Swat Pest Control

Steve was awesome, he showed me where the pests were getting in, explained different ways to get rid of them and what I would need to do to avoid them in the future. I was able to get rid of both rats and raccoons without it being a giant problem.

SWAT is perfect, as good a contractor as I have ever dealt with. Steve has helped us with racoons, and recently dealt with a nasty rat problem. combo of roof rats and wood rats.
He did a very thorough evaluation of our house and property, and proposed an inexpensive and effective trapping solution. His traps worked, and his price was incredibly low.
The best part is, not only did he solve our problem, but explained in detail why it was occurring and what we could do to prevent it in the future.
He is very busy, so it took a few days before he came out, but he is so knowledgeable and professional, it was well worth the wait. I highly recommend him.

We called SWAT Pest Control over one month ago over a mole problem. The receptionist told me that they could handle it but it would take about one week, as they were overbooked. I called after two weeks and was told about another week. I called after three weeks, and was told the owner was at a conference and would be back on Tuesday of this week. I called today, Thursday, and was basically told that they have too much business and she didn’t know when or if SWAT PEST CONTROL would handle our problem.
I am frustrated as we have been waiting over 30 days, so I called the company again. The receptionist basically told me that it didn’t matter if we have been waiting 30 days, that others are waiting too. When I challenged her about the one week promise a month ago, she told me to call Kilroy Pest Control. So, after waiting all this time, they did not honor me being on the wait list, and told me to call someone else.
As a business owner myself, I was disappointed with being strung along for a month, then only to be told to call someone else.

Please keep in mind that Swat is a one-​man shop and things often come up that may lead to a schedule change because you can’t control those critters. But when Steve gets to you… you’ll get his top notch service.
I was referred to Swat through a subcontractor of our HOA. Steve was late to the initial inspection appointment. But his assistant did call to inform us of the situation. This is an example of how something more urgent does come up due to those darn critters. When he did show up… he performed a very thorough inspection from top to bottom (3 levels plus crawl space). He was also very respectful of our property (shoes off). He provided a full briefing of the situation… with full details and answering all questions. It was clearly evident that he is very knowledgeable about his line of work.
Because we had to work concurrently with our HOA… he didn’t perform any work during that first visit. However… he left us with some preventive recommendations and a few traps. He assured us that he’ll be readily available should we need to call him back.
We took him up on this offer. Twice he returned to address our concerns. Both times… he was as courteous and professional as he was during the initial visit. Both times… he alleviated our concerns and assured us that he’ll return as long as we need him.
What I love about Swat and Steve is that he selling you a treatment plan (that may or may not work) isn’t his first priority. He’s truly concerned about your pest problems and you as a homeowner. He may tell you more than you ever want to know… but it’s only because he wants you to be informed of all options. He will be my go to guy for any future pest problems… but let’s hope there won’t be any.

In my past 8 years, I have asked for Steve’s help a few times when I have needed pest control and every time he has totally impressed me with his promptness of service, his thorough professionalism and, most importantly, how competent he really is. He has been in this business for almost forty years and it shows in the way he approaches things.
This time I had a dead rat in my attic (manifested by house flies getting into the house in large numbers through the HVAC vents and recessed lighting holes and smell). I consulted Unilocal,and called one of the top rated pest control guys. I was told that getting into the attic would cost a $ 8000 bill to remove all the blown-​in insulation, look for the dead rodent and then put in brand new insulation again. I figured the guy must not have wanted my business. He also did a survey and suggested that I forget the dead rodent, withstand the smell for a few days and instead get my perimeter secured for $ 1500.
Obviously confused, I sought Steve’s help. He showed up on the very next day, which was a Sunday, and said that he first wanted to take a look in the attic. He disappeared into the attic and in less than 5 minutes came down with two dead rats. He then proceeded to look around my house and found 4 possible entry points. He sealed all of those with sheet metal. The entire work took him about 2 hours and cost me a *fraction*, a _​ridiculously_​small_​fraction to be accurate, of what the other guy quoted me. Based on this, and all my previous experiences with Steve and SWAT Pest Control, I wholeheartedly recommend him.

After having gone through 2 other exterminators and still having mice problems, I highly recommend Steve. When there were mice still popping out from below my dishwasher and the other 2 exterminators could not still figure out where they were coming from, I called Steve. I have to admit, the woman answering the phone is not the friendliest. She’s pretty surly and can come across rude. She took my info and said that they’ll call back with availability so I actually didn’t expect much and crossed them off. But when Steve called me back a week later, he was so nice and able to come out right away, I decided to give him a chance. I’m glad that I did because he found a big gaping hole around my kitchen pipes/​behind the dishwasher where the mice were able to access inside the house and he blocked it off. He gave me a year warrantee and we haven’t seen anything else in the traps since he came by 2 months ago so hopefully he solved the problem. His prices are also super reasonable and he’s willing to come back as much as he needs to get rid of the issue.

Steve Hebert is the best! He came to my rescue when we had squirrels running through the walls of a 2 story house. He looked at the roofline and immediately was able to identify where they were entering from. He set out traps, caught the squirrels, and filled in the gaps on the roofline. He is a really busy guy but worth the wait!

I was referred to Steve by my landscape installer for a mole in our yard. Since it was outside, Steve could handle it independently. Came home, traps were set. On Saturday, he cruised by to check and he had it. Very impressed with his routine.
Then the raccoons arrived completely tearing up the dirt in my yard. Three raccoons and one surprise possum later, things are all quiet in the yard. Doing this job is intense work because he needs to come and set the trap when you call and then come back promptly when an animal is trapped. Seems to me he and his wife work 7 days a week.
That being said, he is a bit unpredictable. So I would ask for an expected arrival time so you will know when he can start.
I would highly recommend Steve for taking care of business.

SWAT came to my rescue when a pregnant raccoon decided to take up residence in the narrow space between my home and that of my next door neighbor. We discovered our raccoon problem on a weekend based on the zombie-​like sound of scratching as the raccoon tried to burrow into my neighbor’s wall. I called 3 or 4 different services, and SWAT was able to come out the quickest to our San Francisco home to evaluate our issue.
Because SF has regulations against trapping animals, Steve used ammonia to drive the raccoon out and then used wiring to restrict further access. Steve was a good communicator — personable, informative, and very helpful. His charge was quite reasonable and below his initial estimate.
In addition — 1 week later, the raccoon came back, using a second story access point we were unaware of, and making a new «deluxe apartment in the sky» on the second story between the houses. We called SWAT and Steve came back, drove the raccoon away, and sealed the access point for no additional charge.
We had a very positive experience with these folks and I would definitely use them again!

Steve helped us 6 ½ years ago, when a raccoon ate our young chickens, then started terrorizing our yard and coming in our house. Steve was prompt, professional and spent a lot of time explaining to me and my kids what he was doing and why.
My kids still remember him fondly — this is after 2 or 3 short visits to our house years ago. In addition to taking away ‘the bad raccoon’, he had some great stories and helped us understand the process. If we had another problem with pests, I would call him first.

We had a horrible smell coming from our vents and assumed some rodent has died. It was a Saturday night when we figured this out. Sunday morning I called a bunch of pest control companies. The big companies (i.e. Orkin and Clarks) try to upsell you on their other services and couldn’t come out on a Sunday. Even thought it was a Sunday morning, Steve and his wife (Sandra?) dropped what they were doing and were at are home within about an hour. They found the dead rat, cleaned up the nest and sealed up all the vents with holes in them. He also educated me about how it may have happened and what I could do to prevent further cases.
They had quoted me a price over the phone and stuck to that price for cleaning up the mess and fixing our vents. Due to their prompt service and friendly nature I tried to give them more money for their service but he refused.
If you need help fast and you are looking for someone to do it a more than just a fair price… Steve is your man! Thank you Steve and I hope my review helps you get more business! You deserve it!

These reviews do not do full justice to Steve’s expertise, professionalism, and skill level. He is hands-​down the BEST PEST TRAPPER in the world. He is a one-​of-​a-​kind character too and he can tell you all kinds of stories about squirrels, rats, owls, raccoons.
His prices are the most reasonable and he will also seal up openings in the house for far cheaper than any other company. We called in for an emergency squirrel trapping and he was there the same day. Within 36 hours, he trapped 3 squirrels, including the one who had chewed numerous holes into our home (through cement and metal mesh.)
Steve understands squirrels and other wildlife better than anyone else that you will find. Even though he traps them for a living he does have a real fondness and respect for these animals. For each squirrel we trapped, he came very quickly so that it would not suffer needlessly. He also made sure to put plywood on the bottom of the trap so that its nails and teeth do not rip our roof apart.
Other pest control companies call him when they can’t get the job done. I wish there were more professionals like him in the world; he is someone who knew early on what he is good at doing, he does his job extremely well, and charges a fair price for his work.
Update:
I was talking to Steve recently since he made time out of his very busy schedule to come out to my house about that negative review from the person in Los Angeles. Steve is not computer savvy so I thought I would write a defense for him. Keep in mind I have no relation to Steve other than he comes out to help me with my pest problems a couple times a year (I live in the woods.) I’m indebted to him because he charges VERY LITTLE for what he does and every other pest company wants to twist my arm for at least $ 1000 every year.
The writer from LA Pro F. said Steve was unresponsive and refused to schedule a followup. Not true. Pro F called on a Sunday night saying he had an emergency. Steve had another appt and said he could not come out and that mouse droppings unfortunately was not urgent enough for him to cancel his other appt. Pro F hung up on him before he could say anything about scheduling another appt. Pro F never used Steve’s services and never gave him a chance to follow up.

My name is Garrett Thrasher of Thrasher Termite & Pest Control in Los Gatos and in San Diego. Steve is an invaluable resource to our staff and customers. Our goal is to provide solutions to all situations we encounter.
Steve is the animal and solution expert. He has provided us with numerous training sessions, information and is an amazing asset to our company. He is on the speed dial of all our technicians. I know he provides this to many other companies throughout CA and surrounding areas. We have gone to him for complex rodent, bird, mite, wild animal and any problem we cannot solve.
He also charges much too little for the service he provides. He is a one man operation but has more knowledge than most companies. Thank you Steve for your continued support.
Garrett Thrasher

I’ve used Swat Pest Control twice now — once about 12 years ago, once last week. I was so glad I still had Steve’s business card. He’s saved us from yellow jackets again!
Service was fast — he came out the same day, and at the scheduled time, too. Everything was taken care of in just a few minutes. And Steve is really fun to talk to. It’s a pleasure to deal with someone who is both competent and seems to enjoy his job so much.
I will keep Steve’s card for the next time, and sincerely recommend him to anyone with pests that deserve swatting.

Steve is a true professional. He took the time to inspect our house and find out where the rats were coming with the skill of a detective. He then set traps and returned until he had trapped all the rats. Then he sealed up the areas they were coming in. He takes the time to do the job correctly instead of just poisoning them and waiting for them to return.

Although Steve appears to know his stuff, his services are very unreliable. He assumes that everyone is an expert on wildlife – which is just not the case. He also is a poor communicator.

OK. here is the whole story. We moved into our new house last year right before the summertime. Unfortunately, the house has had rat issue. We heard activities in the attic and was recommended a pest control company. I was charged ~$ 200 for the initial inspection. The «inspector», whom I later found out was the owner’s grandson, which was just doing it as a moon-​lighting job for the summer, gave me a report of what needs to be fixed… another $ 500. Noise was still there in the attic. The «inspector» returned to
Texas for college and advised me to sign up with the company’s «monthly» service. They are supposed to come out and check the rat trap every month and that is the only way to get rid of my rat problem. After MONTHS of service, finally, I complained to the owner and the service tech. The service tech finally referred me to SWAT. Steve came out… he is a one-​man company… there is a bit of wait… but TRUST ME, he is worth it. Not only did he not charge me for any inspection fee… he charges me ONLY when he catches anything. He did a thorough inspection, recommended some minor fix that my husband can do himself. Ended, up the problem is not rat. the noises is mechanical. But I have to THANK STEVE, because he is TRULY THE EXPERT. I heard he gives lectures and all. So, if you have any animal problem. give him a call!