Every April, we celebrate Earth Day and think about ways we can help make our planet healthier. One way to do this is to use IPM or integrated pest management to deal with pests around your home and garden!

IPM is a science-based, environmentally sound strategy that farmers, professionals, and residents can use to help prevent or control pests and their damage while at the same time protecting people, bees, beneficials, pets and the planet.

Are you already using IPM?

IPM uses a combination of methods including:

• biological control -- 'good bugs' or beneficial organisms like spiders or parasites that eat or prey on other bugs;
• physical control -- blocking the pest from...

One of the best ways to reduce pest problems in and around buildings is to construct or retrofit structures that keep pests out in the first place. This concept has been a pillar of integrated pest management for many years. Pest-resistant buildings reduce not only pest problems but also the need for pesticide applications. Unfortunately, architects and builders had few guidelines about how to design and construct such structures.

To address this issue, the San Francisco Department of the Environment and the International Code Council developed an online publication, Pest Prevention by Design, which provides the first comprehensive resource on pest-preventive building design tactics.

Specific guidelines are...