A pest control professional should be well-trained and licensed. Ask to see proof of insurance and certification.
Routine pest control prevents property damage and preserves the value of your home. It also improves health and safety by removing disease-causing pathogens and allergens. Click https://facilitypestcontrol.com/ to learn more.
Effective pest control strategies reduce pest numbers to an acceptable level and cause the least harm to non-target organisms. These strategies include:
Pest infestations pose a serious threat to property health and safety. Whether it is disease-carrying cockroaches or carpenter ants, unchecked pest populations can result in structural damage and costly repairs to homes and businesses. Rather than reacting to pests after they are found, proactive pest control focuses on eliminating conditions that invite them into the premises. Pest prevention is the most effective and environmentally conscious means of controlling pests.
Regular inspections of homes and businesses provide early detection and treatment of pest issues before they become infestations. Preventative services include:
- Sealing entry points.
- Keeping surfaces clean.
- Managing moisture.
- Reducing waste and preventing food sources from being exposed to pests.
Professional pest control providers can also implement integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that incorporate physical, biological and chemical controls to manage the problem with minimal impact on humans and pets.
Many pests invade structures seeking food, water or shelter. Poor sanitation conditions supply all three, making it a common source of infestation. Maintaining strict cleanliness standards in retail and hospitality environments and in the home can eliminate pests by removing their attractiveness. Sealing small cracks and gaps prevents the entry of pests, while sweeping and vacuuming regularly eliminates sticky residues that attract them. Stacking trash away from the building, using tightly sealed garbage containers and sanitizing food storage areas can deter pests as well.
Some pests require special conditions to develop into mature forms that are capable of causing harm. Monitoring the pests’ life cycles, especially their growth stages, allows pest control professionals to know when and how to intervene. This allows for less frequent and more targeted pest treatments, minimizing the need for chemicals.
Natural forces can cause the numbers of pests to rise and fall, depending on a variety of factors. These forces can be as simple as weather patterns, availability of food and water or the environment in which they live. Inspecting landscapes for possible pest pathways and removing weeds, woodpiles and other debris can help prevent pests from accessing the premises. The same goes for adjusting water levels, fixing leaks and ensuring that the soil isn’t too dry or too wet, as both can contribute to pest invasions.
Suppression
When prevention is not possible or not desired, pest control focuses on reducing the number of pests to an acceptable level. Suppression is a continuous process that requires regular inspections and treatment. Some examples of common pests that require suppression include ants, cockroaches, fleas and rodents.
Some natural forces can reduce pest numbers without the need for human intervention. For example, nematodes are tiny worms that live in water and soil. When nematodes infest a plant, the plant is less able to grow and may suffer from disease. Nematodes are naturally controlled by rain and other weather conditions, which can also control plant-eating pests.
Physical and mechanical methods, such as traps, screens, barriers, nets and drench irrigation can be used to suppress or kill pests. Chemicals, such as herbicides and insecticides, are also used to kill or control pests. Chemicals are sometimes combined with other techniques, such as baiting and trapping, to achieve optimum results.
Many pests can be controlled by improving sanitation practices. Sanitation includes cleaning areas, storing food in pest-free containers and disposing of garbage regularly. Sanitation can also prevent spread of some pests by removing plant material from fields before moving equipment and decontaminating tools after each use.
In some cases, specific plants, animals, and materials resist pests better than others. Resistant species can be grown in place of susceptible types to keep pest populations below harmful levels. This type of pest control relies on identifying the species and understanding its life cycle to develop the most effective plan of action.
Scouting is the most important form of monitoring for pests. This involves regularly searching for and identifying pests, as well as assessing damage caused by them. Scouting can help determine the frequency and intensity of pest control. It is particularly useful in urban and industrial settings, where pests are often found in or around buildings. Regular scouting can reduce the need for more drastic measures, such as spraying. Pest identification is also necessary before using pesticides. For example, what appears to be a rat infestation might actually be a possum.
Eradication
The eradication of pests requires more than just eliminating individual populations. It must also eliminate the underlying factors that allow them to re-establish and grow. This involves a fundamental understanding of the biological systems that govern disease ecology and is not easily achieved. In particular, the reproductive rate of a microbe must be maintained below 1.0 and all reservoirs of infection (vectors, intermediate hosts, humans) must be controlled.
Eradication is the last step in IPM, but it can only be undertaken once all other management options have been exhausted. It can be particularly challenging for invasive pests that are not native to the area. Often, they have few natural predators, parasitoids, or pathogens to keep their numbers under control. Eradication programs can also be costly.
If other management methods fail, chemical options may be considered. Herbicides are available to kill weeds, insecticides to control insects, and fungicides to manage diseases. It is essential to use these chemicals correctly and to follow the instructions on the label. Many chemicals are toxic to beneficial organisms and will also harm other plants. In addition, some chemicals have a short shelf life and require a specific temperature range for proper storage.
In general, the choice of a chemical to use depends on the pest type and damage level. If pest numbers are low and the damage is not severe, a non-toxic method should be used. If the population is growing quickly, a more intensive management approach will be necessary.
Homeowners can practice cultural and physical controls of pests by monitoring their gardens, recording pest counts, and deciding when unacceptable damage is reached. When pest numbers are high, they can try to prevent the infestation from getting worse by using traps, baits, or physical repellents. They can also reduce pest pressure by adjusting planting times, installing mulches, and using screens or floating row covers to keep out insects and other nuisance birds.
It is important to understand that prevention, suppression, and eradication are different terms with very distinct meanings. The difference between these is that prevention prevents a problem from occurring; suppression reduces pest populations to an acceptable level; and eradication destroys the pest population.
Natural Forces
Ideally, pest control should cause as little harm as possible to everything except the target pest. This is the principle behind integrated pest management (IPM). Pests should be controlled only when their numbers or damage exceed an acceptable level. To do this, IPM approaches employ prevention — keeping pests from becoming a problem; suppression — reducing their numbers or damage to an acceptable level; and eradication — completely eliminating the pest population.
Prevention includes assessing the environment to find places where pests may hide or breed, such as under leaves or along foundations. Scouting and monitoring are also part of this strategy. It’s important to know how and when pesticides are used because they can disrupt the natural balance of organisms living on or near treatment sites. For example, pesticides can kill or displace beneficial insects and other organisms that help to control pest populations. In addition, the way that pesticides are applied can interfere with the ability of natural enemies to contact their targets, such as by affecting their mobility or contaminating their environment.
Many environmental factors limit the density of pest populations, including climate, topography, and the availability of food, water, shelter, and overwintering sites. These factors are often called natural controls. Predators and parasitoids, which kill or injure pests, are also important natural enemies. These natural controls can be enhanced through careful conservation of existing natural enemies, mass rearing and release of new ones, and the use of predatory or parasitic plants that naturally limit pest populations.
Some pests can be managed by putting up physical barriers and “pest proofing” buildings and other structures to prevent their entry or return. This type of pest control is sometimes called cultural pest management.
Regulatory control is necessary when pests threaten public health and safety or damage crops, livestock, and the environment. This involves government agencies and other organizations enforcing regulations and improving management practices to reduce pest problems. Eradication is not usually a goal in outdoor pest situations, but it’s sometimes attempted for invasive or foreign pests such as Mediterranean fruit fly and gypsy moth.