What are the Different Types of Pest Control?
Pest control has been a concern for humans for as long as they have been on the earth. From biting insects to mice in the pantry, humans are not always on good terms with the other denizens of the planet. In fact, they seem to be in a constant struggle to keep pests out of their homes.
A homeowner has many options available if he wants to do his own pest control. Bait, traps, fumigation, insecticide and organic control are all options he can try. However, he needs to be fairly certain about which pest he is dealing with before he attempts to control it. Some pests are easily identified, such as mice or cockroaches. However, others are not so easily tracked, and the homeowner may want to consult with the local farmer's co-op or the county agent for advice on what he's dealing with and how to get rid of it.
Pest control professionals are often called in after the homeowner has tried remedies on his own, with little or no success. They use basically the same types of pest control, but their methods are often those that the homeowner cannot utilize himself. The advantage that the professional has, besides better pest control methods, is being able to identify exactly which pest is the problem. This knowledge enables him to precisely target the pest control methods to the pest in question.
A pest control professional may decide that bait, for instance, is the best method of dealing with a problem. This may involve indoor bait or outdoor bait. Mice and other rodents are often controlled by bait. The bait leads them to a trap where they are eliminated.
Fumigation usually involves "tenting," a complicated method of getting the house surrounded by tenting material and flooding the house with a poison gas. This is an expensive method, but may be the only way to get the pest out of the home. Insecticide is usually sprayed around the interior of the home, usually in the places where the pests congregate or breed.
Some homeowners may want a pest control method they feel is more humane, or safer for humans. Live traps which capture the pests alive and unharmed are popular. The pests can then be taken elsewhere and released. Organic pest control may involve using natural substances such as peppermint oil, other herbs or even other small organisms to repel the pests. Some other organisms are not pests themselves, but are their natural enemies, and a lawn or garden may be populated with these organisms to control the pests.
A homeowner should be careful when utilizing pest control. Some of these methods are dangerous and best handled by professional pest control technicians.
Written by A Kaminsky
