Pests damage our property, cause diseases and carry allergens. Regular pest control reduces health and safety risks to our families and pets.

Integrated Pest Management includes prevention, monitoring, inspections, and when necessary, treatment with relatively low-risk pesticides. Pesticides can be toxic to people, dogs, cats, birds, wildlife and other plants. Contact Six Brothers Pest Control now!

Identifying pests is the first step in designing an effective pest management plan. In addition to reducing the risk of using harmful chemicals, accurate identification can help with planning prevention strategies. Pests can look very similar to non-pest insects, so determining exactly what you’re dealing with can be challenging. For example, immature beetles can resemble caterpillars or worms. Observe the pest and note its characteristics such as size, color, length of antennae or wings, legs, body type and mouthparts. Photograph the specimen to keep as a reference for future examinations.

If the pest is moving too fast or hiding to be photographed, capture it and bring it in for closer examination. Use an insect identifier to quickly and easily identify the species. These apps provide high-definition photographs, FAQs, characteristics and more to assist in identification. They can be downloaded to mobile devices for easy access, even in remote locations.

A pest identifier can be especially useful for museum environments, where many of the organisms are found only in certain climate conditions or in specific collection items. These tools can also aid in identifying and tracking specimens for quarantine or movement within the country.

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, pest identification can be challenging. The National Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection Program (NAIS) provides pest identification services through remote digital imaging technology and microscopy equipment. NIS staff specializing in molecular systematics at locations throughout the nation provide assistance to PPQ identifiers.

The NAIS has provided pest identification guides for a number of common organisms that are known to infest museums. These guides include descriptions of the pests, their life cycles, habitat, threats, and tips for prevention and control. These guides can be downloaded as PDFs or used online. Alternatively, the MuseumPests Working Group created an Airtable of pest fact sheets that provide quick-reference to commonly encountered museum pests and their control measures. The fact sheets are not intended as a substitute for an official pest identification procedure but rather to provide general guidance. They can be accessed through the link below. Originally published as PDFs, the fact sheets have been moved to an Airtable, which will allow for easy updates and expansion.

Pest Prevention

A key element of pest control is preventive, or non-toxic, methods that focus on reducing the risk of an infestation before it occurs. This approach can include sanitation, eliminating food sources and water and sealing entry points into the home. It also includes structural prevention – installing barriers or modifications that make it difficult for pests to find ways into the living spaces of the building.

Sanitation is the most basic method for preventing pests, and it requires a routine cleaning schedule. It is important to wash dishes promptly, store dry food in sealed containers and dispose of garbage regularly. This can help keep ants, roaches and rodents away from the home. In addition, a homeowner can trim vegetation close to the house and reduce moisture problems by keeping gutters functioning properly and replacing old weather stripping on doors and windows.

Pests can cause serious damage to property, and they can also carry disease-causing pathogens, allergens and irritants that can threaten human health. Routine pest control is one of the best methods for protecting people and preserving the value of property.

Monitoring pest numbers can help determine if and when pest control is needed. In many cases, the number of pests in an area may need to reach a threshold level before it is considered unacceptable. Monitoring may involve trapping or scouting. For example, observing a large number of cockroaches or finding mice droppings may indicate that it is time to take action.

Often, once pests are present, it will be necessary to suppress them with chemical controls. Suppression will bring the population down to a point where it is no longer an unacceptable nuisance or causing damage.

After a pest has been eliminated, it is important to monitor for the return of the pest and ensure that the control measures used are effective. Pests can often become resistant to certain chemicals, so it is important that the control methods are continually evaluated and adjusted as necessary. It is also essential to have a plan for dealing with the pests in case they do return.

Pest Control Methods

There are several kinds of pest control methods that can be used to prevent and manage pests. Some methods involve using natural organisms like predators or parasites to reduce the population of a species of pest, while others are more extreme and use chemicals such as ultra-low volume fogging or fumigation to kill off pests that have already invaded a space. The goal of any pest management strategy is to keep the ecosystem in balance and to not cause harm to other organisms or the environment. The most comprehensive and long-term method of pest control is integrated pest management (IPM). IPM uses prevention, monitoring, and suppression to holistically manage pests in a landscape or ecosystem.

Prevention is a common and simple way to deal with pests. It involves eliminating the conditions that favor their presence and removing the materials or products they require to survive and reproduce. For example, removing water or food sources, sealing cracks or gaps, and reducing shelter and hiding places can make a landscape more unattractive to rodents and other pests.

For instance, storing foods in tightly sealed containers and removing garbage regularly can reduce rodent populations. Filling holes in walls and other areas with caulking or steel wool can also restrict pest entry points into homes or commercial buildings. Clutter can give pests places to hide, so cleaning spaces and getting rid of piles of papers or cardboard can help.

Another preventive measure is plant selection. Certain plants, such as fern-leaf yarrow (Achillea filipendulina), are known to attract predatory insects that can destroy or limit pests. Other plants can be planted as barriers to pests, such as marigolds (Mossa spp.), which deter hornworms.

Chemical pest control is often necessary when other methods don’t work or aren’t possible. However, it is important to evaluate the risks of applying any chemical to a landscape or building. If the risk outweighs the benefits, it may be best to choose a different method of control.

Keeping up with the latest pest control methods is vital for field service technicians. By staying current with the variety of pest control techniques available, they can provide more personalized and effective services for customers. Ideally, pest control strategies combine prevention, monitoring, and suppression to minimize the use of chemical controls.

Pest Control Companies

A pest control company can help with a wide variety of pest problems, from termites to spiders to mice and rats. Professionals use a range of treatment methods, including insecticide spraying, baiting and trapping, heat treatments and other preventative measures. They also offer regular maintenance visits to prevent pests from returning. If you are considering hiring a pest control company, check their credentials carefully. Contact the Better Business Bureau and your state department of agriculture to see if any complaints have been filed against them. Ask for references and a list of all chemicals that will be used. Make sure the applicator is a certified commercial pesticide applicator and that all workers are trained in safe use of pesticides. Inquire about the applicator’s EPA number and how often they are required to take training courses to remain certified.

Pests can be a nuisance, distracting or even dangerous, such as scorpions, ticks and ants, or they can cause health problems, such as fleas, bed bugs, cockroaches and mice. They can damage your property and personal items, such as furniture, plants and wood structures. They can also contaminate food and water, such as with bird droppings or rat urine. They may also irritate the skin, eyes or nose, such as with spiders and silverfish.

The pest control industry is one of the few businesses that has consistently grown during economic downturns. Harding Loevner’s Shali Zhu attributes this to four long-term trends that drive demand for pest control services.

Many customers schedule routine pest-control treatments, providing recurring revenue for companies. These customers typically prefer a service provider that offers integrated pest management (IPM), which combines prevention and extermination approaches for optimal effectiveness.

Business owners in the food and beverage, hospitality and health care industries are especially prone to hire pest-control professionals when their establishments have pest infestations. These businesses understand that a single report or picture of a pest infestation can quickly ruin their reputations and cost them money. Moreover, they are aware that government agencies may impose fines or shut down their premises if they don’t comply with health ordinances.