IPM for Healthy Homes Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program (215) x109 Website:

 Understand and OUTSMART common pests  Keep your home & family healthy  Work with landlords or “exterminators” to get the best service 9/2011www.paipm.org2

“Any destructive or troublesome organism”  Affect public health  Destroy food or property  Create a nuisance Something we don’t like, where we don’t want it! 9/2011www.paipm.org3 Rodent-chewed wire – fire hazard! Mice nesting – wherever!

 All pests want three things: 1.Food 2.Water 3.Harborage  Someplace to hide & nest  Ideally: warm 9/2011www.paipm.org4 Water Food Conditions Conducive for Pests Nest

 Find out! Do a thorough inspection: ◦ Outside of the house ◦ Inside: corners, floors, closets & basement ◦ Where have you seen them?  Identify the pests found! ◦ Online ◦ Experienced pest control workers ◦ Urban entomologist  Cooperative Extension 9/2011www.paipm.org5

 Where do you see the creature?  Creature droppings  Nests and burrows  Good food & source of water  Under sinks, kitchens, garbage cans  Hidden places  Inside walls, cabinets, basements, attics, waste bins, baseboards  Warm cavities for insects  Insid e TVs, computers, smoke alarms  Near entry holes  Spotted during outside inspection 9/2011www.paipm.org 6 Cockroaches nesting in baby food case Photo Houston Bureau of Children’s and Environmental Health Mouse nest under oven Photo: EA Kasameyer

 What have you seen pests eating?  Anything we eat! And then some… ◦ Trash & garbage ◦ Pet food or feces  Insects: crumbs, spills, grease…  Mice: bread, seeds, snacks…  Rats: litter & garbage 9/2011www.paipm.org7

 Water is essential - ◦ For insects & rats ◦ Not for mice or bedbugs ◦ What do bedbugs drink?  Mosquitoes ◦ Standing water  Structural damage to house ◦ Gutters & roofs ◦ Leaks from outside ◦ Plumbing & interior leaks  Sink trap; plumbing entry 9/2011www.paipm.org8 Photo: City of Houston Bureau of Children’s and Environmental Health

 Pests cause allergies & can trigger asthma – also eczema, other allergies ◦ Cockroaches – 85% of all homes! ◦ Mice - 83% (95% low-income)  Asthma: rate has doubled in 20 years ◦ 10% or more of children under 18 ◦ Main cause of lost school days… and work days!  Bite us – Lyme, West Nile, rabies ◦ Thousands of rat bites each year in US! 9/2011www.paipm.org9

 Cockroach feces cause allergies  Can trigger asthma attacks  Each poop can trigger 60 attacks!  All cockroaches allergenic, including “waterbugs”!  Get rid of the roaches, and their signs! 9/2011www.paipm.org10 Cockroach feces – frass – on a wall Photo: Coby Schall Frass & grease on a stove Photo: EA Kasameyer

 Prevent them! ◦ Identify them! ◦ Keep ‘em out!  Sanitation ◦ Clean & de-clutter ◦ Eliminate food & water  Physical controls ◦ Chemical controls  Ongoing monitoring 9/2011www.paipm.org11

 Prevention & cleaning!  Low risk pesticides for insects ◦ Baits & gels for cockroaches ◦ Dusts & IGRs (Insect Growth Regulators) ◦ Don’t use aerosols & foggers!  Traps & stoppage for mice & rats ◦ Seal ‘em out, and don’t feed them! ◦ Set traps with trigger against the wall ◦ Don’t use poisons in the home! 9/2011www.paipm.org12

 What do cockroaches eat? ◦ Clean up crumbs, spills, grease, trash, pet food  What do cockroaches drink? ◦ Cockroaches need water: fix drips & leaks ◦ Don’t leave dishes in sink or pet water overnight  Where do cockroaches live? ◦ Seal all cracks and crevices: cabinets, baseboards, etc ◦ Use “dust” – boric acid or DE- before sealing ◦ Use silicone indoors for gaps up to ½” 9/2011www.paipm.org13 Caulking Dishes left in sink Photo: Houston Health Dept. Caulking Photo: EA Kasameyer

 Clean up! No other food for the roaches! No hiding places!  Stick ‘pucks’ near where the roaches were living  Leave until empty, then throw out ‘puck’  Only use them when you have roaches 9/2011www.paipm.org14

 They will ruin the bait  They may trigger asthma attacks  They may have other health effects  Children are most at risk  Foggers can also explode!  They don’t solve the pest problem 9/2011www.paipm.org15

 Get rid of all food & water ◦ Keep garbage cans covered  Seal openings bigger than a pencil width! ◦ Stuff hole or crack with copper mesh or wool ◦ Seal with silicone caulk, spray foam, spackle or cement ◦ Sheet metal or screen for outside  Use snap traps  Don’t use poison in your home! 9/2011www.paipm.org16

 Get rid of all food & water ◦ Put a lid on trash!  Seal openings bigger than a quarter! ◦ Stuff hole or crack with steel wire mesh (1/2” hardware cloth) ◦ Seal with plaster, cement or sheet metal  Use snap traps indoors  Only licensed pros should use poisons, only outdoors! 9/2011www.paipm.org17 Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) in NYC trash

 Don’t feed or water them!  Do keep doors, screens and repairs in good shape  Use monitors: leave in place & check weekly ◦ For insects & mice – sticky traps ◦ For mice & rats – snap traps  If you don’t have new pests – celebrate & keep on!  If you find pests, treat again ◦ If roach baits did not seem to work, try a different brand ◦ Make sure there is no “competing” food source! 9/2011www.paipm.org18

 You can see them.  Bed bugs can be avoided and controlled!  Not every bite or skin irritation is a bed bug!  They do not cause or spread diseases.  Tell your property owner and get treatment quickly!  Simple heat and/or steam can kill them.  Don’t use sprays or foggers 9/2011www.paipm.org19

 Exclusion ◦ Clutter elimination - bins  Preparation ◦ Wash bedding ◦ Seal mattress – encasements  NO pesticide on mattresses!  Traps – interceptors ◦ Make the bed an island! ◦ Monitor ◦ Prevention  Treatment – by Pest Management Professionals 9/2011www.paipm.org20

 Check your home for ways pests might get in  Check your home for things pests need  Communicate with your building manager or landlord openly about pest issues  Communicate and cooperate with pest management companies (“exterminators”)  Watch what they do and insist they used safest methods for you and your family 9/2011www.paipm.org21

Acknowledgements: Alexis Barbarin, Allison Taisey, Brenda Reyes, Changlu Wang, Coby Schal, Dini Miller, Gene Harrington, Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, Liz Kasameyer, Louise Bugbee, Marty Overline, Mike Sands, Nancy Crider, Phil Koehler, Rhonda Griffin, Rick Cooper, Susan Aceti, Tom Neltner and all the others who provided photos, information and advice.

Dion Lerman, HHS Penn State University