Do It Yourself Pest Control

- Most pest control can be done by homeowners -

Summary: Most pest control situations can now be handled by homeowners themselves without hiring an exterminator. All it takes is a little understanding of pest biology and the right tools and supplies. A few situations, however, are best left to professionals who have the necessary equipment and experience.

Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)

What is Do It Yourself pest control?

Until fairly recently many home pest control situations were either too difficult or too dangerous for home owners to deal with themselves. Many control procedures involved the use of highly toxic insecticides or required specialized application equipment.

However, nowadays the highly toxic, broad spectrum insecticides have been replaced by lower toxicity materials that also more specifically target particular pests. Traps and bait products are available that replace complicated and expensive spray applications. Also, you can now purchase many of these products and equipment online. The result is you can do a lot of your own pest control both safely and effectively with a little help.

boxelder bugs are a diy pest control project

Boxelder bug (about 1/2 inch long). This annual pest can be effectively managed by homeowners themselves.

Our purpose is to help you understand enough pest identification and life history to be able to effectively deal with many of these situations yourself. We'll also point out those few times when we believe you should seek outside help, and we'll help you find it. All major pest insect and mites are covered in the links below.

Pests you can control yourself

These are easy to control yourself with traps, baits and low toxicity pesticides so you don't need to hire pest control service. Click on the individual links for photos and detailed instructions.

Pests you'll need help with

Here are a few pests that are best left to a pest control company, see our tips for selecting companies below. These companies have access to specialized equipment and expertise. Click on the individual links for photos and control information.

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Mission: To provide accurate, up-to-date and unbiased information for solving common insect and mite problems around your home, business and landscape using least-toxic methods.

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