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Pest Science Group

School of Applied
Residential Pest Science

A structured educational pathway that coordinates scientific study with daily professional practice, so field experience becomes applied science.

An internal program of Pest Science Group · Taught through Seal Out Scorpions and PSG Pest Management

Why the School exists.

Residential pest management protects homes, health, property, and quality of life. The decisions practitioners make every day call for more than product knowledge: they require pest biology, building science, structural systems, healthy housing principles, observation, and professional judgment.

The concept took shape from 2017 onward, through the study of thousands of residential properties, exclusion projects, product evaluations, and building performance investigations. One observation kept repeating: the best outcomes occur when scientific knowledge is intentionally integrated with practical field experience.

The School builds on the work of universities, professional associations, and licensing agencies rather than replacing them, integrating education from many disciplines into one coordinated model focused on Applied Residential Pest Science.

The School exists to

  • Advance residential pest management as an applied scientific profession.
  • Coordinate scientific education with supervised field application.
  • Integrate entomology, building science, healthy housing, structural diagnostics, exclusion, IPM, and environmental science into one framework.
  • Develop professional judgment through observation, critical thinking, and mentorship.
  • Promote evidence-based decision making and continual learning.
  • Build standards, research, case studies, and professional competency for the profession.

The PSG Coordinated Learning Model.

Scientific study and professional practice advance together, in a continuous cycle that turns knowledge into competence.

  1. 01

    Study

    Principles learned through universities, professional organizations, technical literature, and PSG instruction.

  2. 02

    Observe

    Conditions evaluated in real residential environments: pest biology, building performance, environmental influences.

  3. 03

    Diagnose

    Root causes identified through structured inspection, analysis, and evidence-based thinking.

  4. 04

    Intervene

    Structural, biological, educational, and environmental interventions performed under mentorship and company standards.

  5. 05

    Evaluate

    Outcomes measured, findings documented and discussed, professional judgment continuously improved.

Educational philosophy.

Knowledge is acquired through study. Competence is developed through application. Professional judgment is developed through experience, observation, reflection, and mentorship.

Practitioners keep performing their professional responsibilities while participating in structured programs. Each lesson is coordinated with field assignments that reinforce concepts through real homes, real pest problems, and real interventions. Education and practice become one continuous process of learning, applying, evaluating, and improving.

Learning on the job, by design.

The School delivers its programs through PSG's affiliated teaching practices. Students remain active, licensed pest management professionals throughout: as concepts are introduced, they are applied immediately through inspections, diagnostics, structural interventions, customer education, and case study review.

Teaching practices

Seal Out Scorpions

PSG Pest Management

Admission requirements.

The School is an internal program for licensed professionals at PSG-affiliated practices. It is not currently open to public enrollment.

As the School develops, additional pathways may open for future practitioners, university students, researchers, and industry professionals.

Applicants must

  • Hold all state pest management licenses required for the position.
  • Be actively employed by a PSG-affiliated teaching practice, currently Seal Out Scorpions or PSG Pest Management.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to professional development and lifelong learning.
  • Participate in classroom instruction, field application, mentorship, competency evaluations, and case study development.

More than the study of pests.

Residential structures are dynamic systems shaped by biology, construction, moisture, airflow, environmental conditions, human behavior, and maintenance. Practitioners should understand not only how services are performed, but why, when they are appropriate, and how they contribute to long-term prevention.

Applied Residential Pest Science is the scientific study and professional application of the biological, structural, environmental, and human systems that influence residential pest activity.

Instructors.

Cohort instructors lead practitioners through the Coordinated Learning Model while working beside them in the field. More instructor profiles are on the way.

Mike Golleher

Mike Golleher, B.S., BP-A, BP-T

Cohort Instructor · School of Applied Residential Pest Science

Structural Field Master Specialist · Seal Out Scorpions

Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Grand Canyon University, with concentrations in Education, Psychology, and Biology. He is a Building Performance Analyst and Technician through the Building Performance Institute (BPI) and a Certified Applicator licensed through the Arizona Department of Agriculture, Office of Pest Management.

As one of the Applied Field Developers of Building Performance Sealing™, Mike has helped develop, document, and teach the structural methods that have evolved through Seal Out Scorpions since 1999. Within the School, he leads study cohorts through BPI educational programs, working beside practitioners in the field so classroom instruction stays connected to real structures.

Areas of instruction

  • Applied Residential Pest Science
  • Building Performance Sealing™
  • Structural Pest Intervention
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
  • Residential Building Science
  • BPI educational programs
  • Healthy Housing Principles
  • Residential structural diagnostics
  • Pest Barrier Integrity Systems
  • Door performance and diagnostics
  • Building envelope evaluation
  • Air leakage diagnostics
  • Pest entry point identification
  • Structural exclusion systems
  • Field craftsmanship and installation standards
  • Professional documentation
  • Applied field standards
  • Field competency development
Effective structural intervention integrates science, observation, diagnostics, craftsmanship, and continual improvement. The goal is not certificates: it is practitioners capable of improving the performance, durability, and pest resistance of real homes.

Jeremiah Sourp, QP

Cohort Instructor · School of Applied Residential Pest Science

Field Manager · PSG Pest Management

Jeremiah is a licensed Qualifying Party through the Arizona Department of Agriculture, Office of Pest Management, combining professional field leadership with scientific education and practitioner development.

Within the School, he leads study cohorts through educational programs from Purdue University and the Entomological Society of America (ESA), working alongside practitioners during daily residential services so instruction stays connected to real pest management challenges.

Areas of instruction

  • Applied Residential Pest Science
  • Entomology
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
  • Residential pest inspections
  • Pest identification
  • Pest biology and behavior
  • Residential pest diagnostics
  • Biological pest interventions
  • Pesticide selection and application
  • Monitoring and evaluation
  • Customer communication
  • Professional documentation
  • Case study development
  • Professional field standards
  • Field competency development
Professional competence develops through the coordinated integration of scientific study, mentorship, and practical field experience: observe, think critically, diagnose, intervene, evaluate, improve.