Understanding the life cycles, eating habits, and habitat preferences of different species that we call pests is an important foundation in integrated pest control. The days of using toxic chemical sprays to control pests are almost gone; this method is harmful to almost all living organisms, negatively affected the environments in which it was used (including soil and water quality) and more often than not did not solve the pest control problem it was supposed to address in the first place.

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You might have a bit of a snide reaction when someone tells you that it is important to understand the pests commonly found in homes across the country. We want to make it clear that by “understanding” we don’t mean sitting down and trying to appreciate the way the rats that have infested your house scurry from corner to corner, terrifying your children, harassing your pets, eating your food, creating a health hazard, and pooping everywhere. What we mean is the understanding that is fundamental to integrated pest management; that is, possessing a knowledge of common pests that makes it much easier to deal with them.

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Parents of kids in school know that almost every year there is bound to be some kind of outbreak of lice among children in their kids’ peer group. Lice are an incredibly adaptable and common pest, and their favorite breeding ground is the human body.

In this article, we are going to take a look at the biology of lice in order to understand them better. It’s important to note that understanding common pests is foundational to the idea of integrated pest control. It doesn’t mean that you learn to live with the pest; what it does mean is that an understanding of how a pest lives, breeds, and eats, you, in conjunction with a pest control company, can figure out the best way in which to bring your pest population under control.

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Depending on the environmental conditions of your area, you probably find every year around the summer time your kitchen becomes home to large numbers of fruit flies. These tiny creatures can appear in swarms very quickly, and can prove annoying and embarrassing.

In order to control fruit fly outbreaks in your home, it is important to understand the life cycle and the feeding habits of the species. Integrated pest control has knowledge as its foundation; armed with this knowledge private individuals and pest control companies can deal with a potential problem. In this article, we will take a look at the biology of fruit flies, which can help us understand the area of prevention of infestations in particular.
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When it comes to pests that pack a nasty wallop for their size, there is no bigger heavyweight than the flea. These ubiquitous little insects can cause someone to break out in dozens of itchy red bites, and they’re worth getting rid of. What they aren’t worth is getting rid of by any means necessary.

Integrated pest control is an approach to getting rid of pests through an understanding of how those pests operate, and through the use of the least toxic means possible. Chemicals are used as a last resort, and localized least toxic chemicals are always used first.

Understanding the biological makeup, breeding habits, life cycles, and feeding habits as well as habitats of creatures like fleas make it much easier to devise and apply a solution strategy which proves least harmful to other living organisms, such as humans. Let’s take a look at the biology of the flea.
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On the whole, carpet beetles are though to do more damage to fabrics around the home than the commonly lamented pest the moth. They are gregarious creatures which reproduce quickly and which do not leave some of the tell tale signs which moths do, making them hard to detect and harder to get rid of.

An integrated pest control approach to dealing with beetles involves understanding the life cycle of these pests in order to create a more effective and permanent solution to an infestation problem. IPC does not use potent and toxic chemicals on first contact with a pest, on the grounds that these substances are both harmful and not very effective in the long term. While IPC may use chemicals as a last resort, they are localized due to an understanding of pest biology and they are likely to be the least toxic materials that can be found. Let’s take a look at the biology of the carpet beetle.
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Aphids are one of the strangest of all insect pests. There are thousands of different species of aphids and they come in many different colors. The common thread that binds aphids, outside of scientific classification based on biology (we will get to that in a minute) is that they are all considered pests.

Where are aphids found?

Aphids are found everywhere that plants are, and that includes both inside and outside of your home. Of course, the warmer the climate, the bigger the problem aphids can be. In areas which produce a lot of different plant products for human consumption aphids are a particular problem, as they can destroy thousands of dollars worth of crops.

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It’s funny that although cockroaches only inhabit about 1/3 of continental North America in any great number, they are the most commonly cited pest in our pop culture. Part of the reason for the popularity of cockroaches when it comes to pestilential discussion is just the sheer physical reaction that people seem to have to these insects; we will get into that in a little bit. Just keep in mind as you are reading this that although cockroaches are by far one of the most hardy insect pests on the entire planet, you are unlikely to encounter them in any great numbers wherever the temperature dips below five degrees Celsius on a regular basis. If you do live in warmer areas (and the German cockroach can be found even in colder parts of the continent although with proper control and the aid of the mercury they usually don’t become a big problem) , here are some of the problems that are associated with large numbers of cockroaches. (more…)

House flies are common enough and in small numbers don’t cause that much trouble, but once a population starts to grow they can become a problem. There are numerous concerns when it comes to an infestation of house flies which we deal with in the article of that title, and they go beyond the annoying to serious health issues.Fortunately people have been dealing with flies as pests since the dawn of time, and we - and pest control specialists - have a lot of least toxic weapons in our arsenal to use against house flies. Let’s take a look at how you can deal with house flies on your own, or what you can expect when you ask a pest control expert to help you out with the problem. (more…)

As far as pests go, silverfish fall into the basically harmless category. They don’t bite, don’t carry diseases, and don’t even do much in the way of damage to personal property. They don’t even reproduce at a very high rate, much lower than most pests, and that includes mice and rate. In fact there are really only two big strikes against silverfish. The first is that they are damned creepy looking (they LOOK like they could bite, carry diseases, or take over a planet) and they can do damage to personal property in the form of books, paper, and art supplies. (more…)