Glossary
Pest Control Glossary
Definitions of key pest-control terms — from Integrated Pest Management to fumigation, baiting, and fogging — so you understand the methods ETOS uses.
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
- An integrated approach to pest control that prioritises prevention, monitoring, and minimal chemical use. IPM combines inspection, sanitation, exclusion, and measured treatment for effective, environmentally responsible results.
- Fumigation
- A pest control method using fumigant gas inside a sealed enclosure. The gas penetrates every gap of the commodity to eliminate pests at all life stages, then is aerated until the area is safe to reuse.
- Baiting
- A control technique that places toxic bait for pests to carry back to the nest, eliminating the colony down to the queen. Common for rodents, termites, cockroaches, and ants because it is more targeted than spraying.
- Fogging
- Dispersing a fine insecticide mist to rapidly knock down adult flying-insect populations such as mosquitoes. Fogging is most effective combined with source reduction and removing breeding sites.
- Bait Station
- A lockable container holding bait, placed at strategic points. A bait station protects the bait from weather, keeps it safe from children and pets, and makes monitoring pest activity easier.
- Residual Spray
- An insecticide application that leaves an active residue on surfaces to kill pests crossing it for a period after spraying. Used on runways and harbourage points of crawling insects.
- Heat Treatment
- A non-chemical control method that raises the temperature of a space or item to a level lethal to pests and their eggs. Effective for bed bugs hiding in the deepest gaps of mattresses and furniture.
- Exclusion (Proofing)
- Sealing gaps, holes, and access routes so pests cannot enter a building. Exclusion is a key preventive step in IPM, especially for rodent control.
- Monitoring
- Regularly tracking pest activity using traps, bait stations, and inspections to detect problems early and assess treatment effectiveness. The basis of data-driven control.
- Insect Light Trap (ILT)
- A trap that attracts flying insects with ultraviolet light and catches them on a glue board. Widely used in kitchens, restaurants, and food-handling areas to control flies without insecticide.
- Soil Treatment (Soil Injection)
- Applying termiticide into the soil around and beneath a building to form a chemical barrier against subterranean termites. Done pre-construction or on existing buildings.
- Disease Vector
- An organism that transmits disease-causing pathogens to humans, such as mosquitoes (dengue, malaria), rodents (leptospirosis), and flies (diarrhoea). Vector control is important for public health.
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