About DeBugem | Family-Run Pest Control PBC Since 1998

By the numbers

Thirty-four years of staying put.

34

Years in PBC

Same county, same owner, same phone number. We never expanded into Miami-Dade, never franchised, never sold to a roll-up.

3,400

Active homes

Quarterly residential accounts on our books today. About a quarter of them have been with us more than ten years.

2

Licensed technicians

Dale and James — both FDACS licensed and Termidor certified. The same two people on every job. The face you see today is the face you'll see next year.

94%

Customer retention

Year-over-year retention rate on annual contracts. Industry average is 71%. We don't lose customers to price; we lose them to moves.

5.0★

Google rating

Every Google review of DeBugem is a 5. Word of mouth and repeat business carry the company.

$80

Quarterly start

Our standard recommendation is the quarterly plan — the right amount of treatment for lawn and pest with minimal issues. Quarterly residential pest control starts at $80 and goes up by home size. If you need something different, give us a call — flexible service available.

How we work

Six things we believe about pest control.

These aren't marketing copy. These are the rules every tech is hired and trained on.

01

Diagnose first, treat second.

Spraying without identifying the species is malpractice. Our techs carry hand lenses, sample bags, and field guides. We name what we're killing before we kill it.

02

The same tech every visit.

Pest control is pattern recognition. The tech who notices that the trail has shifted from the bathroom to the laundry room is the tech who's been there four times. New face every quarter = ineffective.

03

Less chemistry, not more.

The default for the chains is escalating concentration. Our default is integrated pest management — exclusion, sanitation, and the smallest effective dose. Spray is the last lever, not the first.

04

Pets and kids matter.

We use bait gels indoors, exterior-only granular outside, and we tell you exactly what we applied. Dogs and toddlers do not need to leave the house during a normal service.

05

Honest pricing on the website.

If a competitor won't tell you what they charge until they "come out and assess," that's a sales call. Our prices are on the page. Final quotes are flat. No upsell line items.

06

If it's not fixed, we come back.

Not "we'll send a tech in 7–10 business days." We come back. Same week. Free. Until the problem is gone. That's the entire pitch.

The owner

Dale Martin, in his own words.

Dale is FDACS-licensed since 1997 (Lic. #JF8626) and the founder of DeBugem. Full bio + credentials on his author page.

"I worked for two of the big national companies for seven years before I started DeBugem. I quit because of one Tuesday afternoon — a customer in Boynton, German roach problem in her kitchen, three young kids. The route manager told me to spray on her countertops because bait took too long for our quarterly schedule. I refused. I got written up. I quit Friday."

"Started DeBugem the next Monday. Bought a used Dodge pickup, a five-gallon sprayer, and put my home phone on the side of the truck. The first customer was that lady in Boynton. We baited her kitchen instead of spraying it. Roaches were gone in three weeks. She told a friend in Royal Palm. That friend told two more."

"All these years later, it's still me on the truck — alongside James, our second technician. Two trucks, two techs, one shop. I personally handle the bigger termite jobs when the schedule allows. I still keep that first Dodge pickup in the back lot — it's my reminder that the job is the same job it was on day one. The bugs haven't changed. We don't either."

— Dale Martin, founder & owner

Timeline

The slow build.

1998

One truck, one tech.

Dale starts DeBugem out of his Lake Worth garage. First account: a 1,400 sq ft house in Boynton.

2003

Termidor certified.

Becomes one of the first PBC contractors certified on Termidor SC liquid termiticide. Termite work doubles within the year.

2014

First HOA contract.

A Boca West community signs as the first multi-property HOA contract. More PBC HOAs and condo associations follow over the next decade — single-point billing and reliable, scheduled community-wide treatments became a real specialty.

2019

Termidor Certified Professional.

Dale earns BASF Termidor Certified Professional status — required for written termite re-treatment warranty paperwork.

2021

James joins the team.

Second technician comes aboard. DeBugem stays a two-tech, two-truck owner-operated shop — the way Dale wants it.

2023

5.0 stars on Google.

Quiet milestone — every Google review of DeBugem is a 5. Word of mouth and repeat business carry the company.

Today

Still independent.

Local, independent, and family-owned. We are not for sale.

Licensed, bonded, registered

The paperwork — verifiable.

Every license, certification, and registration we hold is publicly verifiable through the relevant agency. Click any source to verify directly.

FDACS Lic. #JF8626 Licensed Since 1997 Termidor Certified FL DBPR Compliant Family-Owned Since 1998 BBB Member

Pest control license

FDACS #JF8626 — Active

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services pest control operator license, originally issued February 7, 1997 to Dale Martin. Three categories held: General Household Pest & Rodent Control, Lawn & Ornamental, and Termite & Wood-Destroying Organism Control. Last renewed August 2025.

Verify on FDACS ↗

Business registration

Martin American Enterprise Corp

DeBugem Pest Control operates as a fictitious name under Martin American Enterprise Corp, an active Florida Profit Corporation registered with the Florida Department of State. Document number P08000085964.

Verify on Florida Sunbiz ↗

Manufacturer certification

BASF Termidor Certified Provider

DeBugem is a BASF Termidor Certified Professional — required for proper Termidor SC application and written re-treatment warranty paperwork. Recertification renewed annually.

Service area

Palm Beach County + N. Broward

Primary service area is all of Palm Beach County. We also cover a small portion of north Broward — including the Deerfield Beach area — for HOAs, condo associations, and residential customers within that zone.

One Dodge pickup, a Termidor card, and thirty-four years of showing up.

Lake Worth, Florida — one truck, one technician, one promise: we'll come back if it's not fixed.