Pests are undesirable because they damage plants and cause diseases in animals and humans. Controlling them involves a combination of prevention, suppression and eradication.

Pests are usually attracted to homes for food, shelter and water. Keep trash cans tightly covered and remove them regularly, clean storage areas and fix leaky pipes to reduce the attraction of these pests. Reach out to Pest Control Meridian ID for expert assistance.

Pests are more than just a nuisance; they can carry disease-causing germs and damage property. Preventative techniques are the best way to control pest populations.

In museums, preventative measures include preventing contact between artifacts and pests, removing food sources and shelter, and keeping the environment clean and dry. Preventive strategies may include blocking access to areas where pests are known to congregate, such as the area under a wood pile or along the base of walls, or reducing the number of entrance points by sealing cracks and crevices.

Identifying pests and their life stages (egg, larva, nymph, pupa, adult) is essential to pest prevention, because some interventions are only effective at certain times in a pest’s life cycle. This information can be used to plan when and where to treat, for example by spraying a house with a liquid insecticide that kills only adult mosquitoes during their reproductive phase.

Eliminating entry points is another important element of prevention, especially when it comes to a museum’s walls, floors and ceilings. Sealing cracks and crevices can keep pests from entering or exiting the building, as can patching holes in the wall and resealing doorways. Regularly cleaning gutters, removing garbage from the premises and fixing leaky pipes can also stop pests from finding their way indoors.

Outdoors, reducing the number of places where pests can hide and find food is equally important. Mowing the lawn frequently, storing firewood away from buildings and trimming trees and bushes can all prevent pests from nesting or foraging near your building. Keeping the environment clean and dry is also critical, as pests love to congregate around damp or dewy areas.

If you suspect a pest infestation, alert a PCO immediately. Make sure to note the time, date and location of the sighting or indication of a pest problem, so your PCO can quickly address the issue. A targeted approach such as this keeps treatment costs low and minimizes the amount of chemicals that are brought into food establishments. 

Suppression

The goal of suppression techniques is to reduce pest numbers and/or damage below harmful levels, using methods that cause as little harm to non-target organisms as possible. Insecticides are the most common chemical control agents, but even they can be dangerous and may damage the environment if not used correctly. Pesticides are used only when prevention and/or avoidance efforts aren’t effective or when a threshold level of damage has been reached (see “Understanding Thresholds” within the Monitoring page).

Many pests grow or reproduce only as long as food, water, shelter, or overwintering sites are available. Sanitation practices that remove food, water, or shelter inhibit pest populations. Some crops or wood products are naturally resistant to some pests, and use of these types can reduce problems.

Beneficial microbes — bacteria, viruses, fungi — can suppress some insect pests. These organisms are engineered into biological pesticides that are sprayed or spread in the field. When insects ingest the microbes, they die from the inside out. Nematodes (microscopic roundworms) are another useful natural pest control. These beneficial multicellular worms are not toxic to plants or people, but their associated bacteria kill insect pests. Extension fact sheet EEP-7670, “Detection, Conservation, and Augmentation of Nematodes for Natural Pest Suppression,” explains how to detect and conserve nematodes in the field.

Weather conditions, particularly temperature and day length, affect pest growth and activity. For example, the presence of snow or ice slows egg hatching and increases mortality in winter for pests that live and breed in the open.

Other elements of the environment can also limit pest populations. Mountains, lakes, and rivers restrict the movement of some pests; bare soil is more difficult for them to burrow into than moist, fertile ground. Predator species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals reduce pest populations; parasitic insects and pathogens that feed on or destroy pests also limit their numbers.

Eradication

Even after a team of maintenance personnel has taken great care to keep a building clean, pests can still make their way into a facility. A pest infestation is the presence of a species in numbers that cause damage, have health implications for occupants or simply create a nuisance. Some common pests include birds (pigeons, geese, house sparrows and gulls), insects, rodents, termites, flies, mosquitoes and ants. Infestations often indicate that the pest population has gotten out of control and must be dealt with immediately to prevent further problems.

A pesticide may be used to eradicate an infestation of a particular pest. However, a careful evaluation of the pest problem should be made before this option is considered. Factors that should be considered are the life cycle of the pest, its potential damage, its interaction with natural enemies and other environmental factors. Biological methods for controlling pests are usually a good choice because they reduce the need for chemicals.

These techniques are often effective if the insect or plant has not become too established in a specific area. They also can be used in conjunction with other types of pest control methods to improve their effectiveness.

Examples of biological pest control include the use of predators to reduce the number of harmful insects in a garden or crop field. This is a good alternative to chemical controls, which can be harmful to humans and the environment. However, the success of this type of control depends on the ability of the natural enemy to survive and reproduce, so it can be slow to work.

When hiring someone to do pest control, be sure that they have a license to apply pesticides in your state and have completed an approved training program. Also, ask them to provide you with the name of the chemical they will be using and its EPA registration number so that you can check for safety and legal issues. Also, remember to dispose of any pesticides and their containers appropriately.

Biological Control

Biological control techniques use living organisms (predators, parasitoids and pathogens) to reduce pest populations. They can be used against insects, vertebrates, weeds and plant diseases. This type of pest management is different from traditional chemical control methods, which use chemicals that kill or damage unwanted species.

The goal of biological control is to increase the numbers or effectiveness of natural enemies within a landscape. This is often achieved through augmentation, which involves purchasing and releasing natural enemies into the field to supplement the activities of existing ones. Augmentation is typically a preventive method, with releases occurring before the expected emergence of the target pest.

Biocontrol agents must be very specific to the pest species in order to avoid causing unforeseen disruptions to ecosystems. Proper pest identification is the first step in determining which organisms will be effective against a particular pest. For example, the caterpillar parasite Amblysieus swirskii can feed on a number of different pest species, but it is particularly effective against the caterpillars of the ginkgo tree. This specificity can also be found among biological control agents that use disease-causing microorganisms to control plants, such as the fungus Bacillus thuringiensis. Different strains of this bacterium can target various types of caterpillars, but it is most effective against the western flower hornworm.

Many of the organisms used in classical biological control are of foreign origin, since many invasive pests were introduced to the continent from other regions of the world. This is known as importation or classic biological control, and it is very labor intensive to locate, test, quarantine and rear these natural enemies.

Other types of biological control are not as labor intensive, and are usually applied at the time of planting or sprayed directly on plants. These include nematodes, which kill or repel insects, and plant extracts that boost the defenses of a crop against insect attack. This approach can be highly effective when combined with other preventive measures and when used in conjunction with reduced reliance on herbicides, especially those that interfere with the activity of natural enemies.

The first step in pest control is to identify the pest correctly. This is important because it allows you to determine basic information about the pest, such as its life cycle and when it is most susceptible to being controlled.

Continuous pests are typically predictable, but sporadic and potential pests can be more difficult to predict.

Pests cause damage to property, spread disease, and can contaminate food. They also affect indoor air quality, exacerbate asthma and allergies, and increase fire hazards by chewing through wiring. The best way to reduce pest problems is prevention. This involves evaluating and proactively addressing potential entry points, food sources, water and shelter. In homes, this means cleaning up spills and crumbs regularly, taking out trash and recycling promptly and keeping clutter to a minimum. In commercial settings, minimizing storage of materials in open bins, arranging shelving to reduce stacking, and creating sanitary perimeters on floors can help prevent pest infestation.

A pest control operator should be notified of any sightings or indications of pests so that they can visit and treat the area as needed. A pest control operator may also provide advice to the customer on how to avoid future pest problems, such as sealing cracks or installing screens.

Eradication is usually a rare goal in outdoor pest situations, except for foreign species that have been introduced into an area and are not natural inhabitants. In enclosed environments, where there is a need to ensure public health and safety, pests are often controlled by eliminating their food, water or shelter, or by disrupting their reproduction or feeding. This may be achieved through quarantine, repulsion, physical removal or chemical application.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an approach to pest control that emphasizes prevention, monitoring and treatment only when needed. IPM targets pests and their vulnerabilities, such as entry points, in order to minimize the need for harmful chemicals. It is important for consumers, building owners, and maintenance workers to understand pests and their needs so that they can work together to protect the environment. For example, residents can help by reporting any signs of pests in their apartments to the manager or tenant liaison. They can also help by ensuring that food is stored in airtight containers, recycling is done regularly, and that waste is removed from the building on time for collection. These are all simple steps that can help decrease the need for pest control treatments and keep the environment healthy.

Suppression

If pests have already infested a living space, it may be necessary to suppress them by using chemical or biological methods. Regardless of the suppression method used, it is important to follow up with monitoring to determine whether the problem has been corrected and to guide future prevention and control activities.

Natural features such as mountains and bodies of water restrict the spread of many pests, as do climate conditions. In addition, food, shelter, and roosting sites all affect the size of a pest population. Some pests thrive only as long as their food supply lasts; others are limited in number because they reproduce quickly and have few places to overwinter.

Preventing pests from invading a living space should be the first priority. Taking steps such as sealing cracks and crevices, caulking around windows and doors, and putting steel wool in spaces where pipes enter houses can prevent insects, rodents, and other pests from entering a home. Repairing broken screens on doors and windows, and removing clutter where pests can breed or hide are also important.

If you hear scurrying or scratching noises in the walls or attic of your house, it could be a sign of a rodent infestation. Rodents damage buildings, carry disease and cause a variety of health problems, such as salmonellosis and allergic reactions. They also leave behind a mess of droppings and urine, which can attract other pests and pose a fire hazard.

Other common pests include ants, termites, beetles, ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes. They can cause similar damage and disease, as well as spoil crops and contaminate stored products.

Several kinds of natural enemies, such as predators and parasites, can help control pest populations. These organisms can be conserved and released to keep pest numbers low, such as the nematodes that kill harmful soil grubs or the wasp that parasitizes greenhouse whiteflies. Many of these natural enemies are available commercially. In addition, pheromones can be used to disrupt insect mating behavior. These synthetic pheromones mimic the natural scent that female insects emit to attract males and discourage them from mating.

Eradication

Whether ants creeping through cracks in your home or rats chewing holes in the exterior wall, pest control begins with finding and eliminating the problem. This might involve a thorough cleaning audit, the use of a trap or bait or a more invasive approach such as chemical sprays, nematicides, rotenone or herbicides. These chemicals, called pesticides, are used to protect crops from insects, diseases and weeds and can be very effective but must be used carefully. They can also pose health and environmental risks, so they must be kept away from children and pets.

Chemical pest control methods, such as nematicides and herbicides, are usually easier to apply and can be very effective in controlling pest populations. These can, however, have adverse effects on the environment, plants and animals and may require repeated applications. Biological pest control is a more sustainable option. The introduction of predatory species, parasitic nematodes and other microorganisms can be very effective at reducing pest populations without the use of toxic chemicals.

Physical traps, netting and decoys are common physical pest control methods. These can be particularly useful around the home, where removing access points for pests is critical. Sealing cracks, windows and doors is also essential. This can be a difficult task as mice and bugs can fit through extremely small cracks. In addition, trimming back bushes and debris that can provide places for nests and shelter is important. In addition, food scraps and trash should be removed regularly to prevent a pest problem.

The word eradicate means to wipe out completely and can be used to refer to the destruction of a pest, disease, or even a race of people. It is related to the Latin word extirpate, meaning uproot or remove by the roots, and it can be compared to other extermination-related words such as destroy, obliterate and annihilate. Eradication programs can be challenging to execute and must be constantly reviewed and evaluated to ensure that they are working. For example, efforts to eradicate the guinea worm, or dracunculiasis, have been successful but must continue at a global level.

Monitoring

Monitoring is the process of regularly inspecting a facility for pests, determining the need for control, and assessing how well control measures are working. This is a key step in the IPM approach, which emphasizes treating only for observed and identified problems rather than trying to treat everything that moves. This helps reduce the use of pesticides and minimizes off-target impact.

Depending on the type of pest, monitoring can be done by visual inspection or trapping, or both. Some pests, such as cockroaches, flies, and mosquitoes are continuous pests that are always present and need regular control; others are sporadic or migratory and may require occasional or cyclical treatment. Monitoring can also include checking environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture levels, which can affect how susceptible plants are to pests.

A flashlight is a useful tool for inspections because pests often seek shelter in dark, secluded areas. An extendable mirror can allow a more thorough inspection behind and underneath equipment, and a magnifier can help identify pests or the presence of frass (excrement) or other signs of infestation. A pest log documents the frequency and locations of pest sightings, which can help determine the need for a particular pest management strategy.

Using preventive strategies, including sanitation, proofing, and exclusion, is the best way to avoid pest infestations in the first place. This includes sealing cracks, caulking windows, and repairing screens. Preventive measures are particularly important in food processing facilities, where contamination from pests can be costly and wreak havoc on a company’s reputation and bottom line.

In some cases, monitoring isn’t possible or practical, such as in hospitals where there is a zero tolerance for rodents in operating rooms and other sterile areas. In these situations, a combination of prevention and suppression is needed to maintain pest-free environments.

In these situations, a pest management professional can be invaluable in helping a business keep pests at bay. Using a combination of traps, baits, and pheromones, pests can be prevented from accessing sensitive areas where they can cause damage or spread diseases. For example, cockroaches can carry over 45 different pathogens and trigger asthma attacks in some people.