StopPests IPM in Multifamily Housing Blog

Pest Control Operations and Social Distancing in Multi-Family Housing During the COVID-19/Coronavirus Outbreak

There have been concerns expressed about pest control visits in public housing and what should be considered essential and non-essential. Below are a set of general guidelines to help make choices about your pest control service. These guidelines relate to housing sites with in-house pest management staff, but they can be applied to contracted service as well. Also below are related recommendations for engaging with your pest control contractor, along with some resources from HUD and the CDC that will give you more guidance on policies, procedures, and disinfecting. Read more →

Understanding Effective Pest Management Techniques for Cockroaches in Multifamily Housing

Understanding integrated pest management (IPM) techniques for cockroach control can help property managers to ensure effective pest management service is provided by their pest control contractor. This blog post describes the essential tools for effective cockroach control in multifamily housing including monitoring, record keeping, and baits. Read more →

StopPests Webinar Series

StopPests is offering three free webinars on IPM in affordable housing, covering bed bugs, cockroaches, and rodents. See the descriptions and the registration links below. Although housing professionals are the target audience for these presentations, we invite pest management professionals and anyone whose work and life is impacted by pests... Read more →

What Can We Do About Persistent Mouse Infestations in Multifamily Housing?

I recently had the opportunity to work with acclaimed rodentologist, Dr. Robert Corrigan, and learn about a particular tough type of mouse infestation found in multifamily housing, the “resident” mouse or “appliance” mouse. These are mice that live and breed within individual apartments or residences. Even when building maintenance staff... Read more →

The Boston Housing Authority Addresses Hoarding and Clutter Among Residents and Reduces Incidences of Pest Reports

Hoarding, poor sanitation, and excessive clutter are potential barriers to the success of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program in affordable housing. These conditions create harborages and food sources for pests, not to mention the fire and tripping hazards, blocked egress, structural problems and possible evictions. Pest infestations are rarely... Read more →

Working with residents – Part 2: Peer-to-Peer Education

We've talked about the principles of working with residents in multi-family housing for successful pest control. One of the keys to success is preventing a feeling of disconnect between residents and management. Peer education can be a very helpful tool... Read more →

Working With Residents – Part 1

Conventional pest control has generally failed to provide long-term protection from pests in low-income multifamily housing. The results? Often frustrated tenants take pest control into their own hands, risking their own health, their neighbors’, and the environment... Read more →

StopPests Welcomes Dennise Belmaker!

We're happy to announce Dennise Belmaker has joined the StopPests in Housing Program at the Northeastern IPM Center. She'll be supporting our work to promote integrated pest management in affordable housing by providing consultation and training, and developing new resources. She brings with her a diverse background in environmental sciences, program management, project coordination, and public outreach. Read more →