In children movies, exterminators are often portrayed as heartless villains who's primary goal is to kill anything small that moves.
Because of this, many people assume that real life exterminators and pest control personnel simply kill whatever is bothering you, but this is not true.
Exterminators distinguish between pests that must be eliminated, and pests that can be handled differently.
Sometimes, certain pests must be eradicated for an exterminator to be successful.
Insect infestations often involve hundreds or thousands of bugs, and capturing all of them alive would be impossible.
Fumigation, or poisoning the bugs with gas, is the best method for getting all of the bugs once and for all.
Sometimes mice must be poisoned in a similar way, or trapped.
Keep in mind that there are plenty of other insects and mice out there, so the environment won't skip a beat.
Although a large part of an exterminator's job is killing pests, there are other methods of pest control that they can practice.
If rabbits or moles are wreaking havoc on your yard or garden, there are pest control experts who can capture these creatures alive and turn them over to wildlife officials who can disperse them elsewhere.
Also, part of pest control is prevention.
By removing breeding grounds and shelters from your property, like piles of trash or old furniture, you can make your property less appealing to pests.
We all are a little saddened when animals are killed, especially little furry ones, so it's important to let your exterminator or pest control service personnel know how you want to approach the situation.
While for insects there aren't many alternatives, sometimes larger pests can be controlled by exterminators without killing them.
Of course, sometimes the way the pests annoy you can sadden you more than the thought of them being exterminated.