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Glossary of Home Pest Control Terms

Posted in Pest Advice on August 01, 2017

Glossary of Home Pest Control Terms 

Words and terms used in home pest control and their meaning.

TermMeaning
Arthropod An animal with a jointed exoskeleton (exterior skeleton). E.g. crab, insect, spidermillipede.
Bait Food attractant. Some baits are lures only and contain no toxin. E.g. bait in NO Cockroaches Traps.
Bait station The NZ Food Safety Authority (ACVM Group) have defined a bait station as A rigid, reusable device or container designed or adapted to physically contain baits in such a way as to allow unrestricted access by target pests while preventing or minimising spillage of bait and access of off-target species. Also to protect baits from the elements and extend their usable life. E.g. Kiwicare NO Rats One Feed Bait Stations and NO Mice One Feed Bait Stations.
Blowflies Flies whose larvae feed on decaying meat and protein. E.g. blue bottles, green bottles.
Bug (common) The common term for crawling or flying insect, spider, or other arthropod found in homes.
Bug (technical) As a technical term and bug are an insect with piercing mouth-parts e.g. bed bugsshield bugs.
Bug bomb Total release aerosol fumigator which ejects its entire contents into space as a vapour which penetrates to all parts of the space. E.g. NO Bugs Super Bug BombNO Fleas Bug Bomb.
Borer Wood-boring insect. E.g. common borertwo tooth borerlemon tree borer.
Commensal Animals such as rats and mice that live in close association with humans.
Concentrate Product for dilution before application. E.g. NO Spiders Total Protection concentrate.
Dilution Addition of water (or other) to concentrate to achieve the required concentration of active ingredients for best effect.
Dilution rate The ratio of concentrate to water. E.g. 20 ml per litre of water - 1:50.
DIY Do It Yourself. 
Dust A finely ground, dry mixture containing a small amount of an active ingredient and an inert carrier, such as talc or clay. E.g. NO Wasps Eliminator.
Fumigation Using a vapour or gas to control insects, spiders and other pests in an enclosed space or volume. E.g. NO Bugs Super Fumigator.
Fumigator Product for fumigation. See fumigation.
Harbourage Place where pests hide, congregate, seek shelter and protection.
Granules A formulation of dry, ready-to-use, low-concentrate pesticides plus an inert carrier. The particles are larger than those making up dust. E.g. LawnPro Protect.
HSNO Hazardous Substances and Noxious Organisms - a system for managing hazardous substances.
IGR Insect Growth Regulator - active ingredient that disrupts the normal growth and development of insect pests; breaking the insect life cycle. E.g. NO Fleas Total Protection.
Insect Flying or crawling arthropod possessing six legs. E.g. Cockroaches.
Insecticide Product for killings and control of insects. E.g. NO Bugs Super.
Invasive pests Pests that have been brought into New Zealand. E.g. Argentine ants, ratspossums.
Larva Plural larvae. Immature stage (juvenile) of animal that undergoes metamorphosis to change to the adult form. E.g. woolly bearsfly maggots.
Lure Non-toxic bait or other attractant. Usually used to attract pests to traps. E.g. bait in NO Cockroaches Traps.
MSDS See SDS
Nymph Immature (juvenile) form of invertebrates which go through gradual metamorphosis. Nymphs typically look similar to but smaller than the adult form. E.g. bed bug nymphs.
NZ EPA New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority.
Pest control Preventing or eradicating a pest problem through elimination, isolation or minimising using condition changes, barriers, pesticides, or other methods.
Problem solver An interactive application to help in the identification of pests and provision of advice on pest control. E.g. Kiwicare Problem Solver.
Residual Long-lasting, persistent ongoing effect. Usually of a pesticide. E.g. NO Bugs SuperNO Spiders Total Solution.
Ready to Use Product not requiring dilution before use. (RTU). E.g. NO Bugs Indoors.
Rodenticide Product for control of rodents. Usually toxic bait for controlling rats and/or mice. E.g. NO Rats & Mice One Feed.
Rodents Rats and mice.
RTU Ready to Use.
SDS Safety Data Sheet - Document providing safety information on a product in its sold form. Previously MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)
Slater Also known as woodlice or pill bugs, these are members of the Isopoda group of arthropods. Usually found in leaf litter and rotting wood.
Stored Product Insect SPI. Insect pests that eat or otherwise damage stored foodstuffs. E.g. pantry moth larvaebiscuit beetlegrain weevilsspider beetle.
Synergy Creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. E.g. Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) is often used with pyrethroid insecticides; because it reduces an insect's ability to metabolise the pyrethroid insecticide the insecticide is more effective. The PBO is a synergist.
Vapour Fine liquid droplets in the air. E.g. steam condensing at kettle spout, vapour from NO Bugs Super Fumigator and NO Bugs Super Bug Bomb.
Water Activated Referring to water-activated fumigators. These are fumigators that use water to create a vapour which penetrates into a volume without the need for aerosol propellants. Non-smoke fumigators. E.g. NO Bugs Super Fumigator.
White ants (common) White ant is a common term for termites.

See also Gardening Glossary and Outdoor Cleaning Glossary.

David Brittain
Kiwicare

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