Few common insect pests are so annoying as the flea. A flea infestation means itchy red bites, and plenty of them, for humans and pets alike, causing general misery in a household at large. Some areas of the country are much more prone to flea infestations than others, particularly places where it is humid much of the time.

Integrated pest management means recognizing that we will never be entirely free of pests such as the flea, and instead of focusing on toxic annihilating measures (which are often ineffective and sometimes dangerous to us) focusing on ways to control pest numbers so that they do not become a problem. In order to do this, it is important to have an understanding of the biology of certain pests, where they live, and how they breed. Once this knowledge is gained, it is possible to enact strategies that will prevent pest population from getting out of control. Here are some ways to control flea numbers.

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As insect pests go, fire ants are definitely one of the worst there are. These nasty little creatures carry with them all of the annoying aspects of other ants (they horde food, appear in great numbers, and so on) and pack a nasty bite to boot.

Fire ants are also an introduced species, and that means that they found the virgin plants and some kinds of animals in the United States ripe for the picking; as a result their numbers increase rapidly and they spread further and further out with their range. As with other insects, chemical warfare is ineffective against fire ants and can be harmful to humans as well.

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When it comes to your garden, deer are one of the biggest pests around. Large numbers in herds around the United States means that deer are a threat to any semi rural home owner’s hobby, and in many cases to landscaping as well. A small number of deer can do a lot of damage in a very short amount of time, so it is important to take preventative measures in so deer don’t realize that your yard may contain a source of food. Here are some ways to keep deer away from your lawn and garden.

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Cockroaches! Nothing sends shivers up more people’s spines when it comes to pests more readily than a cockroach. These tough little insects are durable survivors, and for many places in North America they are a way of life. While the thought of having cockroaches around may send people into a panic or get a hospitality residence severely downgraded, the fact is that cockroaches will probably always be around, and it is impossible to get rid of every single cockroach in a home.

Integrated pest management seeks to learn lessons from years of overused and ineffective toxic insecticide use and to approach pest control in a much less harmful way. If an infestation is under way, integrated pest management calls for several ways of dealing with it, but the key in many cases is to use steps that prevent pest populations from getting out of control. In part, the successful implementation of this strategy will involve an understanding of the biology and habits of the particular pest in question. Here are some ways in which you can control cockroach numbers.

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Many types of insect which we regard as pests only take on that role once they enter a home, and the carpet beetle is a great example of this. These beetles are no problem at all when they are outside, and are in fact quite nice to look at. Even inside the adult beetles are not that big of a problem, aside from the fact that they are probably looking for somewhere to lay their eggs.

It’s the larvae of the carpet beetle that will do the damage inside your home, eating holes in all sorts of different fibre goods from rugs (thus the name) to your favourite Sunday sweaters. And once carpet beetles get started, it can be very, very difficult to eradicate them from your living areas. Prevention, the most important step of integrated pest management, is your best defence when it comes to keeping carpet beetle numbers from infesting your home. Let’s take a look at what you can do to protect your belongings.

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From Invading your Home

Ants are one of the most common pest insects in North America, and carpenter ants can go beyond annoying and into the area of causing some serious damage to your home. Like other species of ants, carpenter ants are very hardy as well as adaptable, and many methods of eliminating them have failed. This isn’t a bad thing, because ants are an important part of nature and it would be no good to humans at all if they were to be eradicated.

Of course, an understanding of the role ants play and letting them invade your home are two different stories. Part of an effective integrated pest management strategy is preventing numbers of pest species from getting out of control; that is, making sure their population does not grow to problem proportions, or that the pests stay where they belong (with carpenter ants, that is outside). Here are some ways to prevent carpenter ants from coming inside your home.

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When it comes to North American pests, there is none bigger than the bear. People dwelling in urban areas of the States and Canada have little to worry about when it comes to bear problems, but the same is not true in the even bordering rural neighbourhoods. Even the most densely populated state of New Jersey is home to hundreds of black bears, and every year there are problems that range from the messy to the deadly involving these bears.

It might be difficult to conceive of black bears in the same pest category as raccoons and even insects, but just one bear can do an awful lot of damage to a home and/or garden in one night. Surprising, they are also a lot easier to control through prevention than almost any other kind of pest, although you certainly don’t want to attempt to deal with a bear yourself. Here are some ways to make sure that your home and the area around it remain bear proof.

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Most of the time, we tend not to think about problems or potential problems until they are right in our face; many people just don’t think in the long term. One day, though, you might go out to check your garden and realize that all your hard work has been ruined in one night by a group of rabbits or a herd of deer. Or, you might one day see dozens of winged insects in your house, and after killing a few and going to the Internet you realize to your horror that they are termites (this is the most common way in which people realize they have a termite infestation!).

Pest control is one area where long term planning and commitment come in very handy. Long term planning will mean that you never encounter a serious pest problem, because you always ensure that you are taking the proper steps to discourage pests from using your home or yard as a place to obtain food or shelter.

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For Today`s Home Owner

We live in a world that has taken political correctness to a whole new level of nausea, and as a result many people are inclined to turn the page, turn deaf, or turn off anything that mentions something like education or understanding, particularly when it has to do with something like pest control.

Let`s make it clear right off the bet that pest education isn`t about teaching you to love and empathize with the species you think of as pests. On the contrary, pest education is important so that the individual home owner can take advantage of a knowledge of a pest and use that to keep the insect or mammal away from his or her home and garden.

Pest education covers the basic makeup of the pest in question, including its biology and habits. By understanding what a certain type of pests eats, how it breeds, and where it is likely to make a nest and or lay eggs, home owners can become much more effective when it comes to keeping the populations of pests down.

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Part 2: It’s ineffective!

This two part article series, we are talking about the reasons why home owners need to use the least toxic pest control approach, and we are specifically talking about the problems with using too much chemicals. Part one discussed a few of the many hazards inherent in using too many chemicals in pest control, and in this part we will talk about why chemicals are, most of the time, a big waste of money to boot.

They don’t just kill one species

There are no chemicals used for pest control that are targeted to kill only one species. As we pointed out in part one, pesticides are deadly both for insects and for larger animals, including humans. We also talked a bit about how over use of chemicals nearly destroyed birds of prey, leading to further problems. Well, the same principle applies to insects within your own yard.

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