Pest control you can check

Identify it first

Most treatment mistakes start with the wrong ID. Browse the library by group, or learn how to get any bug identified.

German Cockroach Blattella germanica Bed Bug Cimex lectularius Eastern Subterranean Termite Reticulitermes spp. (shown: R. flavipes) Red Imported Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta House Mouse Mus musculus Blacklegged Tick Ixodes scapularis Carpenter Ants Camponotus species Brown Recluse Loxosceles reclusa

Start here

The basics of doing pest control well, from the least-toxic approach to reading a label.

• Integrated pest management (IPM)How integrated pest management works at home: identifying the pest, monitoring with traps and records, setting an action threshold, prevention, contr…
• How to pest-proof your homeKeep mice, rats, bats, snakes, squirrels, cockroaches and fall invaders out of the house: the gap each pest can use, which sealing materials hold up …
• How to read a pesticide labelHow to read a pesticide label, section by section: signal words, the EPA registration number, precautions and protective equipment, first aid, enviro…
• DIY pest control: what you can do yourself, and when to call a proWhen do-it-yourself pest control works and when to hire a professional: the four IPM steps, jobs homeowners can handle, the pests (termites, bed bugs…
• Seasonal pest calendarA season-by-season guide to household and yard pests, from late-winter ant baiting and spring termite swarms to summer yellowjackets and the fall rus…
• Bug bites and stingsBed bug, flea, mosquito, tick, spider, fire ant, wasp and scorpion bites and stings: what's known about each, why bites alone rarely identify the cul…

Safety at home

Using pesticides around the people and animals you live with.

• Pesticide safety and protective equipmentWhat to wear when you use pesticides at home: reading the label's PPE section, choosing glove material by the label's chemical resistance category, g…
• How long after pest control is it safe?How long to stay out after pest control: why the label decides, what 'until dry' means and doesn't, how to air out the home, fogger and fumigation re…
• Pest control with babies and childrenHow to treat pests safely with a baby or young children at home: why kids are more sensitive, when they can go back in, child-proofing pesticides and…
• Pest control with petsPest control around dogs, cats, fish and birds by product type: sprays and foggers, lawn products, rodent and slug baits, insect baits, mothballs, fl…
• Pest control during pregnancyIs pest control safe while pregnant? Steps to limit exposure, lower-risk options (baits, traps, no foggers), what to ask a company, what the research…
• Hantavirus: cleaning up after rodents safelyHow to clean up mouse droppings, nests and dead mice without breathing in hantavirus: CDC's steps (air out first, soak with 1:9 bleach, never sweep o…

Termites

Swarmers, damage, inspections and treatment choices.

• TermitesSubterranean, Formosan, drywood and dampwood termites: how to tell termites from ants, the signs of an infestation, how liquid treatments, baits, fum…
• Termite swarmers vs flying antsHow to tell winged termites from flying ants by antennae, waist and wings, when each termite and ant species swarms, and what swarmers indoors mean. …
• Signs of termite damageHow to recognize termite damage: mud tubes, wood hollowed along the grain with soil in the galleries, drywood pellets, hidden damage behind drywall a…
• How to protect your home from termitesHow to make a house less attractive to termites: soil-to-wood clearances, moisture, crawl spaces, mulch and firewood, sealing cracks, building new, p…
• How to check your home for termitesA step-by-step termite check for homeowners: tools, where to look outside, in the crawl space, attic and living areas, how to test mud tubes and prob…
• Fumigation: when you need it and how to prepareWhen tenting for drywood termites makes sense, what happens during a structural fumigation, the paperwork, how to prepare (bagging food and medicine,…

Hiring a pro or renting

Checking a license, comparing quotes and knowing who is responsible.

• How to find a good pest control companyHow to choose a pest control company: confirm the license with your state, the questions to ask, how to compare written estimates, and the red flags …
• Check a pest control license in your stateHow to check that a pest control company or technician is licensed, with the pesticide regulatory agency, phone number and licensing page for every s…
• Pest control costs: what drives the priceWe don't publish made-up price ranges. Here is what actually drives the price of pest, termite and bed bug treatment, what to ask for in a written es…
• Pests in a rental: who does whatWho handles pests in a rental and how to check your own state's rules: examples from California, Florida, Maine, Arizona and Colorado law, HUD guidan…

Local guides

Each state's pesticide regulator, extension lab and local pests, plus city guides built from local data.

• State pest guidesPest guides for all 50 states, each built from that state's extension service, agriculture and health departments and federal sources: termites, inva…
• Local pest guidesLocal pest guides for 84 U.S. metro areas, each built from that area's own county vector control, health department, state agency and university exte…

Tools

• Pesticide databaseProducts grouped by IRAC, FRAC and WSSA mode of action, each built from its EPA-accepted label.
• Mixing calculatorLabel rates for common products, converted to the amount for your sprayer.
• How to identify a bugPhoto and specimen tips, look-alikes, and extension labs that identify bugs.
• Pest control FAQShort, sourced answers to the questions homeowners ask most.

From the Wire

Pest control news, rewritten in plain English by the PCB News Desk. All Wire posts

• West Nile in 2026: The Fastest Start in Two Decades, Then Numbers That Don't Agree2026-10-19
• Spotted Lanternfly Egg Season: What Changed in 2026 and How to Destroy the Egg Masses2026-10-19
• New World Screwworm Update: 53 Animal Cases in Texas and New Mexico, and What Pet Owners Should Check2026-10-15
• New Executive Order Targets Ticks and Mosquitoes: 90% Fewer Invasive Mosquitoes on Federal Land in D.C. by 20282026-10-06
• West Nile Season Is Starting Early in 2026 — Positive Mosquitoes Found in Six States Before June2026-06-03
• Spotted Lanternfly Feeds on 103 Known Plants — and 56 of Them Grow in North America2026-05-30