No one likes to have pests in or around their home. Whether it is insects or rodents, most homeowners will do whatever takes to get rid of the annoyances that have invaded their lives. No one likes to have pests in or around their home. Whether it is insects or rodents, most homeowners will do whatever takes to get rid of the annoyances that have invaded their lives. However, most often, when the homeowner calls for a Phoenix pest control company, harsh chemicals are used immediately to get rid of the pests. For homeowners concerned about the environment, those who want to have a “green” home, this can be a very negative situation. The idea of being “green” is to protect the environment from pollution and excessive toxic chemicals, not add to it, so careful consideration should be made in the solutions necessary to control the pest issue.

For such homeowners, there is a solution: Integrated Pest Management or IPM. This process is considered a green pest control process. It is a bit more difficult to locate a pest control service company that actually provides a comprehensive IPM method of removing the pests, but the extra search will be worth the effort. In addition to being better for the environment, Integrated Pest Management services are better for the well-being of the homeowner and his family, especially the elderly, children, and those with sensitivities to harsh chemicals, because a number of steps will have been taken prior to grabbing the first pesticide available. It is not a difficult decision to make when it is thought of in these terms.

There are many innovative green pest control options available. An Integrated Pest Management system is the most professional pest control process available in today’s market, and is becoming the green pest control service of the future. The days of seeing pest control companies pulling large hoses off of trucks and liberally squirting pesticides all over the entire yard and grabbing their spray can and spraying every baseboard in your home are coming to an end. Even though some companies still utilize these old fashioned methods and say they are using “Green Chemicals”, that does not constitute a “Green Pest Control Service”, they are simply spraying a lot of something supposedly “Green”.

There are a lot of companies who only promote utilizing a “Green” product as a choice of pest control materials, however even the use of a Green product, can be potentially harmful if not properly applied. So don’t be fooled by companies only offering Green products, but not utilizing true Integrated Pest Management on your property – That is not a “Green Pest Control Service”.

On the commercial side of pest management, IPM is recognized as the Green Pest Management solution, and has been taken to the extreme by the Green Building Council of America, in the LEED certification of buildings, where IPM is one requirement of a LEED process, along with extensive reporting and even a pesticide application notification strategy.

Pesticides in themselves are not necessarily a bad thing, the overuse or misuse of a pesticide is in fact where the trouble lies whether it’s a regular product or “Green” product.

IPM Integrated pest management is a comprehensive system that utilizes the following processes:

* Inspection

- Presence or Absence inspection – may not have a problem at all?

- To determine what the pest problem is

- To determine why we have the pest problem

- To determine what must be done to prevent the pest problem

* Sanitation Recommendations

- Cleanliness is important – and a lack of proper sanitation can be the source of a pest problem.

* Exclusion

- Sealing holes, screening voids, keeping pests out to prevent a pest problem.

* Mechanical Controls

- Trapping

- Wiping down spider webs for example – stops/slows down the reproduction of the spider

* Biological Controls

- Affect a pest through systemic approach by changing the pest, food source, etc…

- Insect growth regulators

* Cultural Controls

- Change the human practices that are conducive to pest presence

- Change the specific site environment – ie… overwatering of grass – reset irrigation timers

* Judicious use of pest control materials

- Properly applied materials used when necessary

- The correct product for the pest in question

- Treatments performed in cracks and crevices, voids, and areas where inaccessible to pets and children whenever possible

* Education of and communication to the customer

- Teaching IPM and the customer’s role in pest prevention

- Detailed documentation of every visit

The key is finding an expert that specializes in Integrated Pest Management and can effectively apply these techniques to offer you a true “Green Pest Management Solution” for your home or business. For great green pest control in the Phoenix area, including Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, Avondale, Litchfield Park, Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, Cave Creek, Surprise and all other surrounding cities, an excellent company is Invader Pest Management. They will not only use a comprehensive IPM program to rid the home of pests, but come up with innovative ways to ensure that the pests will not return. It can be a long fight against pests no matter what method is used, so it is important to call in an expert as soon as possible to decrease the amount of time that the pests are causing problems.

Call Invader Pest Management at 623-435-0228 to schedule a visit. Invader is a Quality Pro, Quality Pro Schools and GreenPro Certified company.