PA IPM Brochures
Bed bugs are small insects that feed mainly on human blood. A newly hatched bed bug is semi-transparent, light tan in color, and the size of a poppy seed. Adult bed bugs are flat, have rusty-red-colored oval bodies, and are about the size of an apple seed.
mice in the home are snap traps that are set by squeezing the back. This avoids snapping fingers while setting and releasing. Snap traps kill the mouse humanely and prevent you from having to touch the mouse.
The first step in preventing problems with roaches is eliminating what they need to survive: food, water and shelter. By eliminating these necessities you can get long-term control and avoid the need to repeatedly apply pesticides, which generally provide only short-term results. Here are some suggestions:
The Philadelphia School & Community IPM Partnership (PSCIP) seeks to empower individuals and communities to safely manage pests through education and training. Partners include state agencies, environmental groups, health practitioners, community groups, universities, schools and child care facilities. The partnership is administered by the PA IPM Program at Penn State. For more information on PSCIP’s programs and partners,
Most times preventative actions take care of nuisance ant problems. Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill pests. They come in many forms such as “bug sprays”, concentrates, dusts, baits, bombs, etc. Since pesticides are poisons, they should be used sparingly and carefully. If you decide to use chemicals on ants, here are some tips:
Pests such as weeds, cockroaches and rodents, as well as the chemicals we use to control them, can trigger allergies and asthma by contaminating our air indoors and out.
WHAT IS IPM? IPM manages pests by combining tactics that are most likely to be safe and effective, including prevention and alternatives to pesticides. Pesticides, if used, should be the least toxic to humans and target only the pest you have.
Pest identification is the first step in following an Integrated Pest Management, or IPM program. The pictures and descriptions in this publication should help the homeowner or apartment dweller identify common insects found in the home. For more complete information about the insects, their potential as pests, and how to prevent or control them, contact your county Extension office. The phone number may be found in the Blue Pages of the phone book. In addition, you may call the Penn State Department of Entomology at (814) 865-1895 or visit the department's web site at http://www.ento.psu.edu/.
“Many conventional cleaning practices add to environmental damage by using energy, wasting resources, and polluting the Earth.” - Elizabeth Goldsmith, PhD
When choosing a pest control company, make sure the company meets all the legal requirements that qualifies them to service your home, including a Pennsylvania Pesticide Applicator Certification or Registered Technician card, a business license and general liability insurance coverage. Also ask for a list of local references so you can learn about their past performance in treating bed bugs.
Sticky traps for insects and snap-traps for rodents are safe and good tools for catching the occasional invader. Be sure they are placed correctly for maximum benefit. Roaches and rodents run along the wall in concealed spaces, so make sure the traps are flush with the wall. Snap traps should snap toward the wall.
No! Most of the shampoos intended to treat head lice have pesticide active ingredients in them such as lindane and permethrins, which have been shown to be hazardous to human health.
