When it comes to pest control, there’s no shortage of methods for pros to use. Sometimes, it can even feel like there are more ways to control pests than there are pests to control.
From sprays to spores to sticky traps, the options are diverse, and not every method fits every job. Knowing what to use and when—and being able to track it all clearly for your team and your clients—can help you succeed.
Especially in an industry that’s constantly evolving with new methods and technology, it’s important to stay informed.
So, let’s walk through the main types of pest control methods in use today that business owners, technicians, and other pest pros should be familiar with. From chemical and biological to natural methods and more, we’ll break it all down for you.
Let’s get started.
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Types of Pest Control
If there’s one universal truth about pest control, it’s that no two days look alike. It’s a job for problem-solvers. And what’s one of the first steps to solving a pest problem? Understanding every tool at your disposal.
These are the effective pest control techniques you need to know about.
Physical Pest Control
This method is exactly what it sounds like—removing, blocking, trapping, or killing pests using direct, hands-on action. Stepped on a spider with your shoe? That’s physical pest control.
In situations suited to physical pest control techniques, you can change the environment to reduce or eliminate pests. No chemical formulas are involved, and there’s no need to wait for residual effects. The results are immediate and visible.
You can approach physical pest control in a couple of ways. Here are some of the most common:
- Barriers: Materials such as mesh, netting, row covers, caulk, and door sweeps close off entry points. Popular in horticulture, these barriers are great for sealing HVAC voids and foundation gaps.
- Traps: Place devices like snap traps, glue boards, and pheromone lures strategically where pest activity is concentrated. This works particularly well for rodents and ants.
- Temperature control: Cold storage can slow down insects. Heat treatments, such as hot water baths or portable heat chambers, kill larvae and eggs. Temperature control is often used in post-harvest fruit handling and structural bed bug jobs.
- Manual removal: For isolated infestations, pest removal by vacuuming, physical capture, or flushing with water or compressed air can work. However, it doesn’t scale easily.
Physical methods are sometimes the first line of control before introducing chemical or biological options.
Let’s take a look at some use cases.
Residential Use Case
Let’s say there’s a homeowner in a two-story colonial. They call in with ants trailing along the kitchen baseboard.
Inspection reveals an entry point through a foundation crack behind a garden bed. You seal the crack with caulk, place baited traps along the trail, and clean up visible ants.
Commercial Use Case
A warehouse near a food distribution center reports rodent activity near the loading dock. You install snap traps inside bait stations along the exterior and seal a wall opening using mesh and steel wool.
Weekly follow-up visits include resetting traps and photo documentation. This approach satisfies both pest control requirements and third-party audit standards—it’s a win-win.
Pros and Cons
Is physical pest control a good option? The answer depends.
It can be advantageous in certain situations, such as:
- It’s safer for use around children and pets and in sensitive environments.
- It lowers the risk of chemical resistance among pests.
- You may not need a pesticide license.
It also comes with some drawbacks, like:
- There’s more labor involved compared to chemical methods.
- It’s tricky to scale for widespread or high-density infestations.
The bottom line? Physical pest control provides critical foundational experience for new technicians. It teaches you to observe how pests behave, where they travel, and how structural weaknesses allow them in.
Mastery of these basics improves judgment in every service call that follows.
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Biological Pest Control
Sometimes, you have to outnumber, outsmart, or outbreed the pest. That’s the idea behind biological pest control.
This method uses other living organisms to bring pest populations down. In other words, it’s a controlled release of natural pest predators or competitors.
Think of it like setting up a natural chain reaction. When you choose and apply the right agent under the right conditions, biology does the heavy lifting for you.
Common techniques include:
- Predatory insects: These are insects that eat pests. For example, lady beetles hunt aphids, and predatory mites attack spider mites. You release them in targeted zones, usually when pest activity is high but still manageable.
- Parasitoid wasps: These wasps lay their eggs inside or on pest larvae. The larvae keep moving for a while but stop feeding and die once the wasps develop. Trichogramma species are often used against moth and beetle eggs in greenhouses.
- Nematodes: Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that travel in moist soil. They enter soft-bodied pests like fungus gnat larvae or root weevils, release bacteria, and kill from the inside out. You apply them with water, usually early in the morning or late in the day, to avoid UV breakdown.
Always check the conditions—temperature, humidity, and light exposure—before releasing any predatory pests. Biological control works best when pest numbers are growing, not when they’ve exploded.
Here are two use cases:
Residential Use Case
A homeowner reports aphids clustering on potted citrus trees. You confirm active feeding and release lady beetles near the base of the trees in the evening.
You advise light misting to help the beetles stay hydrated and encourage them to settle. By week two, aphid numbers drop, and the leaves become healthy again.
Commercial Use Case
In a small greenhouse operation, thrips are damaging ornamental cuttings. You introduce Amblyseius cucumeris, a predatory mite that targets thrip larvae. You also install sticky cards to monitor progress.
The grower sees reduced feeding damage within 10 days.
Pros and Cons
Biological approaches can be some of the best types of pest control methods. Pros include:
- It’s safe for pollinators and people.
- There’s no pesticide residue, so it’s ideal for delicate crops.
- In some cases, it will establish long-term balance if the conditions remain stable.
But it has its cons, too:
- It’s not suitable for all circumstances.
- It requires precise timing and monitoring.
- It’s not as effective if pest levels are already high.
- Some agents die off quickly in poor environmental conditions.
Microbial Pest Control
Microbial pest control is a method in which you apply a living microbe that makes pests sick. It works like a biological control but comes packaged more like a traditional pesticide in a spray, drench, or powder.
Microbial agents can include bacteria, fungi, viruses, or protozoa. Each agent infects a specific pest. They’re useful because they leave beneficial insects and humans alone, so you don’t get broad-spectrum wipeout.
Some of the more common microbial strategies include:
- Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt): This bacterium produces a protein that breaks down insect guts when eaten. It’s typically applied to foliage, so it works best on young caterpillars.
- Beauveria bassiana: Beauveria bassiana is a fungus that attaches to a pest’s shell. It grows inward and kills from the inside. It’s effective on whiteflies, aphids, and thrips—just make sure there’s enough humidity.
- Metarhizium anisopliae: This soil fungus is mainly used for termites and root pests. It requires direct contact and moist soil to activate.
- Spinosad: Spinosad is a fermented compound from soil bacteria. It targets the nervous systems of soft-bodied insects like fruit flies and leafminers. It’s available as a bait or a liquid concentrate.
If you purchase a microbial pest control agent, read the label carefully for temperature range, shelf life, and pH sensitivity.
If you apply it wrong, it won’t do anything. But if you check all the boxes, it can be extremely effective. Just take a look at these use cases.
Residential Use Case
A backyard gardener finds cabbage loopers eating through kale. You inspect and recommend Bt kurstaki.
The gardener sprays in the late afternoon. The next day, larvae are still visible, but feeding has stopped. Within three days, the leaves are clean and the pests are gone.
Commercial Use Case
A mushroom farm says they have rising numbers of fungus gnats. Adult flies hover near substrate trays, and larvae feed on the growing medium.
You add Bti (a Bt strain) to the irrigation cycle. The larvae ingest the bacteria and die mid-stage. Within 10 days, adult counts fall and production stabilizes.
Pros and Cons
The benefits?
- It doesn’t leave behind chemical residues.
- It targets specific pests without disrupting other species.
And the potential downfalls:
- It only works in the right light, heat, and moisture conditions.
- Kill rates are slower, and elimination often requires multiple treatments.
Chemical Pest Control
Did you know that the world has been spraying pests longer than it’s been writing about them? Sulfur was already killing mites in Mesopotamia while stone tablets were still drying in the sun. Later, we moved on to arsenic and lead.
Today, the methods are more refined, but the idea of chemical pest control hasn’t changed a bit.
It works like this:
- Identify the pest.
- Select a chemical that kills it.
- Apply it directly or indirectly.
- Repeat if the pest returns.
Chemical pest control relies on synthetic compounds. These can target insects, weeds, fungi, rodents, and anything else classified as a pest. Most chemicals disrupt the pest’s biological systems, such as digestion, nerves, and reproduction. Some kill on contact, others after ingestion.
Chemicals can come in various forms as well. For example, some are sprays or powders, and others are gases or gels.
Often-used techniques include:
- Insecticides: Use insecticides to kill or repel insects. They affect nervous systems, growth cycles, or breathing. Examples include pyrethroids and neonicotinoids.
- Rodenticides: Rodenticides are baits or poisons that control rats and mice. They disrupt blood clotting or metabolic function and are often placed in secure bait stations.
Always read the label and follow dilution instructions exactly when working with chemical pest control materials.
Track reentry intervals, wear protective gear, and store unused products safely. Even a mild chemical can cause damage if applied incorrectly.
Let’s see how these chemicals work in practice.
Residential Use Case
Say a homeowner finds a trail of ants entering through a back wall.
You trace the trail to a soil gap and apply a non-repellent insecticide around the foundation perimeter. Then, you follow with a gel bait indoors.
Commercial Use Case
A food processing plant reports stored product beetles near the grain silo.
After-hours, you conduct a space fog treatment with an aerosol. After ventilation, you apply an insect growth regulator (IGR) to shelves and corners.
Monitoring traps confirm knockdown within 48 hours.
Pros and Cons
Chemical pest control methods can be highly effective. Here’s why:
- They’re fast-acting and work well when applied correctly.
- They can be used at scale across large areas.
- They’re widely available and regulated for safety under specific conditions.
- You can buy a broad range of products for different pest types.
Of course, no technique is perfect. Cons include:
- There’s a risk of harm to non-target organisms and the surrounding environment.
- If overused, the pest may become resistant.
- Repeated or improper exposure does pose potential health risks.
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Natural Pest Control
What if you didn’t have to spray chemical, microbial, or other pest control agents at all? What if you could drive pests away using what’s already in nature?
That’s the principle behind natural pest control.
Natural pest control uses physical, botanical, or mechanical methods to manage pests without synthetic chemicals. These solutions usually work by repelling pests or making environments less attractive.
Some techniques and products include:
- Neem oil: Neem oil is a botanical extract that interferes with insect feeding and reproduction. It can be useful against aphids, mealybugs, and whiteflies.
- Diatomaceous earth: A fine powder made from fossilized algae, diatomaceous earth scratches and dehydrates insects like ants and cockroaches.
- Soap sprays: Diluted natural soaps can break down insect cuticles. These sprays can be a handy solution for soft-bodied insects.
Natural methods aren’t always strong enough to stop a major infestation. But they’re ideal for prevention or low-pressure sites.
They’re often used in sensitive spaces like homes with pets or kids. They can also be great for organic farms or areas with water runoff concerns, too. Let’s review some use cases.
Residential Use Case
A gardener finds spider mites on their indoor plants. You apply a neem oil and water mix using a handheld sprayer. Then, you suggest wiping leaves weekly and increasing humidity.
The mites reduce steadily without chemical use.
Commercial Use Case
A yoga studio reports fruit flies near the kitchen sink.
You set out vinegar traps and clean the drain with a baking soda flush. You also apply diatomaceous earth behind the appliances to discourage further breeding.
The problem can be resolved without introducing any toxic agents into the space.
Pros and Cons
There are many reasons why your clients might prefer to go the natural route, like:
- The environmental impact is lower.
- It can be safer for pets and kids.
- It’s often cheaper and easier to use than synthetic products.
Despite these benefits, there are some disadvantages to be aware of, such as:
- Natural solutions aren’t always as effective as other methods.
- Expect slower results, especially on active infestations.
- More frequent application and monitoring are required.
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Integrated Pest Control
You spray once. The ants disappear. A week later, they’re back—and they’re not alone.
Sound familiar? Integrated Pest Management (IPM) could be the solution.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Integrated Pest Management is “an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment.”
In other words, IPM is a systems-based approach. It solves pest problems by combining methods instead of relying on one. It also uses facts about pests and how they reproduce to make pest control more effective.
IPM can lead to fewer callbacks, more stable control, and longer-lasting results.
Like other pest control methods, IPM starts with a thorough inspection. You must look around the property carefully to diagnose the issue and its cause.
Then, choose the least risky and most effective option available. You might layer multiple methods.
Finally, you follow up and make changes based on what’s happening at the site.
Let’s say you’re dealing with German cockroaches in an apartment kitchen.
You:
- Clean behind the fridge and seal wall gaps.
- Use gel bait near activity zones.
- Set sticky monitors inside cabinet voids.
- Educate the resident about food storage and sanitation.
You’ve now combined mechanical, chemical, and educational tactics to reduce the population and avoid resistance buildup.
Monitoring and action thresholds are also fundamental elements of the IPM process.
Monitoring is, of course, the process of observing the results of the tactics you use. For example, you can monitor by setting traps, inspecting high-risk areas, or logging sightings. Then, you’ll use what you find to decide what happens next (i.e., whether to alter the treatment course and how).
A threshold is the level of pest activity and/or damage that triggers the need for treatment. One ant outside? No problem. Ants streaming from a baseboard? Time to act.
IPM doesn’t aim for zero pests everywhere—it aims for zero problems. You act when the pest becomes a risk to health, structure, or comfort.
Here’s how IPM stacks up against quick fixes:
| IPM | Quick fixes | |
| Approach | Planned, layered, based on inspection | Reactive, often chemical-only |
| Outcome | Long-term control, fewer re-treatments | Short-term knockdown, rebound common |
| Chemical use | Minimized and targeted | Frequent and broad |
| Customer satisfaction | Higher, thanks to fewer repeat problems and a clear process | Lower, as pests may return or change locations |
| Resistance risk | Reduced as methods rotate and alternate | Higher—pests adapt to overused products |
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Pest Control Methods: Next Steps for Your Business
Now that you know the top pest control methods today, it’s time to go out there and use them. So, what can you do to position your pest control business for a bright and successful future?
Here are a few simple next steps to start with:
- Audit your current toolkit. List every method and product you use and mark which category it falls under—chemical, biological, microbial, physical, or other. Use this insight to spot gaps and overreliance.
- Test one method you haven’t used before. Pick a low-risk site and apply a new microbial, natural, or biological option. Document everything, including setup, timing, results, and client satisfaction. This can act as a baseline for future jobs.
- Check your state and local regulations. Rules vary, especially for microbial agents and restricted-use chemicals. Knowing what’s allowed saves you from fines and lost time.
- Train your team on threshold-based decision-making. Use real examples. Set up a mock inspection. Ask them when they’d treat and with what. This will help you and your team build more thoughtful responses and reduce overtreatment.
- Reach out to one supplier for IPM-compatible products. Look for options that align with integrated practices, like growth regulators or beneficial insects. Ask for usage guides or trial pricing.
Looking to step up your business? Schedule a demo with our suite of pest control business management software and see what the buzz is all about!
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