No matter the season, pests can cause problems for your household. Whether they are inside or outside, pests can be simply an annoyance, or pose a serious health concerns. The importance of controlling a pest varies with the situation. While you may be willing to tolerate some weeds in your lawn or some spiders in your basement, certain pests present serious threats. Before applying any pesticide, consider alternatives for managing home and garden pests. Through your choice and care of plants, general housekeeping and home maintenance practices, and care of pets, pests can frequently be controlled. Often the need for pesticides can be reduced or even eliminated using methods that are less expensive and produce longer lasting results.

4 Steps in pest management
  1. Identify the pest problem- This is the most important step. You need to know what pest you are trying to control and the proper methods to take to control the pest.
  2. Decide how much pest control is necessary- Do not try to over-do your pest control. Be reasonable when deciding what should be done.
  3. Choose an effective option- Be responsible and safe when choosing and applying your method of control.
  4. Evaluate the results- You must allow time for your control method to work. Compare the conditions before treatment with those after treatment.
The above steps and more tips on effective pest management can be found in the EPA's Citizen's Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety
​