In the urban and structural pest control arenas, customer wants, needs, desires, and perceptions are gradually shifting in the direction of green pest management. Customer concerns about health, safety, property, environment, and water pollution issues are going to continue to push the industry in the direction of providing effective, low risk, planet-friendly integrated pest management (IPM) services.

This new millennium service will rely heavily on knowledge and experience to such an extent that trained, experienced, motivated and informed employees can only deliver it. Because of difficulties in finding committed employees and the high turnover rate of service personnel within the industry, it's going to be difficult to establish a basic foundation of knowledge in a new employee and then gradually build on that base by on-going training and field experience if that employee is history after six months or a year. It's a known fact among the true cognoscenti in the industry that regardless of whether you enter the profession as a high school dropout or someone with a Ph.D. in entomology, you improved and became better at what you did with experience. There's no substitute for real world experience. There's a big difference between being book smart and being street smart. I would never trade the knowledge I gained over the years from actual practical field experience for any amount of book learning.

Given the reality of the situation, what's a good way to quickly inculcate some basic knowledge regarding effective low risk IPM in new employees? The foundation of all structural IPM can be grounded in what is described here as the four principles of denial. These population suppression principles are firmly grounded in sound ecological theory in that if a habitat is made inhospitable to a species, its biotic potential will be reduced and it may be forced to migrate to more sustainable areas.

All living things, including arthropods and vertebrate pests, need food for growth, development, reproduction, and sustenance. If pests are deprived of a source of food at a location, they'll be forced to seek nourishment elsewhere. From a management perspective, this obviously points to instituting and maintaining good sanitation and good housekeeping practices on a daily basis.

The handling, storage and daily disposal of food waste and trash must be carried out in accordance with professional standards. Attention must be paid to proper storage of raw foods. Where possible, materials should be stored in pest-proof containers or refrigerators. Exterior environmental sanitation, as it pertains to food resources, must also be addressed.

Confining trash to tightly sealed containers with liners and ensuring that dumpsters have secure-fitting lids are important considerations. Don't over-fill dumpsters and keep areas around trash receptacles clean and free of debris. Denying pests access to food is an important, basic pillar of all structural IPM.

2. Don't let them drink

Moisture is an important survival requirement for most structural pests. Pests succumb quicker when deprived of water than when denied food. Eliminate moisture sources by providing adequate ventilation, repairing defective plumbing, roof leaks and dripping air conditioners.

Drain and rinse containers with liquid food residues before disposal. Wash, dry and properly store mops and mop buckets after use. Hang mops upside down. Empty mop bucket and rinse with clean water. Promptly clean all spills. Conduct regular inspections to make sure all sewer and water lines are in good repair. Inspect outdoor irrigation systems to ensure they're not in disrepair or are malfunctioning.

Don't over irrigate the exterior landscape. More landscape vegetation is killed by excess irrigation than any other condition. Pay attention to live indoor plants to make sure they're not over-watered and that excess water is not present in the catch basins of potted plants. Promptly mitigate moisture conditions whenever and wherever they occur. Reduce and minimize exterior washing and hosing off of areas. Pigeons, sparrows, starlings, bees and wasps are often seen drinking from puddles created by excessive hosing off of areas.