How to Use Integrated Pest Management to Keep Bugs Out for Good

Integrated Pest Management, also called IPM, is a specialized process used to control indoor pests and involves three simple steps:

1. Pest inspection
2. Pest identification
3. Pest treatment

Depending upon the Alabama pest control company that you use, recommended treatment options may vary. An exterminator may advise you to seal up all cracks and crevices in your home that could allow pests to enter freely. It also helps to keep a household clean and free from any food residue that could attract pests unknowingly, especially roaches.

Step-by-Step Tips for IPM in Your Home

While it’s recommended to work with a skilled exterminator to get to the root of an insect infestation, you can improve the results of your next pest control visit with the IPM steps listed below:

• Determine your action threshold. According to EPA guidelines, the preliminary step to an IPM program in your home is to establish an action threshold. This is the determining point that will indicate when action should be taken against a pest problem in the house. For example, spotting one bug in the house isn’t necessarily an issue; however, if you see a trail of ants across the countertop, you may have a more serious problem at hand.

 

• Identify pests in the house. As any exterminator will tell you, some pests are beneficial to have around the house, like cobweb spiders that eat smaller insects. A well-rounded IPM program will help you to monitor and identify any pests that you see to determine if extermination action needs to be taken.

 

• Prevent an infestation. After monitoring, an exterminator will assess your property to determine if an infestation is a threat. As the saying goes, if you see even one cockroach in your home, there could be thousands more where that came from. Depending upon the type of bug and frequency of sightings, an exterminator will determine where and how often to spray pesticides in and outside of a home.

 

• Start a pest control schedule. If preventative methods haven’t worked to keep bugs out, an exterminator can use an IPM program to begin a regular pest control schedule, normally on a quarterly basis. An exterminator will use a highly targeted pesticide spray to eradicate an indoor insect population or bait that will allow insects to take poison back to their nest.

 

When working with a skilled exterminator, this cohesive approach to pest control will help you to stop infestation problems before they start! In the event that you need some assistance, just give us a call!