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Why Knowing The Population Size Of Insect Pests Within Homes Is Necessary For Eliminating Infestations

In order to effectively eradicate insect pest infestations within homes, it is often necessary for pest control professionals to determine the approximate size of indoor pest populations and how quickly they may grow. Professionals use a variety of different methods to estimate the size of indoor insect pest populations, and the most effective monitoring methods vary depending on the species of insect pest being addressed. The most common monitoring methods include sticky traps, pitfall traps, bait traps, light traps and recently developed pheromone traps, just to name a few. Some sticky trap products are suspended from ceilings in order to catch flies and other airborne pests, while other sticky trap products are laid on the ground where they are useful for trapping cockroaches and ants. Since ants and cockroaches both nest within inaccessible indoor locations, such as wall voids, sticky traps should be placed in locations where the pests are suspected of entering and exiting their hiding spots, or “harborages.”

Unfortunately, no monitoring method will yield an exact, or even an approximate number of all insect pests infesting a home, but they are useful for determining where in homes insect pests are hiding. For example, a sticky trap, bait trap or other monitoring product located near a kitchen appliance may capture numerous insects within a 24 hour period, while another trap located beneath a sink in the same home may not capture any insects in this period of time. In this situation it is clear that insect pests are abundant beneath kitchen appliances. While everyday homeowners can attempt to monitor indoor insect pest populations themselves by purchasing traps from retail stores, pest control professionals are best suited for monitoring operations, as they are highly knowledgeable when it comes to the indoor harborges preferred by certain insect pest species. Pest control professionals are also trained to know where in a home traps should be placed for monitoring certain insect pests.

Have you ever used store-bought traps in an effort to determine where insect pests had been hiding within your home?

 

 

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