Who is buying pest control businesses?
Why pest control is consolidating
- •Private equity now backs roughly 60% of US pest-control M&A — up from about 45% in 2022, among the highest PE share of any home-services trade. Public and PE-backed consolidators completed well over 100 pest-control deals in 2024 alone (The Deal Sheet; Capstone Partners, 2025).
- •The industry is deeply fragmented: across roughly 34,076 US pest-control businesses, only Rollins/Orkin and Rentokil-Terminix operate at true national scale — leaving thousands of small regional and family-owned operators as acquisition targets (IBISWorld, 2026).
- •The most active acquirers in 2024 were the mid-market PE roll-ups — Certus (Imperial Capital), Rockit (Halle Capital) and PestCo (Thompson Street) each closed five or more deals — while EQT-backed Anticimex remains the most acquisitive operator globally (Capstone Partners, 2025).
The companies consolidating pest control
The named groups acquiring US pest control businesses, with their current owner and a source for each. Most grow through individual partnerships that are not separately disclosed; where a platform publishes named deals, recent ones are listed.
Rollins (Orkin)
Strategic / public- Owner
- Publicly traded (NYSE: ROL)
- Headquarters
- Atlanta, GA
- Scale
- Orkin plus HomeTeam Pest Defense, Western, Critter Control, Fox & Saela; the largest US pest-control company
The #1 US pest-control company — a public strategic acquirer, not PE. Completes dozens of bolt-on tuck-ins per year in addition to the named platform deals.
Rentokil Terminix
Strategic / public- Owner
- Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE: RTO; LSE)
- Headquarters
- Reading, PA (North America)
- Scale
- Terminix + Rentokil brands; the #2 US pest-control company; 13 US acquisitions in 2024
A public strategic acquirer. Rentokil Initial acquired Terminix in October 2022 (~$6.7B).
Ecolab Pest Elimination
Strategic / public- Owner
- Publicly traded (NYSE: ECL)
- Headquarters
- St. Paul, MN
- Scale
- The commercial / food-safety pest division of Ecolab
A public strategic focused on commercial and food-safety pest control, distinct from the residential roll-ups.
Anticimex
Private equity- Owner
- EQT (EQT Future fund)
- Headquarters
- Stockholm, Sweden (large US operations)
- Scale
- US brands include American Pest, Modern Pest Services, Viking Pest Control and EnviroPest; the most acquisitive pest operator globally
EQT has owned Anticimex since 2012, moved to its long-hold EQT Future fund in 2021. The US is its single largest market.
Certus Pest
Private equity- Owner
- Imperial Capital + Liberty Mutual Investments
- Headquarters
- Tampa, FL
- Scale
- Branches across FL, GA, AZ, NV, CA, OR, WA, ID
Founded by Imperial Capital in 2019; among the most active acquirers (7 deals in 2024). Liberty Mutual Investments joined as a capital partner in 2024.
Greenix Pest Control
Private equity- Owner
- Gridiron Capital
- Headquarters
- Orem, UT
- Scale
- 19 markets across 16 states; 37 branches; 250,000+ homes served
Gridiron Capital acquired Greenix from prior owner Riata Capital Group in July 2025 — a recent ownership change.
Senske Services
Private equity- Owner
- GTCR
- Headquarters
- Kennewick, WA
- Scale
- 16 US states + Canada; ranked #10 on the PCT Top 100
GTCR invested in December 2022; 18+ acquisitions since. Lawn-care-led, with pest control as a core service line.
Hawx Pest Control
Private equity- Owner
- PCM (Encore)
- Headquarters
- Ogden, UT
- Scale
- Branches across ~14 states
Backed by PCM (Mike Paulus), which still lists Hawx as an active holding.
PestCo Holdings
Private equity- Owner
- Thompson Street Capital Partners
- Headquarters
- St. Louis, MO
- Scale
- Residential & commercial pest brands across TX, the Pacific NW, AZ and more
One of the most active acquirers (6+ deals in 2024) — a platform built specifically to consolidate the fragmented pest-control market.
Rockit Pest
Private equity- Owner
- Halle Capital Management
- Headquarters
- Greenville, SC
- Scale
- Southeast US (SC, GA, FL)
Launched by Halle Capital in 2021 with the acquisition of Spencer Pest Services; among the most active acquirers (6 deals in 2024).
Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control
Private equity- Owner
- Incline Equity Partners
- Headquarters
- Austin, TX
- Scale
- Texas mosquito & pest control
An active Texas pest pure-play (5 deals in 2024).
Action Termite & Pest Control (AXN Growth Partners)
Private equity- Owner
- Shore Capital Partners
- Headquarters
- Phoenix, AZ
- Scale
- 11+ Arizona brand partners (reorganized as AXN Growth Partners in 2025)
Shore Capital partnered with Action in December 2023; 5 deals in 2024.
Aptive Environmental
Private equity- Owner
- Citation Capital
- Headquarters
- Provo, UT
- Scale
- 500,000+ households across 34 states; ~4,000 employees; 5th-largest US pest-control company
A large PE-owned residential platform that grows primarily organically (door-to-door) rather than by acquisition. Citation Capital took a majority stake in August 2024.
Arrow Exterminators
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- Thomas family (third generation)
- Headquarters
- Atlanta, GA
- Scale
- ~200 service centers across 16 states; ~$470M revenue (company fact sheet)
The largest family-owned US pest & termite company — an active acquirer (~29 acquisitions historically), not PE-owned.
Sprague Pest Solutions
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- Treleven family
- Headquarters
- Tacoma, WA
- Scale
- Western US commercial / IPM focus; ~30 acquisitions since 1975
A family-owned commercial / IPM acquirer nearing its 100th year — a non-PE consolidator in the commercial segment.
Frequently asked
Who are the largest pest control companies in the US?
Rollins (Orkin) and Rentokil (Terminix) are the two public leaders, followed by EQT-backed Anticimex. The most active mid-market PE roll-ups include Certus (Imperial Capital), Greenix (Gridiron), Senske (GTCR), Hawx (PCM), PestCo (Thompson Street), Rockit (Halle Capital), Barefoot (Incline) and Action/AXN (Shore Capital). Arrow Exterminators is the largest family-owned acquirer.
Is private equity buying pest control companies?
Yes — pest control has one of the highest PE shares of any home-services trade. Private equity backed roughly 60% of pest-control M&A in 2025 (up from ~45% in 2022), and the industry completed well over 100 deals in 2024.
What multiple do pest control companies sell for?
Established pest-control businesses typically sell for about 6x-10x EBITDA, with the recurring-revenue (subscription / contract) base commanding the higher end. Smaller owner-operated shops are often valued on an SDE basis around 4x-6x.
How do I sell my pest control business to a consolidator?
DealSeam works confidentially with pest-control owners to understand their options and, where there is a fit, introduces them to qualified buyers — with the buyer paying the success fee, so sellers pay nothing. DealSeam is not a traditional business broker.
Methodology & sources
Platforms were identified from pest-control M&A trade press (Pest Control Technology, PMP, The Deal Sheet, Capstone Partners) and PE portfolio pages, then each one’s current owner, headquarters and scale were verified against a primary public source. Anything that could not be confirmed against a primary source was excluded rather than estimated. Revenue and EBITDA are private for the PE-backed and family-owned operators and are intentionally not published; public companies (Rollins, Rentokil, Ecolab) are SEC/IR-sourced. The multiple band shown is industry-typical, not any single deal’s multiple. Pure FRANCHISORS — Mosquito Joe (Neighborly), Mosquito Squad (Authority Brands), Pest/Mosquito Authority (Main Line Brands) and Pestmaster (Threshold Brands) — were excluded because they sell franchise systems rather than acquire and operate businesses. The market-size and PE-share figures are sourced externally (IBISWorld, The Deal Sheet, Capstone Partners). Last updated June 2026.
Market sources
- IBISWorld — number of US pest-control businesses (2026) ↗
- The Deal Sheet — Pest Control industry deep dive ↗
- Capstone Partners — Pest Control Sector Update (2025) ↗
- Pest Control Technology — M&A News ↗
Last updated June 2026. Ownership in this sector changes frequently; figures reflect the most recent public sources available and are not investment, legal, or tax advice.
Thinking about selling your pest-control business?
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