Illinois Structural Pests and IPM

About 5 of every 50 questions on a Illinois General Standards (Structural) practice exam come from this topic.

Sources checked November 10, 2026

What to know

Know the German (two dark stripes behind the head, kitchens), the Oriental waterbug of cool damp basements, the large American of sewers and boiler rooms, and the brownbanded of warm electronics and ceilings. Cockroaches develop gradually from wingless nymphs, their allergens can trigger asthma, sanitation aims to remove all food and water, and sticky traps show where they are. Bed bugs are flat, wingless and about a quarter inch long; look for fecal specks and amber shed skins; they apparently don't transmit disease and can live over a year unfed. A hot dryer for 20 minutes kills all stages, steam must reach at least 113 F, and some populations resist pyrethroids. Mice enter through a quarter-inch gap: plug holes with steel wool and caulk, set snap traps along walls no more than 10 feet apart, keep glue boards away from children and pets, and use baits only as a supplement. Norway rats enter through openings over half an inch, and prebaiting improves trapping. Carpenter ants excavate but don't eat wood; destroy the parent nest. Ants have thin waists, elbowed antennae and longer forewings; repellent sprays make Pharaoh ants bud; don't spray ants feeding on bait. Termite workers do the damage, mud tubes keep them connected to soil moisture, leaks can support them without soil contact, and control breaks the wood-soil link. Spider marks, fleas, filth flies and IPM thresholds round it out.

Where it comes from

• IDPH pest fact sheets (cockroaches, bed bugs, house mouse, rats, ants, carpenter ants, spiders, fleas, filth flies)
• IDPH, Illinois General Standards Manual for Structural Pest Control (2013)
• Purdue Extension E-4, Termite Control
• 225 ILCS 235/3.25

Try a practice question