Pest control terms A to Z
- Bait
- A food or attractant mixed with a control product, taken back by pests to their nest.
- Bait station
- A tamper-resistant box that holds rodent bait so that it can be used safely around children, pets and wildlife.
- Bed bug
- A small blood-feeding insect that lives in mattresses, furniture and cracks and bites at night.
- Brown rat
- The main rat species in the UK, also called the common or Norway rat.
- Case-bearing moth
- A type of clothes moth whose larvae carry a silk case with them.
- Contact insecticide
- A product that kills pests that touch or walk over it.
- Dray / drey
- A squirrel nest made of twigs and leaves, usually high in a tree.
- Entry point
- A gap or opening that lets pests into a building.
- Flea dirt
- Black specks of digested blood left by fleas, which turn red when damp.
- Gel bait
- A gel insecticide applied in small dots in cracks and crevices, used mainly for cockroaches and ants.
- Harbourage
- A hidden place where pests rest, breed or shelter.
- Heat treatment
- Raising room or item temperature to a level that kills pests such as bed bugs.
- IGR (insect growth regulator)
- A product that stops young insects developing into breeding adults.
- Infestation
- A population of pests established in or around a property.
- Larva
- The immature stage of insects such as flies, moths and beetles.
- Monitoring
- Checking traps, baits and signs to see whether the pests are gone or active.
- Non-target species
- Animals or insects that are not the pest, such as pets, birds and pollinators.
- Nymph
- The immature stage of insects such as cockroaches and bed bugs that resemble small adults.
- Oothecae
- The protective egg cases laid by cockroaches.
- Pharaoh ant
- A tiny tropical ant that nests in heated buildings and is hard to eradicate without professional baiting.
- Pheromone trap
- A trap that uses a scent signal to attract insects, used mainly for monitoring.
- Proofing
- Blocking entry points and making a building physically resistant to pests.
- Pupa
- The resting stage between larva and adult in insects such as fleas and flies.
- Residual treatment
- A treatment that stays active on a surface for some time after application.
- Rodenticide
- A product designed to kill rodents, which must be used carefully and in line with regulations.
- Statutory nuisance
- A problem that a council can act on under environmental health law, which may include certain pest problems.
- Survey
- An inspection to identify the pest, the extent of the problem and how it is getting in.
- Tamper-resistant
- Designed so that children, pets and non-target animals cannot get at the contents.
- Vermin
- A general term for animals considered harmful, such as rats and mice.
- Weil's disease
- A serious form of leptospirosis, spread by contact with water or surfaces contaminated by rat urine.
Related pages
This page is general information, last reviewed on 19 October 2026. It is not a substitute for an on-site inspection.