ISEC Basic Concepts

IDENTIFY

• Capture the actual animal
  • For insects and related pests, you can avoid touching them by scooping them into a container or plastic sandwich bag. (A tweezers or forceps might come in handy.) Most adult insects can be placed into the freezer to kill and preserve for identification. Soft-bodied insects can be preserved in rubbing alcohol.
  • Rodents or other animals may be trapped or caught on glueboards available in grocery stores, hardware stores or nurseries
  • If you are squeamish about pests, you can take a photo or digital image to use for identification. You can send a digital image to your County Extension Agent by e-mail for rapid identification.
  • If you are unable to locate the animal, collect sample of damage that pest caused or droppings from the animal or take a photograph or digital image for identification of damage, droppings or other signs of the pests. When taking photographs or images, use a recognizable reference item such as a coin or ruler to indicate actual size.
• When you have collected one of the items above:
  • use a field guide or Extension literature to identify the pest
    or
• take or e-mail evidence or specimen to local Extension office
  or
• bring to pest control company or local nursery for identification

SANITIZE

• Take out trash several times per week
  • Keep trash in a closed container lined with a plastic bag
  • Clean trash container and garbage cans inside and out
• If you recycle, store items in container with tight lid
• Rinse bottles and cans before storing
• Clean recycling containers regularly
• Keep recycling containers outside
• Eliminate food and water sources
  • Keep all food, including pet food, in pest proof containers
  • Do not leave food, including pet food, out overnight
  • Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight
  • Clean kitchen counters, tables and floors often
  • Clean spilled food products immediately including food from pets eating inside the home
  • Encourage eating at the table only. Do not allow children to walk around with food
• Sweep and vacuum regularly
• Repair leaky plumbing
• Caulk cracks around pantry shelves to avoid food accumulation
• Inspect and discard all infested food products
• Eliminate pest breeding sites
  • Clean drains (toilets, sinks, showers) with a stiff brush and flush with boiling water
  • Do not allow food crumbs and debris to build up on grout of tile floors
  • Avoid storing newspapers, magazines and other items that make hiding places for pests
  • Inspect food products and containers for pests. Be especially cautious with pet foods.
  • Do not buy food products in damaged containers.

EXCLUDE

• Seal points of entry such as around pipes and electrical wiring entering home with caulk, expanding foam or steel wool
• Use weather stripping or a new threshold around outside doors if your can see daylight under or around the doors
• Store food items in air-tight and pest proof containers or in the refrigerator or freezer
• Keep household trash in a closed container
• Stuff steel wool in weep holes of brick near soil line
• Keep window and door screens in good repair. Replace or repair torn screens
• Keep garbage cans and fire wood away from home entrances
• Keep outside vegetation including tree limbs, shrubs and ground covers from touching home
• Inspect boxes, bags, furniture and other items before bring them into home
• Make sure attic and soffit vents are properly screened
• Feed outdoor pets away from home entrances, put out only enough food for one meal

CONTROL

• Non-chemical control
  • For pests such as cockroaches, flies or mice try a trapping device such as a “roach motel”, fly paper or a mouse trap. For fleas, a vacuuming regularly helps control even if insecticides are used.
  • A mixture of liquid detergent and water in a spray bottle can be used for “emergency” ant control on the kitchen counter
• Chemical control
  • Pesticides are available in a number of formulations, and some may be safer and more effective than others for specific pests.
  • If available, try baits first. Baits are often the safest and most effective control for ants, cockroaches and small rodents, especially when delivered in tamper-proof plastic bait stations. Give baits sufficient time to work and do not apply sprays while when using baits.
  • Gel formulations of insecticides are also available that can be used along cracks and crevices
• Insecticides, even as sprays, can often be effectively applied in very specific locations such as along baseboards or in cracks and crevices instead of as broadcast sprays
• Make sure the product you buy is labeled for the pest you want to control and the area that you are targeting
• Read and follow all label directions
• Never apply pesticides to food items