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Written by Pest Control Veterans

Pest Control Articles
& Deep-Dive Guides

The pest control industry has a lot of bad information online. These guides are written the way a 20-year veteran would explain it to a friend — what actually works, what's marketing, and what you need to know before spending money.

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⭐ Featured Guide
The August Rule: Why You Must Seal Your Home Before September for Stink Bugs
Stink bug invasions are predictable — every fall, same homes, same walls. Once you understand the August sealing window and why squishing them makes it worse, you can break the cycle permanently. This is the complete seasonal prevention protocol.
15 min readSeasonal Pest ControlRead the Guide →
A wild deer mouse outdoors
📰 The Wire
CDC Issues Hantavirus Advisory After Cruise Ship Outbreak
The CDC's HAN advisory on the MV Hondius Andes virus cluster is a cruise-ship story. The reason it should change how you think about rodents at home is not.
May 12, 2026 · OutbreakRead →
 A spotted lanternfly nymph on a leaf
📰 The Wire
Spotted Lanternfly Nymphs Are Hatching on Long Island
Cornell CCE reports the degree-day threshold for first-instar emergence has been crossed in eastern Long Island vineyards. What the 1st instar looks like.
May 12, 2026 · InvasiveRead →
 A city skyline on a hazy summer day
📰 The Wire
Orkin's 2026 Mosquito Cities List: LA #1, Midwest Climbing
Los Angeles holds the top spot for the sixth year, but Milwaukee jumped 15 positions and three new cities entered the top 50. What it means for your yard plan.
May 5, 2026 · IndustryRead →
 A tick on human skin in close-up
📰 The Wire
CDC: Tick-Bite ER Visits Up 25% Over April 2025
CDC surveillance and Johns Hopkins researchers project Lyme cases could exceed 500,000 in 2026. The prevention pyramid ranked by what actually works.
May 5, 2026 · Public HealthRead →
 A crop-dusting plane spraying a field
📰 The Wire
EPA Releases Draft Fungicide Strategy: What's In It
EPA's 60-day public comment window opened May 1. The strategy applies endangered-species mitigation to roughly 41 million treated U.S. acres.
May 1, 2026 · RegulationRead →
 The United States Capitol building in Washington, DC
📰 The Wire
Farm Bill Passes House Without Pesticide Preemption
H.R. 7567 cleared 224–200, but a bipartisan 280–142 vote first stripped Sections 10205, 10206, and 10207. What the political signal means for homeowners.
Apr 30, 2026 · RegulationRead →
DIY Guide
Why Spraying for German Cockroaches Makes the Problem Worse
Pyrethroid sprays scatter cockroach colonies into walls where they regroup faster than before. Gel bait is the only protocol that works — and here's exactly how to apply it.
10 min read · CockroachesRead →
Health & Safety
The 36-Hour Lyme Window: What to Do After Finding a Tick
Lyme transmission typically requires 36–48 hours of attachment. A daily body check and proper removal technique prevents most cases. Here's the protocol and the disease risk by tick species.
8 min read · TicksRead →
DIY Guide
The Exclusion Guide: Seal Every Hole Before You Set a Single Trap
Trapping kills individual mice. Exclusion ends the infestation permanently. A mouse can squeeze through a gap the size of a dime. Here's where to look and what to use.
12 min read · RodentsRead →
Products
Bifenthrin: The Perimeter Insecticide That Professionals Actually Use
The most widely used residential insecticide in the U.S. — and it's available to homeowners at hardware stores. What it kills, how long it lasts, and the aquatic safety warning you need to know.
8 min read · PesticidesRead →
Health & Safety
Bed Bug Hotel Protocol: How to Not Bring Them Home
95% of bed bug infestations start with travel. The inspection takes 4 minutes and eliminates the risk. Here's the professional inspection protocol and what to do if you find signs.
7 min read · Bed BugsRead →
Structural
How to Inspect Your Own Home for Termites — The 12-Point Checklist
Annual termite inspections catch infestations before they cause major structural damage. Here's exactly what to look for, where to look, and what distinguishes termite damage from wood rot.
10 min read · TermitesRead →
DIY Guide
Why Treating Only Your Pet Never Eliminates Fleas
95% of a flea infestation is eggs, larvae, and pupae in your carpet — not adults on your pet. The 3-stage protocol explains why all three environments must be treated simultaneously.
9 min read · FleasRead →
Hiring
10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Pest Control Company
What active ingredient will you use? Is the technician licensed? What's the re-treatment guarantee? Know what to ask — and what evasive answers reveal about a company.
6 min read · Hiring a ProRead →

Coming Soon

Seasonal
Fall Pest Prevention: The Complete September Checklist
Stink bugs, boxelder bugs, rodents, and overwintering insects all move toward structures in the same window. Here's the unified September sealing checklist that addresses all of them at once.
Publishing soonComing Soon
DIY Guide
The Desiccant Revolution: Why CimeXa Beat Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth has been the standard dust for decades. Amorphous silica gel (CimeXa) kills bed bugs 20× faster with better adhesion. The science behind why physical insecticides can't fail from resistance.
Publishing soonComing Soon
Seasonal
Spring Pest Calendar: What to Expect Month by Month
March through June sees the emergence of ant queens, termite swarmers, tick nymphs, and a dozen other species. Know what's coming before it arrives.
Publishing soonComing Soon
Products
Termidor vs. Generic Fipronil: Is the Brand Worth the Price?
Termidor SC and Taurus SC both contain 9.1% fipronil. Are they identical? What does the research actually show about brand vs. generic effectiveness for termite soil treatment?
Publishing soonComing Soon
Health & Safety
Hantavirus Safety: The Right Way to Clean Up Mouse Evidence
Never sweep or vacuum mouse droppings dry. Hantavirus becomes airborne when disturbed. The correct cleanup protocol uses a bleach solution and prevents aerosolization.
Publishing soonComing Soon
Hiring
What Pest Control Companies Don't Tell You (But Should)
The truth about contract auto-renewals, why some companies purposely use repellent products, and what "warranty" actually covers in most pest control agreements.
Publishing soonComing Soon
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📚 Complete How-To Guide Directory

All 179 step-by-step pest control guides, organized by category. Each guide includes expert-reviewed treatment protocols, product recommendations, and prevention strategies.

Ants (23 guides)

How to Inspect New Houseplants for Pests How to Control Fire Ants Using the Texas How to Get Rid of Ants Permanently How to Use the Texas A&M Two-Step Fire Ant How to Get Rid of Ants in Your House How to Get Rid of Ants Inside Your Walls How to Stop Ants in Your Kitchen in 72 Hours How to Eliminate Kitchen Ants How to Get Rid of Ants Permanently How to Eliminate Aphids on Plants How to Eliminate Fungus Gnats in Houseplants How to Eliminate Stored Product Beetles from How to Eliminate Pantry Moths How to Save a Plant From Spider Mites How to Identify Your Ant Species in 5 Steps How to Tell a Flying Ant from a Termite How to Diagnose Pest Damage on Plants How to Eliminate Outdoor Ant Mounds How to Prevent Ant Swarms from Entering Your Spring Ant Prevention How to Manage Spotted Lanternfly on Your How to Kill and Report Spotted Lanternfly How to Rodent-Proof a Commercial Kitchen or

Bed Bugs (7 guides)

Cockroaches (8 guides)

Rodents (8 guides)

Mosquitoes & Ticks (15 guides)

Spiders (5 guides)

Termites (8 guides)

Fleas (4 guides)

Wasps & Bees (13 guides)

Garden Pests (24 guides)

How to Attract Beneficial Insects to Your How to Eliminate Bagworms from Arborvitae How to Eliminate Aphids on Any Plant How to Get Rid of Aphids Without Killing How to Eliminate Bagworms from Arborvitae How to Eliminate Fruit Flies from Your How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies How to Eliminate Slugs from Your Garden How to Eliminate Slugs in Your Garden How to Control Whiteflies in the Outdoor How to Eliminate Whiteflies on Garden and How to Use IPM (Integrated Pest Management) How to Control Aphids on Fruit Trees Organic Aphid Control — The Right Sequence Organic Vegetable Garden Pest Management Spring Garden Pest Prevention How to Prevent Garden Pests Without Spring Fruit Tree Pest Protection How to Keep Deer Out of Your Vegetable Garden The Complete Vegetable Garden Pest How to Treat Aphids on Trees and Large Shrubs How to Protect Your Ash Trees from Emerald How to Eliminate Bagworms From Arborvitae How to Eliminate Whiteflies on Plants

Flying Insects (6 guides)

Home Prevention (17 guides)

Seasonal Guides (4 guides)

Application & Safety (6 guides)

Other Pests (31 guides)

How to Build a Beneficial Insect Habitat How to Attract Natural Predators to Your How to Safely Exclude Bats From Your Home Annual Foundation Pest-Proofing Inspection How to Eliminate Blow Flies How to Prevent Boxelder Bug Fall Invasions How to Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs How to Stop Cluster Flies from Entering How to Get Rid of Earwigs Inside Your Home How to Trap Moles Effectively How to Protect Against Kissing Bugs and How to Eliminate Mealybugs on Houseplants How to Eliminate Moles from Your Lawn How to Get Rid of No-See-Ums (Biting Midges) How to Eliminate Scale Insects on Trees and How to Get Rid of Silverfish Permanently How to Eliminate Silverfish from Your Home How to Get Squirrels Out of Your Attic How to Keep Squirrels Out of Gardens and How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs Already Inside How to Remove Stink Bugs Already Inside Your How to Reduce Stink Bug Pressure Outside How to Stop Stink Bugs From Invading Your How to Eliminate Voles from Your Lawn and How to Tell Termite Damage from Carpenter How to Set Snap Traps for Mice & Rats How to Get Squirrels Out of Your Attic for How to Treat Root Mealybugs in Houseplants How to Treat Scale Insects on Trees and How to Get Squirrels Out of Your Attic How to Use IGRs (Insect Growth Regulators)

More Resources

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Blog
Seasonal forecasts & expert analysis
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Equipment Guide
Sprayers, dusters, traps & safety gear
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Video Library
Visual identification & treatment guides
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Lawn & Garden
Turf pests, diseases & organic lawn care

Finding regional pest data sources worth trusting

The quality of pest information available to homeowners varies enormously by source, and finding the reliable sources for your specific region is a one-time investment that pays off across years of pest management decisions. Cooperative extension services associated with land grant universities in each state are usually the highest-quality regional resource, producing fact sheets, identification guides, and treatment recommendations specifically calibrated to local conditions, pest species, and regulatory environments. State department of agriculture pest fact sheets are typically similar in quality and orientation. Local pest control company blog content varies in quality but can be useful when produced by experienced practitioners writing about their actual work rather than generic SEO content. National pest control sites tend to be less useful for the specific reason that they average across regions and don't address the conditions you're actually facing. Bookmarking two or three high-quality regional resources at the outset, and consulting them before making significant pest management decisions, raises the average quality of your decisions dramatically without much ongoing effort.

When neighborhood-level coordination matters for treatment

Some pests are house-scale problems and some are neighborhood-scale problems, and treating a neighborhood-scale problem as if it were house-scale leads to a familiar frustration: treatment works, then activity returns within weeks because the source was never inside your property. German cockroach problems in multi-unit buildings are the canonical example — treating one unit while the rest of the building is untreated produces temporary relief at best. Rodent infestations frequently span multiple adjacent properties, especially row houses, condo complexes, and dense suburban developments with shared boundary fencing or shared utility easements. Mosquito problems are obviously neighborhood-scale because adult mosquitoes don't respect property lines. The practical implication is that for these pests, isolated treatment is not just incomplete but in some cases economically wasteful. Coordinating with neighbors, talking to HOA or property management about whole-building or whole-block treatment, and identifying the actual sources rather than the symptom locations is what produces durable results. This is uncomfortable work in some neighborhoods, but no amount of treatment intensity in a single unit substitutes for it.

Pest control and HOA dynamics: where they overlap

Homeowners' associations vary widely in how they engage with pest control, and the variations create practical issues that affect individual treatment decisions. Some HOAs maintain common-area pest treatment programs that handle perimeter spraying, mosquito treatment, or rodent monitoring on shared property; others leave all pest control to individual homeowners. Some have rules about treatment products or notification requirements; others don't. Some include treatment in the HOA fee structure; others bill separately. For homeowners in HOA communities dealing with persistent pest pressure, understanding what the HOA does and doesn't do is the first step in figuring out what additional individual action is needed. For HOAs without coordinated programs in areas with significant pressure, organizing a neighborhood-level treatment plan often produces dramatically better results than individual treatment efforts that don't coordinate timing or coverage. The conversations are sometimes politically awkward in HOA contexts, but the underlying problem — that some pests are neighborhood-scale and unit-level treatment can't address them — is structural rather than personal. Bringing the issue to an HOA meeting with concrete proposals tends to produce more constructive responses than complaint-style framing.

Published: Jun 1, 2024 · Updated: Apr 5, 2026
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Reviewed by Derek GiordanoContent on PestControlBasics.com is developed with input from certified pest management professionals and cross-referenced against EPA, CDC, and university extension guidance. Last reviewed: April 2026.