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Pest Management
  Many living organisms can be pests in or around structures.  These may be insects and related arthropods; others include fungi, weeds, rats, mice, bats, and certain birds.  Some pests, such as those that damage structural wood, furnishings, or fabrics or pests that infest or contaminate stored food and other items, cause huge economic losses.  A few pests spread disease organisms that can cause serious human illness. Certain types of pests inflict annoying or painful stings or bites.  In addition, nuisance pests such as earwigs or sowbugs are unwelcome invaders in homes and can also contaminate products or cause legal concerns in commercial areas.

Application of Pesticide
  Pests that damage property, injure people, or affect people's quality of life need to be managed.  However, management methods should be safe, effective, and economical.  Sometimes there are several ways available to control pests, such as sanitation and habitat modification, trapping, and the use of pesticides. 
  Pesticides are usually very effective tools for controlling pests.  But if you use pesticides improperly, you may injure yourself and other people and may create environmental problems.  In addition, some improperly used pesticides may damage treated surfaces.  To prevent problems or accidents, you must always follow pesticide label instructions and use basic common sense.
  Pest management involves safely preventing, reducing, or eliminating unwanted organisms.  To do this, you must learn about the habits and life cycles of many pests and understand the conditions that affect pest populations.  A good pest management program follows the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).   
  One important pest management practice commonly used around structures is prevention of pest problems.  Managing pest through prevention is usually less expensive that trying to control a pest population that has already become established.  Furthermore, pest prevention reduces the chance for substantial economic less or irreversible damage.  Prevention avoids some of the disruption associated with control efforts that may be needed after pests become established.
  Once a pest becomes established, the most common pest management goal is to eliminate it.  Elimination can only be successful if the conditions that originally favored the pest can be modified or the pest's entry into the area can be completely blocked.

  Pest must be properly identified so aspects of their life cycle and developmental stages can be understood and so their activity can be monitored.  Conditions that promote or support the pest are identified so they can be either eliminated or suppressed.

   Inspection and treatment go hand in hand.
  Management methods are appropriate to the life cycle and development stages of the pest.  Usually, two or more management methods are used, and commonly different methods are used at other times or in different locations, rather that using the same method for the same pest at all times.
  Control methods that might be used in an IPM program include exclusion, sanitation, modifying or eliminating habitats, biological control, and the selective use of pesticides.