Pest control questions from Fairfield County, CT homeowners

Do pest control companies handle squirrels, raccoons and bats?

No, not as pest control. In Connecticut, nuisance wildlife is a separate DEEP-authorized trade, and a pesticide certificate does not cover it. The statute, CGS 26-47(b)(1), says “No person shall engage in the business of controlling nuisance wildlife, other than rats or mice,” without DEEP’s authorization. That authorization lasts two years. DEEP calls the people who hold it Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators (NWCOs).

To become one, DEEP’s page on becoming an NWCO lists an approved training course and a DEEP exam. The legislature created the credential in 1985, according to DEEP’s professional nuisance wildlife control page. That page names squirrels, raccoons, skunks, woodchucks, opossums and bats among the common problem animals. It also links DEEP’s list of operators. A pesticide applicator’s certificate is a different credential, from a different DEEP program.

This guide covers ticks, mosquitoes, rodents and insects, from carpenter ants and termites to spotted lanternflies. It does not cover wildlife; its about page sets out the scope.

A bat inside the house is also a possible rabies exposure. Your local health department decides whether it should be tested. In Westport, Weston and Easton, for example, the Aspetuck Health District asks residents to call 203-227-9571 before bringing in a dead bat.

How do I check a pest control company’s DEEP registration?

Look up its number on the state’s eLicense site. Every Connecticut business that applies pesticides for hire needs a DEEP certificate of registration. It needs one for each place of business, renewed every year. CGS 22a-66c requires it to show the registration number on its vehicles, in its ads and in written contracts. Each place of business must also employ a supervisory applicator certified in the categories it works in.

To check a number, DEEP’s one-page instructions say anyone can search without an account:

1. Open Connecticut’s eLicense home page and choose Online Services, then Lookup a License.
2. Search by the business or person’s name if you have nothing else.
3. To search by number, pick the prefix. PMBR is for a business registration. PMCS is for a supervisor and PMCO for an operator.

DEEP’s information look-up page also offers rosters to download, including active registered pesticide businesses. It warns that a recently expired or lapsed registration may still show up on a downloaded roster. The DEEP Pesticide Management Program answers questions at (860) 424-3369. Once the registration checks out, the termite control guide’s checklist covers what to ask next.

What does Connecticut law say about applicators, rentals and mosquito equipment?

Connecticut requires a certificate for anyone who applies pesticides for hire, organic products included: DEEP’s certification brochure covers anyone applying general or restricted use pesticides, “including organic pesticides”, in a commercial capacity. DEEP’s certification page says an operator may only work under a certified supervisor. An operator certificate does not allow the holder to run a pesticide business. The same statute chapter, CGS 22a-66n, bans automatic residential misting equipment.

For renters, CGS 47a-7a puts the cost of bed bug inspection and treatment on the landlord. It covers any rental unit other than a detached single-family house. The bed bug guide covers the deadlines. For mosquitoes, CAES’s trapping brochure puts the greatest risk of human infection from July through September.

Can I treat my own house for pests in Connecticut?

Yes, with limits. Connecticut’s certificate rule turns on whose property it is and which product you use. CGS 22a-47 defines a “commercial applicator” as anyone who uses “any restricted use pesticides” or “any pesticide on property not owned or rented by such individual or such individual’s employer.” So a homeowner using a general-use product at home needs no certificate. Restricted use products still need a certificate or direct supervision by a certified applicator, even at home (22a-54(a)). Treating property you do not own or rent, such as a neighbor’s yard, falls under the definition. Whatever you buy, EPA says “the label is the law” (EPA). Many jobs need no spray: see stink bugs and other fall invaders and house centipedes and camel crickets. Termites are different; the termite guide explains why CAES advises against treating them yourself.

Where can I get a tick tested in Fairfield County?

At the state lab in New Haven, for free. The CAES tick submission page says there is no cost for identification or testing. Towns and health departments may charge for handling and mailing. Send the tick dry, in a crush-proof container or sealed bag, with the CAES form. You can send it through your town health department or by mail in a padded envelope marked “Please hand sort”. You can also drop it off at 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Results come by email.

Local routes differ, and each town guide gives the details:

• Stamford and Norwalk forward residents’ ticks to CAES through city health offices.
• Fairfield charges $5.00 to send a tick for testing, according to its tick page. It identifies ticks free, per its Environmental Health Program.
• Westport residents use the Aspetuck Health District, which charges $10 for processing.
• Greenwich tests ticks at its own town laboratory; the fee schedule lists $76.
• Darien residents mail ticks to CAES using the form on the Health Department’s page.
• Danbury and Bridgeport residents can call their health departments or mail CAES directly.

For tick numbers in all 23 Fairfield County towns, see the tick season guide. A tick result is information for you and your doctor, not a diagnosis.

Are there poisonous spiders in Connecticut?

Very few. In the words of the CAES fact sheet Spiders Found in the House, “very few spiders are truly dangerous.” The Connecticut Poison Control Center’s About Spiders page says black widows “may be found in Connecticut,” but sightings and bites are uncommon in New England. “The brown recluse is not native to any of the New England States,” it adds. The guide to spiders, house centipedes and other basement bugs in CT homes shows how to tell the common house spiders apart. It also explains why a drier basement keeps most of them out.

Sources

• Connecticut General Statutes, chapter 490 (section 26-47): https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_490.htm
• CT DEEP, how to become a nuisance wildlife control operator: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Nuisance-Wildlife/How-to-Become-a-NWCO
• CT DEEP, professional nuisance wildlife control: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Nuisance-Wildlife/Professional-Nuisance-Wildlife-Control
• Aspetuck Health District, rabies and tick submissions: https://aspetuckhd.org/rabies-tick-submissions/
• Connecticut General Statutes, chapter 441 (sections 22a-47, 22a-54, 22a-66c, 22a-66n): https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_441.htm
• EPA, Introduction to Pesticide Labels (last updated June 2, 2026): https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-labels/introduction-pesticide-labels
• CT DEEP, looking up a license (instructions): https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/pesticides/looking-up-a-license.pdf
• CT DEEP, pesticide information look-up: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Pesticides/Information-Look-up
• CT DEEP, pesticide certification: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Pesticides/Pesticide-Certification-General/Pesticide-CertificationLicensing
• CAES, information on submitting ticks: https://portal.ct.gov/caes/tick-office/tick-office/information-on-submitting-ticks
• Connecticut General Statutes, chapter 830 (section 47a-7a): https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_830.htm
• CAES, mosquito trapping and testing brochure (July 2025): https://portal.ct.gov/caes/-/media/caes/documents/mosquito-testing/caes-mosquito-trapping-brochure-july-2025.pdf
• Town of Fairfield, Environmental Health Program: https://fairfieldct.gov/service/health_department/environmental_health_program.php
• Town of Fairfield, information on tick-borne diseases: https://fairfieldct.gov/service/health_department/information_on_tick_borne_diseases.php
• Town of Greenwich, Environmental Services fees: https://www.greenwichct.gov/625/Environmental-Services-Fees
• CAES, Spiders Found in the House (fact sheet): https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/entomology/spiders_in_the_house.pdf
• Connecticut Poison Control Center (UConn Health), About Spiders: https://health.uconn.edu/poison-control/about-poisons/outdoor-items/arachnophobia/
• CT DEEP, pesticide certification brochure: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/pesticides/certification/education/brochureindustry.pdf