have a pest problem.

Our business depends on solving your pest problems efficiently, effectively and with the least risk to anything not the target pest.  We have been a leader in Integrated Pest Management, the combination of different techniques and strategies to control pests, since we started.

Don’t Just Take Our Word For It

What do our customers say about us?

What our customers have to say about GreenHow:

Boston Local, Cured My Ant Problem

I have kids and pets so I wanted to avoid the crazy chemicals while still getting rid of the ants that had raided the cat food bowl and then made them selves at home in our bathroom. GreenHow was easy to deal with, prompt, and quickly found the source of my ant problem… and got rid of the ants. They are now my pest control company of choice!
– Michael K., Arlington, MA

I now have a go-to exterminator!

They came out very quickly (one business day from when I called), were thorough in their investigation, and gave us an incredibly reasonable quote for pest control for other “guests” that we have like carpenter ants.  I was very surprised at their low initial and quarterly costs compared to their high level of service and commitment to using natural products.
– Kathy R., Woburn, MA

Great Service - Super Smart.

Sean Grenhow has without doubt the best of business ethics. He came on time.  He was intrepid in finding the problem, did a thorough search, gave me lots of information – and good news- charged me not one penny and left after a good 20-25 minutes.  I recommend him and his extremely knowledgeable service wholeheartedly.
– Alexandra H., Newton, MA

Honest and Smart

…the best experience of my life in calling an exterminator.  Sean is a great guy.  Honest.  Avoids toxins.  Smart.  GreenHow is what you should want to deal with pests.
– Max, Cambridge, MA

Less Pesticides. Smarter Pest Control.

  • Identification

    The most important part of any pest control service is to correctly identify the type of pest you are dealing with and get an idea of the size (scope) of the issue. Since most pests are constantly on the move from one area to another, try to save a sample or take a picture if you can get close enough. If you see evidence of the pest like droppings, chew marks, insect wings, try to leave them undisturbed until an inspector has had a chance to do an initial assessment. If you must pick them up, use a glove or paper towel to protect your hand and save them for the inspector in a zip lock bag.  If you can’t be home or if it is a lawn or plant pest, use a marker like a Popsicle stick.

  • Inspection

    Once your pest has been identified, we conduct an interior and exterior inspection to assess the level of activity and potential areas of damage. During the inspection we want to know about your tolerance level as it relates to having the pest in and around your home. If you have called a professional for help you have reached your “action threshold.” We also want to know if you have preferences for the different types of control methods we may employ. It will help us create a pest control service strategy that meets your needs.

  • Service Plans

    We offer different levels of core services, and different service frequencies that may be possible for each level of service, and will be determined by many factors. The type of pest, level of activity, site of infestation, tolerance level, type of property, and pest history of the property are all factors that determine the service frequency recommended.  Services frequencies range from as frequently as weekly or twice a week for urban food service to a simple one time service to remove a yellowjacket nest.  Effective pest management should have frequent planned inspections and monitoring to prevent pest issues.  We use integrated pest management to solve pest problems without relying on pesticides alone.  We sell dehumidifiers to manage moisture driven pests like house centipedes.

  • Follow-up Inspections

    Only a few pests can be dealt with a one-time service, those are yellow jacket and wasp nests and fleas.  All others require some type of follow up service to be effective.  We will schedule follow up services as part of our planned pest management service to gauge the effectiveness of our strategy and execution. Follow up service inspections are the most important part of pest control service to make sure existing issues are managed and future issues minimized.

Residential and Commercial Pest Control

Residential Pest Control

Greenhow specializes in helping homeowners in the Greater Boston Area and renters with a wide variety of pest control problems. From ants and beetles to mice and, moths we are here to help you – – and do it in a manner that will not endanger you, your family or your pets.

Preventing pest problems is our primary purpose!

Doesn’t everyone have ants?  Doesn’t everyone have mice?  Doesn’t have to be that way when you trust your home to Greenhow Pest Control.  Living with a pest issue can compromise your physical and mental well being.  Pests leave waste that can lead to disease.  Pests damage food products or your other belongings.  Pests pester with their presence – sometimes leading to frustration and embarrassment.

Start with identification.

How do I solve my ant problem?  How do I solve my mouse problem?  Proper pest identification is the first step to effective pest management.  Site sanitation,  the second step, starts with you to reduce food sources and pest harborages or places pests can hide.  The next step is to take control measures with baits, exclusion, pesticide applications and traps.  The trained technical team, including Associate Certified Entomologists, at Greenhow, can help you with our integrated pest management service.

Covered pests and service programs.

We offer comprehensive quality pest control service for residential customers.  Our covered pests include ants, cockroaches, carpenter ants, mice, rats, silverfish and spiders.  Our service programs range from one-time services to monthly service.  One-time service is for targeted pests like bedbugs, fleas, and wasps and yellowjackets.  Quarterly service covers general pest control including ants and carpenter ants.  Every other month service is offered for single-family detached homes with mice.  All buildings with more than one unit, attached single-family homes, and service for rats and spiders are monthly service programs.

Commercial Pest Control Services

In your business, pests can be very damaging. In today’s environment where cameras are ubiquitous in every smartphone, the unfortunate arrival of a pest a moment that may be recorded and shared with others, to your detriment. A small pest issue can become a big deal quickly in the age of social media.

Team up with our team.

You know your business and should focus on it.  We know how pests can impact your business.  Our trained technical team in the Greater Boston Area makes protecting your business from pests their primary purpose.

Start with effective monitoring.

Our service starts with effective quality pest monitoring, accurate pest identification and targeted pest management programs to keep your facility pest free.  You and your customers can have a profitable relationship with your pest-free facility.  We service a wide variety of commercial facilities including: Multi-family homes, Apartment and Condominium Buildings, and Complexes, Bakeries, Food Processing Facilities, Food Service, Food Distribution, Manufacturing, including clean and pharmaceutical manufacturing, Industrial spaces, Offices, Restaurants from quick service to fine dining, and Warehouses.  We offer reports for multi-location or large site managers to accurately view pest activity across one large or many smaller sites.

Covered pests and service programs.

Commercial facilities have specific pest issues beyond the basic covered pests.  We refine our commercial programs to include industry-specific moths, flies, and beetles businesses encounter.

Pest Management – To Keep Them Away For Good

A calendar illustrating pests and pest control focus each season.

Comprehensive Pest Control

Greenhow Pest Management is a comprehensive approach to pest control, which emphasizes structural, environmental, biological, and mechanical methods to prevent pest populations from developing. This requires constant monitoring, and thorough inspections inside and outside of the structure to identify and remedy pest conducive conditions prior to an infestation occurring. Greenhow Pest Management is the logical extension of Integrated Pest Management, also a comprehensive approach to pest control, which relies on inside and outside inspections to identify and prevent possible pest infestations.

Why is it important to consider pesticide use?

Pesticides are designed to kill and control a pest.  They may pose risks to non-targets or organisms they are not intended for simply by being used.  Consider how and when to use a pesticide to reduce risks to non-targets, like people and pets.

The difference is…

The difference with Greenhow Pest Management is when a pest control material is needed, the preferred material is from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Reduced Risk Pesticide Initiative.  Our Comprehensive Pest Control system uses a combination of non-chemical and chemical treatments to control pest populations and prevent re-infestation. We recommend a service frequency that meets your needs for our residential customers to ensure constant monitoring and prevention.

What people who have worked with us have to say

PESTS CONTROLLED, MANAGED OR EXTERMINATED

No matter how you say it – pest control, pest management, or extermination, you want them gone. We deal with a variety of pest infestations that can be difficult to get rid of by yourself. Our services treat all pests from ants and cockroaches to ticks and termites. Our structural pest control service covers most pests encountered in New England. Pest control and extermination are essential to protect your property. Your structure is simply a home for pests. Even on the coldest day, temperatures in our area won’t kill structural pests. Our technicians are trained to find and eliminate pest problems. Greenhow training starts with our internal training on pest biology. Next, the training progresses to outside courses in integrated pest management. Finally, the training culminates in the achievement of Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE). These are the pests covered by our structural pest control services.

Ants

We treat over 15 species of ants regularly including the most common one; carpenter ants. In addition, we manage acrobat ants (distinguished by a heart-shaped abdomen), Argentine ants, big-headed ants, (occasionally) cornfield ants, crazy ants, ghost ants, and larger yellow ants. Also little black ants, odorous house ants, pavement ants, pharaoh ants (confused with rover ants), red European fire ants (primarily in and around Lexington and Cambridge), rover ants (often confused with pharaoh ants), thief ants, and the common white-footed ant. Pharaoh and rover ants are distinguished by their small size and habit of multiplying when annoyed. For instance, spraying them with pesticides annoys them and leads to more ants.

Cockroaches

The big four cockroach types we handle include American cockroaches, brown-banded cockroaches, German cockroaches, and oriental cockroaches. These are not social insects with a colony. Roaches are gregarious and like to hang out with other roaches. As you can imagine, all roaches can be disease vectors. Bacteria and viruses are carried on the exoskeleton. They frequently move from trash and waste onto food preparation surfaces like countertops.

Ectoparasites and Mosquitoes – the bloodsuckers.

We control blood-feeding insects. Ticks and mosquitoes to fleas and bedbugs. Ectoparasites are live and feed on a host. Fleas and ticks are true ectoparasites which means they live on the host. They are pests outdoors in your yard and inside on your pets. We treat them inside and out. Mosquito control service outside is provided by our licensed and certified team. Adulticide misting spray service and larvacide trapping services.

Occasional Invaders

The term occasional invader sounds innocuous. Most occasional invaders don’t cause any problems because they do not infest structures permanently. They just live in them for a brief period. We recommend most be quickly removed with a vacuum. They are annoying and some have alarming traits. Centipedes are quick-moving grey insects with many legs. They can be as large as 3 to 4 inches in size and can have a nasty bite if handled. Always associated with moisture. Millipedes a small and slender dark soil insect may be found inside if you have a moist crawl space or sump pump pit.

Sowbugs and pillbugs, or rollie pollies, are not insects. They are crustaceans (don’t eat them) that occasionally get indoors. In wet areas with starches, psocids, or booklice and silverfish. Indoor overwintering insects include Ladybugs, and a variety of insects called stink bugs, including the western conifer seed bug, box elder beetle, and brown marmorated stink bug.

Rodents, Rats and Mice

Rats and mice are active all year round in New England. Rats need a source of 1/2 to 1 ounce of water each day. Indoor rats accompany sewer line issues like broken pipes. Mice can enter a hole the size of a dime. Both rodents climb many surfaces.

Spiders

The most feared insect we deal with isn’t even an insect. Spiders are arachnids like mites and ticks with eight legs. We deal with the common yellow sac spiders, cellar spiders, and house spiders. Finally, though rarely found, we also deal with black widow spiders and brown recluse spiders.

Stinging Insects

Stinging insects including hornets, yellow jackets, and wasps. All are treated as one-time services. We treat ground-level and in-ground nests with protective clothing, hats and veils, and elevated nests with specialized equipment like dust sticks. We do not treat non-aggressive species that are important pollinators like solitary ground bees, mason bees, and bumble bees.

Wood Destroying Organisms including Termites, Powderpost Beetles, and Wood Destroying Fungus.

Our favorite pests to control are wood-destroying insects and organisms including termites, powder-post beetles, and wood-destroying fungi. These organisms destroy structural elements and cost property owners a lot of money in damage. More than any other insect an ounce of prevention here is worth a pound of cure. We use our termite monitoring stakes to check for termite activity in the soil around customers’ structures. In New England, humid air makes a dehumidifier essential if you have a basement.

Pests Covered by Greenhow Pest Control Service Agreements

Covered pests vary depending on the service agreement you have. Some covered pests are obvious from the agreement title, for example, the Termite Colony Elimination System covers eastern subterranean termites. The Vector Control Service can cover ticks and mosquitoes, or one or the other if you prefer to just have service for ticks or mosquitoes. The Residential Structural Pest Control service can cover over 27 different pests for single-family homes with monthly service.  Rats must be serviced at least monthly.  For single-family home sites with no rodent control and limited spider issues, service can be quarterly.

Ants – seventeen different Structural species

Carpenter ants, Acrobat ants (distinguished by a heart-shaped abdomen), Argentine ants, big-headed ants, (occasionally) cornfield ants, crazy ants, ghost ants, and larger yellow ants. Little black ants, odorous house ants, pavement ants, pharaoh ants (confused with rover ants), red European fire ants (primarily in and around Lexington and Cambridge), rover ants (often confused with pharaoh ants), thief ants, and the common white-footed ant

Cockroaches – four different structural species

American cockroaches, brownbanded cockroaches, German cockroaches, and oriental cockroaches.

Occasional Invaders – twelve types

Centipedes are quick-moving grey insects with many legs. Always associated with moisture. Millipedes a small and slender dark soil insect may be found inside if you have a moist crawl space or sump pump pit.
Sowbugs and pillbugs, or rollie pollies, are not insects. They are crustaceans that occasionally get indoors. In wet areas with starches, psocids, or booklice and silverfish. Indoor overwintering insects can be reduced with early fall exterior applications to the south and west sides of a structure. There will be an additional charge for that exterior service to reduce Ladybugs, and a variety of insects called stink bugs, including the western conifer seed bug, box elder beetle, and brown marmorated stink bug.

Spiders – five different species

Common yellow sac spiders, cellar spiders, and house spiders. Rarely found, also black widow spiders and brown recluse spiders.
Stinging Insects – three types-multiple species
Hornets, yellow jackets, and wasps. We do not treat bumblebees or honeybees. For pest control customers stinging insects are included up to 20 feet up the building and 20 feet out from the building. Higher nests or those further away can be treated for an additional charge.
Under monthly or every other month service

Rodents – two primary types

Mice with monthly and every other month service and rats with monthly, every other week or weekly service.