⚡ CHEAT SHEET

Ch.3: Pest Management & Control

What the exam tests on pest management approaches, IPM components, pest thresholds, and resistance prevention.

🎯 Top 5 Traps

Pests are pests because of WHAT THEY DO, not what they ARE. The chapter opens with this exact framing: "Pests are not pests because of what they are (bedbug, yellow jacket) but because of what they do (suck blood, sting)." A pest is "any unwanted organism" — defined by behavior and impact, not species identity.

The CLIENT determines the desired level of pest control — NOT the technician, supervisor, or pest. Only "the client" is correct. Site-specific tolerances drive everything: a hospital may tolerate zero, a garbage room may tolerate many. The technician implements the client's chosen threshold.

"Preventive spraying" is NOT an IPM component — it's the OPPOSITE of IPM. Preventive spraying is the ONE that's wrong. IPM uses pesticides only when thresholds are exceeded; preventive (route-based) spraying applies pesticides regardless of infestation.

IPM emphasizes REDUCTION OF PESTS TO A TOLERABLE NUMBER — not elimination, not safe pesticide application alone, not inspection alone. Other approaches share parts of IPM (extermination prioritizes elimination; reactive prioritizes inspection). Only IPM emphasizes population-to-threshold reduction as the goal.

Resistance prevention = MULTI-COMPONENT IPM with rotation between modes of action — not stronger doses or more frequent applications. The drawback of single-pesticide use is that susceptible individuals are killed off, leaving resistant individuals to reproduce. Solution: alternate between organophosphates and pyrethroids (different MOA), and use IPM so pesticides aren't the sole control method.

🔢 Key Definitions & Structure Counts

Term / Count

Definition / Description

Pest

Any unwanted organism. Per FIFRA: any insect, rodent, fungus, weed, or other organism. Defined by behavior/impact, not species identity.

Pest management

The reduction of pest populations to TOLERABLE numbers by changing practices, making habitat or structural alterations, and carefully using pesticides to kill pests only when indicated.

Threshold

The level of pest density that can be tolerated. Site-specific. May be zero (hospitals) or many (garbage rooms). Setting thresholds eliminates preventive spraying, curtails excessive pesticide use, and encourages good inspection.

Harborage

A place that provides an organism's food, water, and shelter requirements. Habitat alteration eliminates one or more of these elements.

4 ecosystem terms

POPULATION (group of one species) + COMMUNITY (different populations together) + biological supports + physical supports = ECOSYSTEM. Technician must consider the ecosystem, not just the pest infestation.

4 control approaches

Preventive, Reactive, Pest Elimination/Extermination, Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

4 sequential methods

Inspection (FIRST) → Habitat alteration → Pesticide application → Follow-up

5 IPM components

Monitoring & record-keeping; Education, training & communication; Integrated control methods (cultural + physical + chemical); Thresholds; Evaluation, quality control & reporting

3 integrated control sub-types

Cultural controls (cleaning schedule, garbage elimination, worker procedures); Physical/maintenance modifications (screening, caulking); Pest control devices and pesticides

2 resistant species

Of structure-infesting pests, the housefly and the German cockroach demonstrate the most significant resistance to pesticides.

🔀 Easily Confused

Pair / Group

Distinguishing Feature

Population vs Community vs Ecosystem

Population: group of one species (e.g., German cockroaches). Community: different populations together (fleas + pets + people). Ecosystem: community + biological supports (food, hosts) + physical supports (hiding places, temp, humidity).

Preventive vs Reactive control

Preventive: scheduled route, pesticides applied regardless of infestation; least technical expertise; brief inspections. Reactive: unscheduled call response, pesticide to confirmed sites; faster response, higher technical expertise; quick to anger if recurs.

Extermination vs IPM

Extermination: eliminate the pest population; maximum pesticide use; high pesticide+labor cost; senior technician/supervisor leads. IPM: reduce to tolerable level; minimize pesticide; long-term lower cost; labor-intensive START-UP only.

IPM vs other approaches — what IPM uniquely emphasizes

Preventive: scheduling. Reactive: response speed. Extermination: complete elimination. IPM: REDUCTION TO TOLERABLE NUMBER. All four use inspection and pesticides — only IPM has population-to-threshold reduction as its emphasis.

Cultural vs Physical/Maintenance vs Chemical controls

Cultural: regular cleaning, garbage elimination, changes in worker procedures. Physical/Maintenance: screening, caulking, structural modifications. Chemical: pest control devices and pesticides. All three are integrated under IPM.

Threshold = zero vs Threshold > zero

Both are valid. Hospitals may set the threshold at ZERO (no roaches tolerated). Garbage rooms may tolerate many. Site-specific. Setting any threshold (even zero) eliminates preventive spraying — the trigger to apply pesticide is whether the count exceeds the threshold, not whether time has passed.

Failure to control vs Resistance

Before testing for resistance, ELIMINATE other failure causes: client sanitation, complete inspection, correct ID, complete habitat alteration, accurate pesticide application. Only after all those check positive should resistance be suspected.

🛡️ Four Control Approaches Compared

Approach

Key Feature

Expertise / Key Drawback

Preventive

Pre-established schedule/route. Pesticides used REGARDLESS of infestation. Most economical short-term.

Least technical expertise needed. Drawback: time governs schedule; brief inspections; no evaluation; no long-term solutions.

Reactive

Response to special, unscheduled calls. Pesticide applied to identified pest sites.

Higher technical expertise + client interaction. Drawback: clients assume complete extermination; pesticides used as barriers if pests not found; less economical than route-type.

Extermination

Senior technician/supervisor responds. Intensive inspection; recommendations to reduce food/water/harborage; pesticides in variety of formulations EACH visit.

High technical expertise + superior client cooperation needed. Drawback: MAXIMUM pesticide use; potential misapplication; high pesticide + labor costs.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Required by Reg 637 (training mandate). Detailed plan + schedule with infestation zones, sanitation/maintenance/habitat recommendations. EMPHASIZES reduction to tolerable level.

Highest expertise. Drawback: labor-intensive START-UP; not every company has the expertise; costs higher than "low bid" — but reduced over time.

🔄 Sequence of Pest Management Methods

Step

Activity

Goal

1. Inspection

Locate pest-preferred sites; identify pest species; assess infestation extent

Pests don't infest uniformly — must locate the focused infestation areas. ALWAYS the first step.

2. Habitat alteration

Remove harborage elements: increase sanitation, reduce moisture, eliminate clutter

Make survival less successful by removing food, water, or shelter. Often reduces but doesn't eliminate.

3. Pesticide application

Apply when habitat alteration is incomplete or insufficient

The KEY is the successful COMBINATION of methods — not pesticide alone. Apply only when indicated.

4. Follow-up

Detailed record-keeping, supervisor oversight, quality control

Difference between success and failure of the program. Some programs do only the legal minimum (record-keeping); robust programs go further.

💡 Memory Hooks

What is a pest: "Not what they are — what they do." A bedbug is just an insect; it becomes a pest when it sucks blood in a hotel room.

Sequence: "Inspect, alter, apply, follow." Inspection is always first. The other three follow as needed.

Threshold setter: "The CLIENT decides what's tolerable." The technician implements; the client chooses.

IPM emphasis: "Reduce to tolerable — not eliminate." The other approaches share parts; only IPM has THIS as its core goal.

Resistance fix: "Rotate the chemistry." Different modes of action prevent resistant offspring from dominating. OPs and pyrethroids alternate.

🃏 Drill 7A flashcards

← Ch.2 All 7A chapters Ch.4 →