1. Introduction
Mr. Pest Control (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website located at https://www.bugsrbad.com/ (the “Website”). This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, what types of cookies this Website uses, why we use them, and what choices you have regarding their use.
This Cookie Policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy (https://www.bugsrbad.com/privacy-policy) and our Terms and Conditions (https://www.bugsrbad.com/terms-and-conditions), which together govern your use of this Website.
By continuing to use this Website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Cookie Policy. Where your consent is required for certain cookies, we will ask for it. You may withdraw consent at any time using the methods described in Section 6.
2. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device — computer, smartphone, or tablet — when you visit a website. They are widely used across the internet to make websites work efficiently, remember your preferences, and provide website owners with basic analytical information about how their sites are used.
Cookies are not programs and cannot execute code. They cannot carry viruses or install malware on your device. A cookie can only be read by the server that created it.
Types of Cookies by Duration
Session cookies — temporary cookies that exist only for the duration of your visit to the Website. They are automatically deleted from your device when you close your browser.
Persistent cookies — cookies that remain on your device for a set period of time after your visit, or until you manually delete them. They are reactivated each time you visit the website that created them.
Types of Cookies by Origin
First-party cookies — cookies set directly by the website you are visiting (in this case, https://www.bugsrbad.com/).
Third-party cookies — cookies set by a domain other than the website you are visiting, typically through embedded content or scripts from third-party services.
3. Cookies We Use
This Website uses a limited and purposeful set of cookies. We do not use cookies for advertising, cross-site behavioral tracking, or building personal profiles. The following table describes the categories of cookies in use on this Website:
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
Category: Essential Consent required: No — these cookies are required for the Website to function and cannot be disabled without affecting core functionality.
These cookies enable core Website features and security functions. Without them, the Website cannot operate properly. They do not store any personally identifiable information.
| Purpose | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Security / Bot Detection | Supports our contact form’s spam prevention (honeypot mechanism). Helps distinguish between real users and automated bots. | Session |
| Form Session State | Maintains the state of the contact form during your visit so your information is not lost if you navigate between pages. | Session |
| Cookie Preference Record | Stores your cookie consent choice so we do not ask again on every page visit. | 12 months |
3.2 Analytics Cookies
Category: Performance & Analytics Consent required: Yes — these cookies are only placed with your consent.
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our Website in aggregate. The information collected is anonymized or pseudonymized and is used solely to improve the Website’s performance and content. No personally identifiable information is collected or shared through these cookies.
If this Website uses Google Analytics, the following cookies may be present:
| Cookie Name | Set By | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. Used to calculate visit, session, and campaign data for analytics reports. | 2 years |
_ga_[ID] | Google Analytics | Used to persist session state. | 2 years |
_gid | Google Analytics | Stores and updates a unique value for each page visited. Used to distinguish users. | 24 hours |
_gat or _gat_gtag | Google Analytics | Used to throttle request rate — limiting data collection on high-traffic sites. | 1 minute |
Important: Google Analytics data collected through this Website is processed by Google in accordance with Google’s Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy). We have configured Google Analytics to anonymize IP addresses, meaning your full IP address is never stored by Google Analytics in connection with our Website data.
We do not use Google Analytics data to identify you personally or to build advertising profiles.
3.3 Functional Cookies
Category: Functional / Preference Consent required: Yes — where these cookies go beyond strictly necessary functionality.
These cookies allow the Website to remember choices you make (such as your cookie consent preference) and provide enhanced, personalized features. They do not track your activity across other websites.
| Purpose | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| User Preference Memory | Remembers browser or device preferences that improve your experience on return visits. | 6 months |
3.4 Third-Party Embedded Content Cookies
Category: Third-Party Consent required: Yes — these cookies are set by third-party services embedded in our Website.
This Website embeds content from the following third-party services, which may set their own cookies on your device when you interact with or view that embedded content. These cookies are governed entirely by the respective third party’s privacy and cookie policies, not ours.
Google Maps
- This Website embeds Google Maps to display our service area. When you view the embedded map, Google may set cookies on your device.
- Google Cookie Policy: https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies
- You can opt out of Google’s use of cookies by visiting Google’s Ads Settings at https://adssettings.google.com
Facebook / Meta
- This Website links to our Facebook page (facebook.com/LowCountryMrPestControl). If you click through to Facebook, Meta’s own cookies and tracking technologies apply.
- Meta Cookie Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies
- Facebook Cookie Settings: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads
Google Fonts
- This Website loads fonts from Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com). When your browser requests these fonts, Google’s servers may log your IP address and browser information.
- Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
3.5 Cookies We Do Not Use
To be explicitly clear, this Website does not use:
- Advertising or targeting cookies — we do not serve advertisements on this Website and do not use cookies to build advertising profiles or target you with ads on other websites
- Social media tracking pixels — we do not embed Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, or similar advertising tracking technologies on this Website
- Cross-site tracking cookies — we do not track your browsing behavior across third-party websites
- Fingerprinting or supercookies — we do not use browser fingerprinting or other methods designed to track you when cookies are blocked
- Retargeting cookies — we do not use cookies to serve you advertisements based on your past visits to this Website on other platforms
4. Legal Basis for Using Cookies
We use cookies on the following legal bases:
Legitimate interest — for strictly necessary cookies that are essential to the operation and security of this Website. These do not require your consent as they are necessary to deliver the service you have requested.
Consent — for analytics cookies, functional cookies, and third-party embedded content cookies. We will seek your consent before placing these cookies. You may withdraw your consent at any time (see Section 6).
While South Carolina does not currently have a specific cookie consent law equivalent to the EU’s ePrivacy Directive, we apply consent-based cookie practices as a matter of best practice, transparency, and in recognition that our Website may be accessed by visitors from jurisdictions (such as EU member states or California) where stricter cookie consent requirements apply.
5. Cookies and Personal Information
Most cookies used on this Website do not collect personally identifiable information on their own. Analytics cookies collect anonymized or pseudonymized data (such as a random identifier assigned to your browser, not your name or contact details).
The only way personally identifiable information is collected through this Website is when you voluntarily submit our contact form. This is governed by our Privacy Policy at https://www.bugsrbad.com/privacy-policy, not by cookies.
Cookie data is not combined with contact form submission data to identify, profile, or target you individually.
6. Your Cookie Choices & How to Control Cookies
You have several options for controlling cookies on this Website and across your browser:
6.1 Cookie Consent Banner
When you first visit this Website, you may be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookies (analytics, functional, and third-party). You can change your preference at any time by clearing your browser cookies and revisiting the Website, which will re-trigger the consent prompt.
6.2 Browser Settings
All major web browsers allow you to manage, block, or delete cookies through their settings. The following links provide instructions for the most commonly used browsers:
- Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences
- Apple Safari (Mac): https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-sfri11471
- Apple Safari (iPhone/iPad): https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201265
- Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies-in-microsoft-edge-63947406-40ac-c3b8-57b9-2a946a29ae09
- Samsung Internet: https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/what-are-cookies-and-how-do-i-enable-or-disable-them/
Please note: Blocking all cookies through your browser settings may affect the functionality of this Website and many other websites you visit. In particular, blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent our contact form from functioning correctly.
6.3 Opt Out of Google Analytics
If you wish to prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits to this Website, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On, available at: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
This add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and gtag.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about your visit activity.
6.4 Third-Party Opt-Out Tools
For broader control over third-party tracking, you may use the following industry opt-out tools:
- Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) Opt-Out: https://optout.networkadvertising.org
- Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Opt-Out: https://optout.aboutads.info
- Your Online Choices (EU): https://www.youronlinechoices.eu
Note that opting out through these tools does not block cookies entirely — it opts you out of interest-based advertising from participating companies. It does not affect our use of strictly necessary or analytics cookies on this Website.
7. Do Not Track
Some web browsers include a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature that sends a signal to websites indicating that you do not want your online activities tracked. There is currently no universally accepted technical standard for how websites should interpret and respond to DNT signals.
This Website does not currently alter its behavior in response to DNT signals. If a universally accepted DNT standard is adopted in the future, we will update this Cookie Policy accordingly.
8. Cookie Policy for Visitors Outside the United States
This Website is operated from and primarily serves residents of Beaufort and Jasper County, South Carolina, USA. If you are visiting this Website from outside the United States — including from the European Union, United Kingdom, or Canada — please be aware that:
- Your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States, which may have different data protection standards than your country
- If you are located in the EU or UK, the ePrivacy Directive and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) may apply to how we handle your data
- If you are located in Canada, PIPEDA (or applicable provincial privacy legislation) may apply
We apply the consent-based cookie practices described in this Policy to all visitors regardless of location. If you have specific concerns about cross-border data transfers, please contact us.
9. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes to applicable law, or changes to the services embedded in our Website. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page will reflect any revisions.
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically. Your continued use of this Website after the posting of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or how we use cookies on this Website, please contact us.