**IPM Pest Control Service Guidelines -- Practices and Procedures**

*The Guidelines are based on the requirements for federal properties.
See [www.gsa.gov/ipm](http://www.gsa.gov/ipm) for details, especially
GSA's "Integrated Pest Management Program Contract Guide
Specifications."*

[USE OF PESTICIDES]{.underline}

The Contractor shall adhere to the following rules for pesticide use:

A.  [Approved Products]{.underline}: The Contractor shall not apply any
    pesticide product that has not been included in the Pest Control
    Plan or approved in writing by the Contract Manager.

B.  [Pesticide Storage]{.underline}: The Contractor shall not store any
    pesticide product in the buildings specified in this contract.

C.  [Application by Need]{.underline}: Pesticide application shall be
    according to need and not by schedule. As a general rule,
    application of pesticides in any inside or outside area shall not
    occur unless visual inspection or monitoring devices indicate the
    presence of pests in that specific area. Requests for preventive
    pesticide treatments in areas where surveillance indicates a
    potential insect or rodent infestation will be evaluated by the
    Contract Manager on a case-by-case basis. Written approval must be
    granted by the Contract Manager prior to any preventive pesticide
    application.

D.  [Minimization of Risk]{.underline}: When pesticide use is necessary,
    the Contractor shall employ the least hazardous material, most
    precise application technique, and minimum quantity of pesticide
    necessary to achieve control.

[INSECT CONTROL]{.underline}

A.  [Emphasis on Non-Pesticide Methods]{.underline}: The Contractor
    shall use non-pesticide methods of control wherever possible. For
    example:

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1.  Portable vacuums rather than pesticide sprays shall be the standard
    method for initial cleanouts of cockroach infestations, for swarming
    (winged) ants and termites, and for control of spiders in webs.

2.  Trapping devices rather than pesticide sprays shall be the standard
    method for indoor fly control.

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B.  [Application of Insecticides to Cracks and Crevices]{.underline}: As
    a general rule, the Contractor shall apply all insecticides as
    "crack and crevice" treatments only, defined in this contract as
    treatments in which the formulated insecticide is not visible to a
    bystander during or after the application process.

C.  [Application of Insecticides to Exposed Surfaces or as Space
    Sprays]{.underline}: Application of insecticides to exposed surfaces
    or as space sprays ("fogging") shall be restricted to exceptional
    circumstances where no alternative measures are practical. The
    Contractor shall obtain approval of the Contract Manager prior to
    any application of insecticide to an exposed surface or any space
    spray treatment. No surface application or space spray shall be made
    while tenant personnel are present. The Contractor shall take all
    necessary precautions to ensure tenant and employee safety, and all
    necessary steps to ensure the containment of the pesticide to the
    site of application.

D.  [Insecticide Bait Formulations]{.underline}: Bait formulations shall
    be the standard pesticide technology for cockroach and ant control,
    with alternate formulations restricted to unique situations where
    baits are not practical.

E.  [Monitoring]{.underline}: Sticky traps shall be used to guide and
    evaluate indoor insect control efforts wherever necessary.

[RODENT CONTROL]{.underline}

A.  [Indoor Trapping]{.underline}: As a general rule, rodent control
    inside buildings shall be accomplished with trapping devices only.
    All such devices shall be concealed out of the general view and in
    protected areas so as not to be affected by routine cleaning and
    other operations. Trapping devices shall be checked on a schedule
    approved by the Contract Manager. The Contractor shall be
    responsible for disposing of all trapped rodents and all rodent
    carcasses in an appropriate manner.

B.  [Use of Rodenticides]{.underline}: In exceptional circumstances,
    when rodenticides are deemed essential for adequate rodent control
    inside buildings, the Contractor shall obtain approval of the
    Contract Manager prior to making any interior rodenticide treatment.
    All rodenticides, regardless of packaging, shall be placed either in
    locations not accessible to children, pets, wildlife, and domestic
    animals, or in EPA-approved tamper-resistant bait boxes. As a
    general rule, rodenticide application outside buildings shall
    emphasize the direct treatment of rodent burrows wherever feasible.

C.  [Use of Bait Boxes]{.underline}: All bait boxes shall be maintained
    in accordance with EPA regulations, with an emphasis on the safety
    of non-target organisms. The Contractor shall adhere to the
    following five points:

    1.  All bait boxes shall be placed out of the general view, in
        locations where they will not be disturbed by routine
        operations.

    2.  The lids of all bait boxes shall be securely locked or fastened
        shut.

    3.  All bait boxes shall be securely attached or anchored to floor,
        ground, wall, or other immovable surface, so that the box cannot
        be picked up or moved.

    4.  Bait shall always be secured in the feeding chamber of the box
        and never placed in the runway or entryways of the box.

    5.  All bait boxes shall be labeled on the inside with the
        Contractor's business name and address, and dated by the
        Contractor's technician at the time of installation and each
        servicing.