Where to spray pest control — Gabriella’s student essay

Where To Spray Pest Control?

There are over a thousand diverse types of insects around the world that can be considered pests. They often tend to be harmful to humans or a contaminant to stored food making controlling their numbers both inside and outside the home crucial. Before jumping right into how to spray for pest control it is important to consider pest prevention.

Pest prevention can be the cheaper and more environmentally friendly option, so it is important to work on preventing the pests before determining where and the quantity of spray needed to evict the pests. To reduce the number of pests using pest prevention try removing sources of food, water, and shelter for the pests. 

Remove garbage around the home and try to avoid creating areas where the pests can thrive such as stacks of cardboard or paper. Work to locate areas where the pests may be getting access to your home. This can be cracks in the walls or doors that allow easy access for the pests. 

It is best to try and seal off any cracks and crevices in walls, cabinets, and other places that may provide shelter and entrance into your home for bugs. After determining common bug locations and doing some pest management then it is time to start focusing on using pest control.

People in protective suits planning to do disinfection with chemicals

If after pest prevention, there is still a large population of pests it is best to begin spraying for bugs. Before you begin spraying it is important to keep children and pets away from these sprayed areas. If you have a home with many children and pests it may be best to begin with baits as the first line of defense against pests. 

It is important to look at the needs of your pest control. How severe is the population of pests, what pests will you be targeting, and how potent the pesticide needs to be. Before you begin read the label of the pesticide to ensure you are following all the instructions given. If you are spraying indoors ensure the chemical spray you have chosen is suitable for home use, this will be stated on the label.

Do not use outdoor chemicals for indoor use, this can be damaging to your health and the health of other people in the household. Appropriate clothing for spraying the house should be long pants, long socks, a long-sleeved shirt, closed-toed shoes, protective goggles, and chemical-resistant gloves.Once you start spraying pesticides, know that these are not to be sprayed around the whole room. These are meant to be applied to target locations where there are many pests such as wall crevices.

cropped image of pest control worker spraying pesticides on windowsill at home

Avoid overusing the pesticide when spraying. In this situation, less is more. Using too much pesticide can provide a health hazard for those residing at home. When looking to control pests it is important to manage the population both indoors and outdoors. When spraying indoors make sure any food or food processing surfaces are covered or thoroughly washed after spraying. Indoors the pesticides should be applied using the lowest setting spray in areas where pests commonly reside. These tend to be cracks or crevices in dark damp areas such as behind the fridge, under cabinets, and in the attic. 

For outdoor use pesticides can be sprayed around foliage, trees, shrubs, and around the general perimeter of the house. If you decide to spray the perimeter of the house with pesticide it is best to spray about three feet up the side of the house and one foot along the ground structure. It is good to focus on areas where there are pipes or wires leading into the house. It is also recommended when spraying outdoors to focus on door and window frames as these are common areas where pests can enter the household. Spraying for pests is an effective method of pest control for many households. However, it is important to keep household health the number one priority. Always use the minimum when spraying pests indoors and outdoors, do not overdo it, and make sure you try pest prevention before looking into chemical means. Always follow the instructions and guidelines when spraying and stay safe!

Author: Gabriella Zwall

Arizona State University
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