How many complaints against Terminix have been filed in Missouri?  How does the State of Missouri rate as a public agency in providing information to the public and/or in their own knowledge to license and regulate the pest control companies that spray toxic chemicals in homes?

The following questions were asked in an e-mail letter December 12, 1998, to the State of Missouri’s Department of Agriculture.  On December 16, 1998, the answers shown below were provided in an e-mail letter from Sally Oxenhandler:

• What is the name and address of Missouri’s pest inspection/pest control licensing and regulating agency?

The licensing and regulating agency is:

Missouri Department of Agriculture
Plant Industries Division
P.O. Box 630
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone (573) 751-5511

• How many years does Missouri’s licensing and regulating agency maintain records of complaints against pest control/pest inspection companies?

The Department keeps complaint records on file for three years.

• How many Terminix branches are currently operating in Missouri?  (My records, taken from the Yellow Pages on the Internet, indicate there are currently 21 Terminix, aka Terminix International, aka Terminix Health branches operating in Missouri.)

Our records show there are six Terminex (sic) operations in Missouri.

• How many complaints, if any, have been filed in Missouri against Terminix International (and its aka’s); including the nature of the complaints, name and location of Terminix branch involved; and disposition of complaints (dismissed, settled, fine, suspended or revoked license, probation, etc.)?

We’ve received two official complaints against Terminex (sic), which resulted in three letters of warning.  Two warnings were issued to workers at what was then the Independence, Missouri office. One warning was because a person applied pesticides without being licensed; the other was because a supervisor allowed an unlicensed person to apply pesticides.  Another warning was issued to a worker at the Columbia, Missouri office, because an unlicensed person applied pesticides and for record-keeping violations.

Two other warning letters were issued to workers at the St. Louis, Missouri office for record-keeping violations and for allowing unlicensed workers to use pesticides.