Thesis subject

Perception and control of household insects

Winter is behind us. Plants are green again and start to bloom. Insects are active and fly and crawl around again... also within our homes. A previous study showed that the tolerance level with respect to insects in households in The Netherlands is low.
The question remains, however, what actions are taken when insects within the household environment are encountered. Will people leave them be? Flatten them by hand or foot? Vacuum them? Grab for an insecticide spray or call a professional pest management operator?

In order to perform sustainable insect management, sufficient information is needed. Information about good management methods, and therefore also about the insect species itself. Where and when is this information sought after? A common source is internet. However, it is not known for what kind of information people search. And is it searched for once a bug is found or after it became clear that spraying with insecticides has no lasting effect?

Getting answers to these questions will give us more insights into the driving factors behind the control behaviour of citizens. This information can then be used to ensure that people perform the right sustainable measures to structurally manage their insect problems. Because in many cases, the use of insecticides is not needed!