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As Guilderland is growing, so too is one of its oldest pest companies — the family-owned, second generation Mike & Sons’ Pest Service. 

Started in 1998 by a landlord frustrated with the cost of other pest services, the company changed hands in 2016 and is now owned by brothers Michael and Mark Deso, along with partner Robert Hurley.  

Their families are all based in Guilderland and the Desos are graduates of Guilderland High School.

As the temperature increases, warns Mark Deso, so does insect activity, and you should have a pest service number on hand if you find them infiltrating your home. 

“You’re doing something each day that’s very satisfying in that these people have a problem and you’re able to take care of it,” said Mark Deso. “It makes you feel good.”

Mike & Sons’ Pest Service mixes its own chemicals and makes a thorough inspection to always make an appropriate application for each homeowner’s situation. 

Every technician is required to be certified under the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, with knowledge of topics ranging from the products used to insect and rodent anatomy.

If you find carpenter bees or ants this spring, waiting could lead to structural damage to your home. Ants gain access through organic matter that is against a building and carpenter bees colonize in exposed wood. 

In the summer months, stinging insects become the most persisent pests. As the temperature drops in the fall, homeowners should look out for rodents.

“The hardware store sprays are usually diluted quite a bit,” said Deso. “We have a commercial application for the chemicals we use ... We have a repsonsiblity to apply those chemicals in a way that meets or exceeds DEC regulations.”