Downes Pest & Wildlife

Downes Pest & Wildlife is a small, owner-operated shop out of Duxbury — Mike and Tara Downes run it themselves, and the reviews keep pointing to that fact directly: this is the rare pest company where the owner shows up to the job. Google shows a 5★ average across 17 ratings, and the six reviews on file back that up with real specifics rather than a blanket "great job." One customer, writing in 2025, described a recurring carpenter ant nest at a family member's house — one that had plagued the household for years — finally eradicated by Tara. Another, from 2022, described more than a decade of spiders, centipedes and mice in an older, woodland-set home finally brought under control. A third, also from 2022, singled out Tara Downes personally coming out to handle the problem, calling it a more comfortable experience than dealing with a large franchise. More recent reviews from late 2025 and mid-2026 keep the same thread: quick, thorough, professional work from Mike and Tara by name. The BBB lists the business at an A+ grade with 47 years in business as a sole proprietorship — though it is not an accredited member, and its own page carries no complaints or reviews of its own. Beyond general pest control, the company's site lists a substantial wildlife-control credential set: NWCOA Certified Wildlife Control Operator and Bat Standards certifications, a Massachusetts Trapper Certification and Problem Animal Control Agent designation, plus coyote and Canada goose handling training and a bird barrier installer certification, alongside a Massachusetts Pesticide Commercial certification and termite inspection training. For anyone dealing with a stubborn wildlife or pest problem on the South Shore, the reviews suggest the appeal here is direct, personal service from the people who actually own the company.