Field methods
Proven pest control methods
These are process pages, not product catalogs. A method that works on German cockroaches will fail on drywood termites. Read the pest entry first, then the method.
Integrated pest management (IPM)
Integrated pest management is not a brand. It is the order of operations used by extension entomologists, public-housing programs, and…
Exclusion and sealing
Exclusion is the control method that still works after you leave town. Rodents enter through gaps larger than 6 mm (mice) or 12 mm (rats)…
Sanitation and harborage reduction
Pests eat what you leave and live in what you pile. German cockroaches map a kitchen by grease and crumbs behind a stove. Rats map an…
Rodent trapping
Snap traps, when placed on runways and used in sufficient number, remain the most direct indoor rodent control that does not leave a…
Rodent baiting (rodenticides)
Rodenticides can reduce outdoor rat pressure around commercial sites when used in tamper-resistant stations, on labeled use sites, and as…
Cockroach baiting and IGRs
Modern German cockroach control is gel bait in cracks, an insect growth regulator where labeled, sanitation, and monitors. It is not a…
Termite prevention and inspection
You cannot spray your way out of a subterranean termite colony from a retail aisle. Prevention is moisture control, wood-to-soil…
Bed bug heat and non-chemical control
Bed bugs die when their bodies and harborages reach lethal temperatures for long enough. Whole-room heat is a professional method. DIY…
Mosquito source reduction
Adult fogging is theater if the yard still holds water. Aedes mosquitoes that transmit some viruses in the US breed in teaspoons of water…
Tick control around yards
Tick-borne disease is a US public-health issue, not a lawn-cosmetic issue. Blacklegged ticks, American dog ticks, and lone star ticks have…
Wildlife exclusion
The professional standard for raccoons, bats, squirrels, and skunks in buildings is inspect, determine occupancy (including young)…
Pesticide safety and the EPA label
In the United States, an EPA-registered pesticide label is a legal document. It tells you the site, pest, rate, PPE, re-entry, storage…
Pantry pest cleanout
Indian meal moths, merchant grain beetles, and weevils are a source problem. The moth you see at dusk is advertising a larva in a package…
When to hire a licensed professional
Licensing exists because some jobs injure people or miss the colony. Termites, bed bugs in multi-family housing, venomous nests in wall…
Moisture control for pest prevention
A surprising fraction of “mystery bugs” are moisture meters in insect form: fungus gnats, springtails, drain flies, subterranean termites…