Date: 8/24/04                                                                                      
Contact/Writer: Tracy Outlaw (864) 646-2144

Clemson Pesticide Regulation web page helps consumer find pest control company

CLEMSON – Got bugs? Looking for a pest control company just got easier.

Thanks to Clemson University ’s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) South Carolina consumers now have a place online to check out the success of a company’s record.

The DPR enforcement history database is available online for anyone looking for a pest control company for their home or business. 

The database contains searchable records of how successful each Pest Control Company in South Carolina has been in meeting pest treatment and other regulations enforced by DPR. It can be searched by county, company name, applicator or business.

“The user of the database should be aware that even the best of companies might have had some enforcement actions levied against their firm,” said Cam Lay, DPR assistant department head . “More employees doing more work will equal more opportunity for mistakes. However, repeated inability to successfully meet DPR’s standard is self-evident in this database.”

The database contains a listing of all DPR’s structural pest control related inspections and investigations since 1998. The enforcement history from 2004 will not be released until the beginning of 2005.

It includes both complaint initiated and routine inspections. In addition, all information is listed for a five-year window of accountability.

The database also contains more serious enforcement actions where the environment or human was jeopardized or an individual did not have a license to perform pest control.

The Enforcement Database can be found online at http://regfocus.clemson.edu/dr/greenbook.htm.

Investigations may be conducted routinely or in response to allegations ranging from improper pesticide applications both deliberate and accidental, failure to meet the subterranean termite treatment Standards, or failures to disclose properly the presence of damages or infestations when issuing the SC Wood Infestation Report, according to Lay.

A violation is any deviation from the mandatory statutes enforced by DPR. A complaint is usually the cause of a DPR investigation.

Here are some other methods that home or business owners can use while searching for a pest control company:

• Get several bids, which usually are free, from different Pest Control Operators.
• Ask the company for references and check them out. Ask friends and neighbors to recommend a firm.
• Get a termite contract. Contracts are usually written for five to 10 years. The most useful contracts cover damage, namely treatment and repair.
• A licensed company must place its yellow pesticide sticker, business license number, company name, and location on their company trucks.

Consumers with additional questions can call one of DPR’s six local offices located in Charleston, Columbia, Conway, Florence, Ninety Six, and Blackville. Or, contact the main office number in Pendleton at 864 646-2150.

Regulatory and Public Service Programs at Clemson University, the Department of Pesticide Regulation, has been serving South Carolina for over a century by licensing pesticide dealers, private and commercial applicators, and pest-control businesses.

DPR registers pesticide products for use in the State and perform quality assurance analyses of pesticide formulations. The Department protects farm workers from pesticides by administering the Federal Worker Protection Standard in South Carolina .

The Department of Pesticide Regulation administers the State Groundwater Protection Plan, the Pesticide Container Recycling Program, and the Integrated Pest Management in Schools Initiative. The Federal regulations that protect endangered species from pesticides have also been assigned to us.

DPR is the enforcement and investigative authority in the state for pesticide use, alleged pesticide misuse, substandard termite treatments, and the Wood Infestation Report required in most real estate transactions.

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