No. He can't and he can't have liability insurance without a business registration.

If the PCO causes harm, you may be out of luck.

Pest Control Operator.

For personal use only, with general use pesticides like that from a hardware store.

Commercial applications, which are done by a hired person. Simply put, if you are doing it for yourself, it's personal. If you are paid to do it, even if your boss directs you, like a building super, you must be a Certified Commercial Applicator or you're risking fines and jail under federal environmental laws.

Integrated Pest Management, the industry and government standard and our operating protocol. The three basic tenets are, where practical, eliminate Harborages(hiding and nesting places), eliminate entries and eliminate food sources.

We apply IPM principles to pests based upon their instincts and capabilities. For instance, mice usually follow walls and roaches hide in crevices because that's what nature tells them to do. This knowledge arms the PCO with tools so that he uses less pesticide more effectively and more safely.

We treat baseboards, especially near radiators, with a residual spray and insecticide bait. They originate from drain pipes and nest behind walls and floors.

First, we inspect the area and equipment where they have been sighted. Then, we spray a residual insecticide into all the cracks and crevices, mostly in the kitchen and bathroom.

We look for their trails, food sources and access points. Unless they're an unusual type, we spray the trails and place insecticide baits in strategic placements. If it's a rare type, we use special procedures geared to the ant type.

We inspect for nests, trails, damage and entries. We then come up with a strategy to eliminate them. They are a serious structural pest.

They're treated with a specialized bait. They are not common in this area, and that's a good thing, because they bite.

Once the pest and areas of activity are determined, we instruct the customer on how to prepare their place before we do the service. The PCO thoroughly sprays a residual and insect growth regulator (IGR) into all the cracks and crevices of the room(s) and everything in it.

Before anything else is said, if you have a pigeon issue, do not breathe in dry pigeon droppings - it could contain serious diseases. As to how we control them, depending on the circumstances, we create a plan for their safe and humane elimination.

Squirrels become a problem when they have found/made an opening in your house. First, have an expert inspect and determine the entry and the repairs needed. You may have a choice, a patch or a rebuild/replace. If it's in your budget, get the second. Make arrangements for the repair with your contractor - that's their area of expertise. The pest control person will set up a live trap and trap until all activity stops. The squirrels must be taken at least a mile away. Then, the contractor, working with the PCO, closes the entry.

Empire Pest Control was started in 1963 as a family run neighborhood business and still is, never moving more than one block from where we started in wonderful Carroll Gardens. Over the years, we've grown to also handle large projects, but never lost our roots.

This is an area only handled by experts and we're very experienced in how to solve your problem. People who don't get it done right may get them back. It's not a matter of simply sticking stuff in the ground - termites can avoid chemicals and baits - they can get through a 1/64th inch crack. We go through issues and answers until you understand what must be done and why. And, yes, we warranty our work.

If you mean flies, there is one hard and fast rule - if you don't get the breeding area, you don't correct the problem. Different types of flies have different types of breeding areas. The first thing we do is identify the type of fly. Then, we find the source. Then, we work with you to eliminate the source and the flies.