Public and Homeowners

Pests in our homes and urban environments are more than a nuisance – they pose health risks and spread diseases. On this page, you’ll find information for pest management in the home and in public environments. Find fact sheets on bed bugs, mice, cockroaches, and other common pests and pest control strategies you can use immediately.

Home Pest Control

Pests in your home come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Common household pests such as rodents, termites, and cockroaches, together with the chemicals or pesticide formulations you use to control them, can trigger allergies and asthma and contaminate the air inside your home.

If you use Integrated Pest Management, however, it will eliminate pests safely. There are several things you can do to prevent pests from invading your home. Make sure you seal openings and cracks. Keep your home clean and tidy. Prevent access to food, fix leaky pipes and faucets, and promote ventilation.

Common Household Pests

Being able to identify any pests you have means you’ll be able to use the most effective pest management solution. Penn State Extension has compiled a wealth of resources and pest control information to help with identification, all of which are available in Spanish.

Some of the most common household pests include:

• Cockroaches: Successful long-term control of cockroaches is possible by eliminating what they need to survive: food, water, and shelter.
• Ticks: Many species of ticks are found in Pennsylvania, the most common being the black-legged ticks, American dog ticks, lone star ticks, and groundhog ticks. Ticks can transmit pathogens that cause disease in humans and animals, including your pets. It’s therefore essential that you know how to protect you and your family from tick bites.
• Mosquitoes: Mosquitoes can also transmit many kinds of pathogens that cause diseases in humans and animals. Knowing how best to protect you and your family is crucial.
• Mice: Prevention is the best course of action. Keep them out of your home by sealing off the smallest of holes with rodent-proof material.
• Ants: The first step in preventing problems with ants is to eliminate what is attracting them. Usually, it is food and water. Sealing off all cracks and crevices will prevent the ants from entering your home.
• Wood Destroying Pests: These are more than a nuisance as they can cause significant, costly damage to the structure of your home.
• Eastern Subterranean Termites: You can find this type of termite throughout Pennsylvania, and they often damage the structural timbers in buildings.
• House Flies: We suspect this common insect of transmitting at least 65 diseases to humans. The four basic principles of pest management important in controlling house flies are sanitation, exclusion, non-chemical measures, and chemical measures.
• Spiders: Most spiders you might encounter in Pennsylvania are harmless. There are, however, steps you can take to reduce their numbers.
• Head Lice: One of the most effective ways to eradicate head lice is to educate parents, children, and educators.
• Bed Bugs: Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects, but they do not transmit diseases. However, they can cause allergic reactions, secondary bacterial infections, and mental health issues. Proper identification is important before starting any bed bug treatment.
• Stinkbugs: These insects release a foul odor as a defense mechanism when you squash them. However, they do not cause harm to humans.
• Paper Wasps and Yellow Jacketss: You can use a ready-to-use insecticide that contains pyrethrin or pyrethroid as the active ingredient if the nest is smaller than a grapefruit.

Pest Management in Private and Public Areas

Private and public areas are especially susceptible to pests of all kinds. When you discover a pest problem, the first step is to identify the pest. If the problem is more than you can handle, it may require a qualified professional pesticide applicator.

If you think you can handle the problem yourself, there are certain things you need to be aware of. You should use protective clothing when mixing, loading, or applying pesticides because they will provide a barrier between the pesticide and your body.

Proper pesticide storage helps prolong shelf life and protect people, animals, and the environment. When you use a pesticide, always follow the directions on the label. If you use a pesticide in a manner that is inconsistent with the labeling, it’s a violation of federal law.

The Philadelphia School and Community IPM Partnership aims to empower individuals and communities to safely manage pests through education and training.