Pest Control Management

A Recommendation Report

Prepared For: Instructor Katherine Ericsson

Washington State University
Prepared By: Students
Jona Wagner
Marwan Al Dughaishi
Dhafer Alqahtani

July 12, 2017

Date: July 12, 2017
To: Instructor Katherine Ericsson
Washington State University
From: Team 5 Jona Wagner, Marwan Al Dughaishi, and Dhafer Alqahtani
Subject: Recommendation Report for Pest Control in Rural Neighborhoods

Attached is the conclusive report from our teams research into and the implementation of an
infographic pamphlet about Pest Control Management. Pest Control is a struggle most rural
towns and neighborhoods deal with on a yearly basis, especially in the spring time. A growing
problem is the lack of communication and action dealing with pests in rural communities, if the
removal and management of pests is individualistic and not done by the entire community then
the feat of pest control is impossible. If you have rats then your neighbor has rats,
communicating and taking group effort in the removal is key to successful pest management.
As a public service, our team compiled a pamphlet with helpful information in regard to creating
a system of pest management. By creating this pamphlet, we hope to spread awareness and bring
pest control into more conversations. The product contains information on how to spot pests and
why community involvement is important. Another important section covered are methods of
pest removal, listed in this pamphlet are reputable pest control agencies located around the
greater Seattle area and some home tips that can help with prevention. The pamphlet limited the
amount of information that could be said, therefore, included in the pamphlet is a message
directing readers for more information to contact us for the full report. The email address listed
was created for the sole purpose of distributing the final report attached below.
Our thought process and the information gained through research is entailed in the following
attachment. Based on research and thoroughness of our work we believe we have delivered a
product that is both educational and easy to understand. We recommend passing this out to
neighborhoods that are suffering with pest control to inform the necessary community
involvement and the steps that are needed to be taken.
 Table of Contents
Executive Summary.1
Introduction..1
Research Methods2
Results......5
Conclusions..5
Recommendations....6
Resources.6
Appendices..7
 Executive Summary
Pest control is a serious topic that is often not talked about due to its unsettling and slightly gross
nature. That is problem that our team is trying to tackle, by spreading awareness and getting the
conversation started will hopefully help in the management of pests. Our team discussed the
various options to best present the information, we decided on targeting generic rural
neighborhoods and creating an easy to read pamphlet. This pamphlet would inform them of how
to spot infestation, professionals in their areas, and few household tips that can aid in pest
prevention and management. Our end result is a concise pamphlet that focuses on key points and
directs them to additional information if they seek it.

Introduction
The project that our team chose to complete as a group was Jonas
repurposing project. The project is targeting general neighborhood
committees and people for rodent infested homes to inform them about the
pest control. In fact, nothing messes up a morning like spotting a spider,
cockroach, or mouse somewhere in your house. In the recent years our
pleasant little neighborhood has become a home to some unwelcomed
residents, the pest population has increased to an intolerable degree.
According to Collins English Dictionary, pest control can be defined as killing
of animal pests such as foxes, rats, or mice. In addition, we can call any
insect, rodent, or wildlife that is considered undesirable a pest. These pests
either invade peoples homes or businesses, causing damage or heightening
the risk of communicating a disease or illness. Moreover, in order to manage
or remove pests from the house or place of business we need pest control,
which can be done with number of methods such as killing them by using the
service of an exterminator according to Humane Pest Control Tips website.
Our team goal for this repurposing project was to design a pamphlet layout
that will summarize the ideas of pest control in simple way and it will be easy
and convenient to read which should help the public the most. By introducing
the pest issue in an easy to read format, our purpose is to inform them of the
signs of a pest problem which will help to raise the awareness and it will
present various solution methods as well.

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 Research Methods
The research into completing this project stems from research already conducted by a group
member in regard to their own neighborhood pest problem. Continuing off of this group
members research we were able to find precise and easy to read approach in delivering the
information in the way of a pamphlet. With understanding that the pamphlet would be concise in
natural and only hold key information most background and explanatory details were left off the
pamphlet. Pest control is unique in the science behind it and the pamphlet wasnt capable of
including an in-depth analysis on it. However, once we decided the target group were
homeowners our priority was for them to become aware of pest control and start a conversation.
Leading us to believe the less detailed and concise pamphlet was the way to go.
Below is a list of the tasks and steps necessary to create a well thought out and concise
repurposed project that raises awareness of pest control:
1. Discuss main focus of the repurposed project
2. Develop sections and managing the workload
3. Compile sections
4. Creating and editing the pamphlet
Each task is further discussed in the sections following to ensure that the process and results
followed deductive reasoning and sound logic.

Task1: Discuss main focus of the repurposed project

To develop an understanding of the project, each individual team member answered a series of
questions to show their perspective and stance on how to tackle the project. The questions of
significance that our group focused on were target audience and what the target audience would
gain from our product. These questions lead to further discussion on what type of product would
be the best fit and just how in-depth our final product would be.
The initial goal was to provide a pamphlet that showcased multiple different methods of pest
control with explanatory details on the science and reason behind them. Showcasing the thought
and logic that lead to the conclusions made on the pamphlet ultimately didnt fit. But at this stage
of the process we were going more detailed than not.
Next the discussion of who the target audience was going to be, there was debate between two
audiences; a specific neighborhood or neighborhoods in general. The initial project conducted by
one of the group members had the targeted audience as their own neighborhood, going off her
research the pamphlet would have been catered to their pest issues. The other argument being
that the pamphlet would help and reach more people if it was more generic and targeted a larger
group. The decision was made to focus on a more generic and wider audience, rural
neighborhoods.

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The next topic discussed initially was the tools that would be used to create the pamphlet. Two
different approaches were debated between, Microsoft Publisher and Canva. Microsoft Publisher
is well respected but none of us were very familiar or comfortable with it, on the other hand
Canva is an online website that specializes in the creation of designs and looked user friendly
and innovative. As a group, we decided we would be working with Canva.

Task 2: Develop sections and managing the workload

After deciding the direction our project was taking we created an overview of what we believed
should be included in the pamphlet. The sections are as followed
What is pest control
How to spot infestations
Professional Pest Control options
Alternative pest control methods
Tips
Results
Conclusion
These were the sections originally decided upon. Through revision and editing, results and
conclusion were cut from the pamphlet. Now that the sections were outlined the work load was
divided amongst the three of us. The following table indicates who was responsible for which
parts of the pamphlet as well as the final report.

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 Tasks Start/Completion Date

Jona Product: Product:

Pest Control Methods Start: July 9th
Pest Control Agencies Finish: July 10
Alternative methods Report:
Report: Start: July 9th
Research Methods Finish July 12th
Front Matter

Dhafer Product: Product:

Methodology and Conclusion Start: July 9th
Community involvement Finish: July 10
Results Report:
Report: Start: July 9th
Conclusion Finish: July 12th
Recommendations

Task 3: Marwan Product: Product:

Introduction Start: July 9th
What is pest control Finish: July 10th
How to spot a pest infestation Report:
Report: Start: July 9th
Introduction Finish July 12th
Results

All of us Product & Report: Start: July 11th

Upload to shared Doc Finish: July 11th
Proofread/edit Report:
Start: July 9th
Finish: July 12th

Compile sections onto pamphlet

Once we broke up the workload we worked individually on our sections. Each member was
expected to further complete research and type up a draft of what their section would look like.
When compiling we used a shared Google drive where all of the documents we were working on
could be accessed by the other members. This allowed for constant communication and abled
everyone to be up to date on the progress of the project.
The resources used by our team were web based and are can be found in the appendix at the end
of the report.

Task 4: Creating and editing the pamphlet

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Once all the sections were written out we tried to combine them onto the pamphlet. This is where
things became apparent that our initial outline wasnt going to fit the with this medium. The
infographic pamphlets on the website were not what was expected, instead we chose to use a
brochure template that better organized and presented the information.
The design of the pamphlet was inspired by the need to be appealing and easy to read. The
images were carefully chosen to not disgust or scare our audience and the color scheme is bold
but not alarming.
The information itself had to be slimmed down considerably to fit onto the pamphlet. The
solution that our team decided on was to add the message For more information please contact
us at pestcontrolteam5@yahoo.com, one of our group members set the email up so that if the
pamphlet causes people to look for a more in-depth analysis we could provide them with more
resources.
Due to Canvas ability for multiple users to edit and share the pamphlet we were able to
collectively put together the pamphlet as a team.
Results
The completed project is an informational pamphlet layout that we
designed to inform the neighborhood of the signs of a pest problem which
will help to raise the awareness among them. Our pamphlet consists of two
pages, the first page having the title, team members names and our team
contact information. We tried to attract the readers attention by supporting
the pamphlet with some common pest pictures which are squirrel, mouse,
and raccoon. The pamphlet includes different sections, starting by introduce
the issue in a simple way titled as What is Pest Control. Which shows the
importance of taking the pest control issue seriously and not wait until it is
too late. The next section provides some tips on how to spot a pest
infestation which lists the most common signs that can be noticeable easily.
These signs include Droppings, Noises of Scratching or Digging as well as
some places to look for these signs at your home. Also, we encourage the
whole community to involve because it is the only way to get rid of pests.
Proving a list of Trusted Agencies that deals with pest control as well as their
contact information to make it easier and faster to reach when needed.
Finally, after looking in different articles online and see what other people do
we come up with some Tips and Home Reminders. Together, these sections
come together to provide an easy to read source of information for any
neighborhood. The resulting pamphlet can be found in the Appendix section
of this report.

Conclusion
The following section will outlines the conclusions reached from the preceding research and
deliverable development project.

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Spreading the information and spreading awareness of pest control issues is the first substantial
step that an be taken toward eliminating the issues of pest infestations in homes. Pest infestations
are an exceedingly common problem in both urban and rural environments, and many people do
not have the basic knowledge required to prevent infestations in the first place. Most peoples
response will only be to call in professionals without having taken the preventive methods in the
first place that would assure that such an event does not occur in the first place.
Therefore, spreading awareness of techniques and information is a viable goal and deserves
focused effort in order to make it happen. The function of this deliverable is precisely this. This
deliverable aims to provide to people the clues that they can analyze initially in order to assure
that these issue with pest infestations do not reach the point where they can be considered a
significant threat to the health of individuals or to the community.
A physical text is highly effect for expressing the importance of the information as well assuring
people that the information is worth knowing. Using a computer, the document is easily updated
as new information comes to light. In addition, distributing through a neighborhood hierarchy is
an effective way as the most respectable members of the community take an additional role in
distributing the information around the community.
This deliverable satisfies these requirements.

Recommendation
The recommendation of this report suggests that informational literature, distributed through a
hierarchy in a neighborhood situation, can have a greatly beneficial effect on the spread of
knowledge regarding pest control methods. It is also recommended that people in all
neighborhoods review this informational literature in order to reduce their risk of falling victim
to infestations of problematic pests in the future.
However, it is not enough to only review informational literature. It is important that people have
the intention to put these methods into action. Neighborhoods and communities should be able to
use this information to establish stricter standards regarding the control of potential pest
infestations. A pest infestation is a classic problem of the commons, in which negligence from
one member has an observable effect on the outcomes of other members of the community.
Therefore, building from this simple deliverable, it is recommended that a change in
neighborhood culture and standards lead to a more regular expectation of preventative measures.
This is how we put information into practice and lead to improved conditions for all members of
the community in general. The hierarchical distribution method of the document will aid in
presenting it in a way that will encourage the most neighborhood compliance with the
suggestions contained therein. This will be a significant advancement in terms of pest control as
well as neighborhood solidarity.

Resources

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Collins English Dictionary. (2017). Definition of 'pest control'. Retrieved July
10, 2017, from
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pest-control.
HumanePestControlTips. (2017). What Is Pest Control? Managing Pests In and
Around the Home. Retrieved July 10, 2017, from
http://www.humanepestcontroltips.com/what-is-pest-control.shtml

Appendix

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