Pest infestations can cause serious problems with your property and health. They can damage your home; spread diseases; and trigger allergies and asthma. They can also bite or sting you and your loved ones, especially spiders, fleas, ants, bed bugs and mosquitoes.

Hiring a professional is the best way to get the pest solution. Choosing the right pest control company starts with learning about the different treatments and options they offer.

Pest Identification

Accurate pest identification is the first step in integrated pest management (IPM). It’s important to identify whether a weed, insect, plant disease, or vertebrate animal is the source of a problem on your property. Incorrect identification can result in improper control tactics that may not only be ineffective but also add unnecessary chemicals to the environment.

Insect identification is often based on morphological features such as mouthparts, wings, legs, or antennae. It’s also important to look at the damage being caused and what types of crops are affected. This will help narrow down your options so you can target the correct control method, such as pheromone trapping or the use of natural enemies (biological controls).

A scouting program should be started early in the season and targeted to areas of crop where pest problems have historically occurred. It’s also recommended to begin a file of digital images of your pest specimens by year, season and crop for future reference.

There are several sources of identification aids available for stored product insect pests, including a variety of printed or online guides. In addition, many national-level identifications are provided by the Plant Protection and Quarantine’s (PPQ) National Identification Services program, which has experts stationed at a variety of institutions, including State departments of agriculture, land-grant universities, and natural history museums.

Pest Prevention

In order to keep pests out it’s important to take preventive measures. This means not only keeping the area clean, but also sealing cracks and crevices where pests can enter. Clutter like stacks of newspapers and cardboard provides hiding places for rodents and insects to breed. Eliminating these potential entry points can be an easy and effective way to stop pests from spreading.

In a food facility, good sanitation practices can help prevent the spread of contaminating pests, such as rats and cockroaches that can carry bacteria on their bodies and then contaminate food. The proper design of storage and food handling areas can also reduce the amount of access these pests have to food sources.

Threshold-based decision-making is a key part of preventive pest management. A few wasps visiting the garbage can at night may not warrant a response, but a swarm of them crawling across a loading dock might indicate an infestation is in progress and prompt action should be taken.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so be proactive when it comes to pests. Identify the pests, tailor your control method to fit their specific needs, and always follow product instructions and personal protective equipment (PPE) guidelines when using any type of pesticide or other pest management tactic. This will ensure you get the best results with the least disruption to your environment.

Pest Control

Pests cause damage to living and working spaces. They can also transmit diseases and cause allergies to people. They can be bacteria, fungus, weeds, birds, rodents, insects, ticks or nematodes. Pest control is regulated by environmental laws. It can include prevention, suppression, and eradication. Preventative programs remove sources of food, water and shelter. They can be physical – like screens, traps or barriers; chemical – like herbicides, insecticides or baits; biological – using predators and parasites; and hygienic – like washing hands and cleaning food processing equipment.

The goal of pest management is to reduce pests and their damage to an acceptable level without harming nonliving organisms, surfaces or ecosystems at the treatment site. Integrated pest management (IPM) uses the best available tactics, including preventative methods and a range of physical, biological and chemical control tactics. It combines threshold-based decision-making with careful monitoring and observation to predict when control is needed.

A recurring pest control service is an effective way to protect your home or business. A professional will be able to treat for pests before they become a problem, and you can plan your services ahead of time so that you don’t miss any treatments. This will save you time and money, as well as minimize the impact on the environment. It is better to invest in a regular service than to wait until you have an infestation of pests, which can be more difficult and expensive to fix.

Pest Inspection

This involves an examination of a home to look for signs of pests or damage that they might have caused. The inspector will typically look for damage on baseboards, walls and even in the attic and basement. If there is a significant issue, the pest inspector will note it as a Section One item - meaning that it needs to be fixed immediately. If the damage is not a Section One item, the inspector will note it as a Section Two item - which means that it may become a Section One item in the future.

The inspection will also include looking at the outside of a home to see if there are cracks in the foundation or exterior walls that might allow pests to enter. This will also include examining the attic, basement and crawl space. A trained pest inspector will also check for potential entry points that might house rodents and insects, like wood mulch in flower beds right next to a home or out-of-reach areas, like behind appliances.

When a pest infestation is discovered, the pest inspector will work with a treatment plan that is appropriate for the situation. Often this will involve a one-time treatment, but in more severe cases the pest inspector might put together a longer term control strategy. The inspector will re-inspect the property to ensure that treatment has been effective, and then provide the homeowner with a pest clearance certificate.

Conclusion