Missy Henriksen: Hi! I am Missy Henriksen, the Vice President of Public Affairs for the National Pest Management Association. Today I am discussing how to select a pest professional and more specifically why it is important to a hire a professional to help protect your family's health and home. If you are a home owner you may consider pest just a common house hold problem, a problem to deal with on your own but do you know that health and property risks that are associated with common pests, likely not! Consider these facts, Rodents serve as disease vectors carrying bacteria on their bodies and contaminating food sources. Cockroach allergens can trigger as much attacks especially in children and stinging insects send more than half a million people to the emergency room every year. When you consider the types of threats that rodents, cockroaches stinging insects and other pests can pose, doing it yourself is not always the best approach and even beyond the health and property risks, the discovery of a major pest problem can undermine your own peace of mind. No one wants to think about their loved ones sharing a home with pests. Pest professionals provide the necessary expertise to inspect, identify and treat any pest problem, it's about the providing you with right solution to your pest problem and working to minimize the risk of the pest re-infestation. Remember pest professionals are experts in their field, they can not only provide you with the variety of treatment options to help you to ridge your homes of unwanted pests but also terrific pest proofing tips to keep these pests out of your home for good. These are just a few of many reasons that you should hire a pest professional to address pest problems you may be having in your home. If you are still considering taking on that pest yourself, stay tuned because next, I am going to discuss a few pests which home owners should never try to address on their own.