IPM Certified Pest Control

IPM Certified Pest Control

Metro Orlando FL | Kissimmee - Sanford - Leesburg

Is your organization or business looking for an integrated pest management program in the Orlando metro area and Central Florida? Heron Home & Outdoor provides full-service commercial pest control services, including Integrated Pest Management (IPM), for businesses, organizations, and government entities throughout our service area.

What is Integrated Pest Management?

Integrated Pest Management may sound like a complicated name for good old-fashioned pest control, but it’s actually a customized, ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention. Based on both common sense and scientific principle, IPM is designed to be safe, environmentally-friendly, and effective.

Initially, IPM was developed to improve agricultural pest control. Today, it’s become the system of choice for schools, public buildings, and outdoor spaces (like parks, golf courses, and community gardens), as well as in commercial and residential buildings. But despite its popularity, most pest control companies still only offer chemical-based treatments. If you’re looking for experts who understand all aspects of pest control, look for pest control companies that use IPM.

How is Integrated Pest Management Different?

Traditional pest control focuses on the routine application of pesticides. IPM focuses on prevention, using pesticides only when needed. Although it can be labor intensive, the health, environmental, and cost benefits stack up in the long run.

Each Integrated Pest Management plan is unique to the location and goals of your property. This results in the safest, most cost-effective, and most environmentally-friendly pest control available. If you’re looking for the best long-term strategy, a customized IPM plan is well worth the investment.

Using inspections, monitoring, and reports, IPM combines various pest control methods to create a site-specific program for prevention and control. With IPM, we can design a unique program to address your specific problem areas.

Successful IPM Programs

There are five components of a successful IPM program:

1. Identifying and Monitoring Pests:
   • Correct pest identification is crucial to determine treatment, as well as preventing the removal of beneficial organisms.
     Monitoring pests involves a regular inspection schedule, record-keeping, and recommendations for ongoing prevention or treatment.
     By regularly checking for pests, areas that may attract pests, and the success of current methods, IPM’s goal is to stay one step ahead.
2. Setting Action Thresholds:
   • Defining action thresholds is different for every IPM plan, and they depend on the pest that was identified.
   • Are the pests nuisances, health hazards, or economic threats? Depending on the pest and your specific goals, we continue to monitor the affected areas, taking action to eliminate pests once they have begun to create a threat.
3. Preventing Pests: Prevention is a big part of IPM. There are many simple ways you can prevent pests, and our training helps your staff learn ways to keep pests away before they become a nuisance. Some prevention activities include:
   • Reducing clutter
   • Sealing cracks and other ways indoors (broken screens, weatherstripping, etc.)
   • Removing trash
   • Trimming overgrown plants and vegetation
   • Keeping food storage and dining areas clean
   • Placing pest barriers
   • Removing all standing water
4. Controlling Pests: When pests are detected above the action threshold, it’s time to take action to eliminate them. IMP uses the lowest risk, most effective options. We embrace all methods, including:
   • Trapping
   • Thermal treatments
   • Physical removal
   • Pesticides as needed
5. Record Keeping: Another important part of IPM is documenting preventative and treatment activities for a record of what works, the season certain pests appear, and what problem areas need extra attention.
   • A good IPM program should also document non-chemical options and recommendations for preventing future pest problems.

Health Benefits of Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management has many health benefits. Rodents, cockroaches, and dust mites are all common, and can make asthma and allergy symptoms worse in both children and adults. Pesticides can also cause health issues, and IPM can help avoid potential allergens.

By balancing prevention and treatment, IPM protects the people in your facility from both pest-based allergens and over-exposure to pesticides. In fact, more than 53 million children and 6 million adults spend a significant portion of their days in more than 120,000 public and private schools in the U.S. The EPA recommends IPM in schools, creating a safer learning environment by reducing children’s exposure to pesticides and eliminating allergy-causing pests.

Cost Benefits of Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management may be more labor intensive than conventional pest control and often requires more resources up front. Costs will get lower over time, once the the underlying cause of the pest problem has been treated.

IPM practices also create other savings. For example, weatherization of your building not only keeps pests out, but also saves energy and decreases moisture problems.

Every IPM Program is Unique!

If you’d like to put together an IPM plan for your business, rental property, restaurant, school, or your home, contact us to discuss options. We can develop a site-specific plan that eliminates pests, prevents future incursions, and saves money in the long run.