Straight answers from a licensed New York exterminator and Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) — serving all five boroughs, in English and Spanish.
Get a Free Estimate →⏱ 10 min read
An Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) is a pest management professional certified by the Entomological Society of America (ESA) after passing a rigorous exam on insect biology and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and, for applicants without an entomology degree, proving at least five years of verifiable, licensed field experience plus professional references. ACEs are bound by a formal Code of Ethics. New York Exterminating’s work is led by an ACE, Jorge Bedoya — a New York–licensed Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator, PCQI, and internationally recognized German cockroach and food-safety expert trained to identify, treat, and eliminate 120+ pest species.
What Is an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE)?
The ACE is the certification the Entomological Society of America (ESA) created specifically for the working pest management professional. In ESA’s own words, those who earn it “have studied for and passed a rigorous exam covering insect knowledge and principles of Integrated Pest Management” and “represent a truly dedicated subset of Pest Management Professionals.” It is administered by the ESA Certification Corporation — the certifying body of the scientific society behind the field of entomology in North America.
To earn the credential, a professional must pass an exam on structural pest control and insect biology, provide two professional references that speak to their knowledge and ethics, agree to a binding Code of Ethics, and commit to ongoing continuing education to stay current. It is not a one-time test you forget — it is a standing professional commitment.
ACE vs. a Degree: Why Field Experience Is the Foundation
There’s a common assumption that the word “entomologist” means someone with a university degree who studies insects in a lab. The ACE is different — and, for your home or business, arguably more relevant. Here’s the tell, straight from ESA’s eligibility rules: the certification reduces the experience requirement for degree-holders. An applicant without an entomology degree must have a minimum of five years of verifiable, hands-on pest management experience. A bachelor’s degree drops that to three years; a master’s to two; a PhD to one.
In other words, ESA treats real field experience as the core qualification and an academic degree as a partial substitute for it — not the other way around. A purely academic or titular entomologist may hold a degree yet never have inspected a pre-war co-op’s steam risers, traced a German cockroach harborage in a commercial kitchen, or designed a mouse-exclusion plan for a brownstone. An ACE has done exactly that, under a license, for years — and proven it to a scientific society.
Why “Five Years Before You Can Even Apply” Matters
Five years isn’t an arbitrary hurdle. It’s roughly how long it takes to develop the judgment this work demands: correctly identifying species under pressure, reading how a building moves heat, food, and pests between units, treating effectively in occupied homes and operating kitchens, and knowing the difference between bed bugs and the fleas and mites that mimic them. And note what kind of license ESA requires — one that permits the holder to apply pesticides unsupervised in structural settings and mandates continuing education. So by definition, an ACE is a fully licensed, continuously-educated practitioner long before they ever sit the exam.
A Code of Ethics That Protects You — Not Just the Profession
Every ACE is bound by ESA’s Code of Ethics: to follow standard IPM guidelines with proper regard for public and environmental safety, to be honest and factual in every report and recommendation, to act as a faithful agent for each client, and to avoid conflicts of interest. The certification can be suspended or revoked for improper conduct. For you, that translates to real accountability — an ACE who cuts corners or misrepresents the work risks the credential they spent years earning. Doing right by you isn’t just our policy; it’s a professional obligation we answer to.
Meet Jorge Bedoya, ACE — New York Exterminating’s On-Staff Expert
- Credential: Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE), Entomological Society of America
- Specialized training: Urban Entomology
- Areas of expertise: German cockroaches, bed bugs, parasitic mites, rodent exclusion, Integrated Pest Management, and complex / hard-to-diagnose infestations
- Serves: Brooklyn & all of New York City
Read Jorge Bedoya’s full bio & specialties »
The Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) behind New York Exterminating is Jorge Bedoya. He holds an Associate’s degree in Environmental Science and completed an intensive 160+ hour Urban Entomology program at a university in Chile — where he performed so well that he was invited back as a speaker and instructor the following year, and is scheduled to teach the course again this year.
Jorge is an internationally recognized German cockroach expert who has delivered professional conferences and trainings across Latin America — including Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Costa Rica. He is trained to identify, treat, and eliminate more than 120 different pest species, from the city’s toughest bed bug infestations to commercial rodent and exclusion work.
Beyond residential and commercial pest control, Jorge is a PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) and a specialist in commercial food-establishment pest control and HACCP food-safety systems — the expertise restaurants, food manufacturers, and warehouses rely on to stay inspection-ready. He is also a New York State–licensed Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator (ID C2901568, Region 2 / Kings), certified in Structural & Rodent Control (7a), Food Processing (7f), and Public Health (8). Because of that depth, other local pest control companies regularly bring Jorge in as a third-party expert exterminator for the accounts and infestations they can’t solve on their own.
The specialist other companies call
Over his career, Jorge has assessed and eliminated infestations at every scale — single detached homes, building-wide infestations, and full commercial facilities. When another pest control company’s technicians can’t close out a case, or a situation is especially delicate, they bring him in as the third-party expert. He invests in specialized equipment — no job goes out with less than roughly $2,000 in professional gear, where much of the field still relies on a basic sprayer with limited reach. And he chooses products that are less toxic than the industry average yet more lethal to the target pest on contact — how he has built a clean track record of complete elimination on the toughest cases, including bed bugs, German cockroaches, and parasitic mites.
- Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) — Entomological Society of America (verify digital badge)
- PCQI — Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (FSMA food safety)
- HACCP — commercial food-establishment & food-safety specialist
- NY Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator — C2901568 (7a Structural & Rodent, 7f Food Processing, 8 Public Health)
- Associate’s degree, Environmental Science
- 160+ hour Urban Entomology program (university in Chile) — returning instructor/speaker
- Internationally recognized German cockroach expert & conference speaker (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica)
- Trained to identify, treat & eliminate 120+ pest species
What This Means for Your Home or Business
Whether it’s a discreet bed bug job in a doorman building, German cockroaches in a restaurant, mouse exclusion in a pre-war walk-up, or clothes-moth protection for heirloom textiles, your treatment is guided by ACE-level training and a binding professional Code of Ethics — not guesswork. We bring that standard to every neighborhood we serve across Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Guides & articles by Jorge Bedoya, ACE
- Bound by a Code of Ethics — how professional accountability protects you
- Mystery bites — when you feel bites but can’t find a bug
- Third-party & white-label expert services for other companies
- German cockroach elimination — biology, resistance & single-visit strategy
- Bed bug treatment in NYC
Sources & Verification
- ESA ACE program — entocert.org/ace
- ACE eligibility requirements — entocert.org/ace/eligibility
- ACE Code of Ethics — entocert.org/ace/coe
- Jorge Bedoya’s ACE digital badge — Credly
- Jorge Bedoya, ACE, PCQI — LinkedIn
Why New Yorkers choose NYE
Led by an ACE
Every job is overseen by Jorge Bedoya, an Associate Certified Entomologist (ESA) — not a call center.
No contracts
One thorough treatment with an optional 50%-off verification visit. No auto-renewal, no lock-in.
Elimination, not spraying
Resistance-aware methods — including our signature microinjection — that target the source, with documentation.
Licensed & local
NYSDEC Reg. #15140, serving all five boroughs since 2010. Fully bilingual (EN/ES).
Backed by science, not guesswork. Your treatment is led by Jorge Bedoya, an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) credentialed by the Entomological Society of America — correct pest ID, resistance-aware products, and a documented plan.
What happens after you call
- Fast response. Call (347) 210-4646 — same-day appointments are often available, including after-hours emergencies.
- Inspection & ID. We confirm the pest and find the source, not just where you saw it.
- Targeted treatment. A resistance-aware plan matched to the pest, explained before we start.
- Verification & prevention. Optional follow-up to confirm zero activity, plus reports and photos in your client portal.
How Many Associate Certified Entomologists Are There — and in NYC?
There is no official public count of Associate Certified Entomologists (ACEs) practicing in New York City. The credential is administered by the ESA Certification Corporation, part of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), which maintains a searchable national roster — its “Locate an ACE or BCE” directory — but does not publish a city-by-city total. Nationally, ACE holders number in the low thousands; in a market the size of NYC, the practical reality is that relatively few local firms publicly list an ACE on staff. New York Exterminating is one of them, led by Jorge Bedoya, ACE. To verify any company’s claim, the ESA roster at entocert.org is the authoritative source.
Why the scarcity matters: ACE is a voluntary, exam-based credential built for experienced structural pest professionals, and keeping it requires ongoing continuing education. So when a NYC company is genuinely “ACE-led,” it signals entomological training well beyond the minimum NYSDEC pesticide-applicator license — which is exactly what the city’s hardest problems demand, like German cockroaches in multifamily buildings and bed bugs in dense housing.
A Brooklyn-based, NYSDEC-registered company (Reg. #15140) led by Jorge Bedoya, an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE). For pests in your home or building, NYE provides IPM-based, low-exposure control matched to the exact pest and verified with a follow-up. ACE-led work comes with a client portal of service reports and photos, fully bilingual service, and no long-term contract.
Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) FAQ
How many ACE entomologists are in NYC?
There is no published NYC-specific count. The ESA Certification Corporation maintains a national roster but does not release a city total. In practice, only a handful of NYC pest-control firms publicly list an Associate Certified Entomologist on staff — New York Exterminating, led by Jorge Bedoya, ACE, among them. The ESA “Locate an ACE or BCE” directory is the way to verify a credential.
What is an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE)?
An ACE is a pest-management professional credentialed by the ESA Certification Corporation (Entomological Society of America). The credential is designed for experienced structural pest professionals who demonstrate substantial knowledge of insect biology, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and pesticide safety through examination and continuing education.
Is an ACE the same as a Board Certified Entomologist (BCE)?
No. A BCE generally requires formal academic training in entomology or a related science, while the ACE is aimed at experienced field professionals who may not hold an entomology degree. Both are credentials of the ESA Certification Corporation.
Why does hiring an ACE-led company matter in NYC?
It signals training beyond the minimum NYSDEC pesticide-applicator license. For NYC’s toughest jobs — German cockroaches in apartment buildings, bed bugs in dense housing — that depth of knowledge of pest biology and IPM supports more accurate diagnosis and a resistance-aware plan.
How do I verify a company’s ACE credential?
Check the ESA Certification Corporation’s public roster (“Locate an ACE or BCE”) at entocert.org, which confirms whether a named individual currently holds the ACE credential.
