Tag: pests

Pest Control

Pest Identification

Tom Abbott

Licensed pest control services are available to help prevent and control infestations of insects, rodents and other unwanted species. Pest control companies use a variety of techniques to remove pests from homes and businesses.

Keep houses clean to make them less attractive and hospitable to pests. Store food in sealed plastic or glass containers, and regularly dispose of trash and garbage. Contact Pest Control Scottsdale now!

Accurate pest identification is the first step in developing a pest control program. In outdoor settings, correct identification of pests can help determine whether the pest is a nuisance or a serious threat to plants and people. It also allows the establishment of a monitoring system that can be used to predict future pest populations and determine whether or not control is needed.

Monitoring is the process of checking a field, landscape, garden, forest or building to determine if pests are present and how many. This information is necessary to determine the need for pest control and to plan a management strategy. Monitoring also provides important biological clues that can be used to decide which pest control methods are most appropriate.

Identifying pests is often easier than it may seem. Many pests leave telltale signs that can be recognized with the help of a simple tool kit. For example, a flashlight and extendable mirror can be useful for inspecting dark, secluded areas where pests hide or seek shelter. A magnifying glass is also important to help detect pest parts, frass (excrement) and other evidence of infestation.

In addition to visible signs, many pests produce odoriferous substances or secrete chemicals that can be detected. For instance, aphids, caterpillars and other sucking insects from the order Hemiptera secrete honeydew, a sweet liquid containing mainly carbohydrates. Plants covered with honeydew develop black sooty mold fungi as a result of the pests’ feeding activities. Insect feces are another common means of detection, as are the eggs and larvae of some species.

Pest identification is especially important when a pest has a complex life cycle or different physical forms. Many insect species, for instance, change dramatically in appearance as they progress from egg to larvae to adult form. Understanding the pest’s life cycle can help you plan a treatment schedule that targets the most vulnerable stages of the life cycle.

In some situations, such as when a pest is newly introduced to an area, eradication is the goal. In more typical pest situations, however, the primary objectives are control and prevention.

Pest Prevention

Pests are organisms (including insects, fungi, bacteria, nematodes, weeds, and vertebrate animals) that interfere with humans’ use of land or water resources. They can damage crops, lawns, trees, buildings, structures, clothing and other belongings, and negatively impact terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

There are steps you can take to prevent pest problems before they occur. This is called preventive pest control.

Sealing gaps, cracks and crevices in walls and foundations can deter many pests from entering your home. Thoroughly inspect and repair these areas on a regular basis. Make sure to caulk around windows, doors and vents.

Proper sanitation practices can also help prevent pests from accessing food, water and shelter. Store foods in containers with tight lids and remove garbage from your premises on a regular basis. Thoroughly clean rarely used cupboards and storage areas several times a year to deny pests food, shelter, and hiding places.

Identifying and understanding the life cycle of your pest can also aid in preventive pest control. For example, plant diseases are often easiest to control in the seedling stage or early in the growing season (annuals), while they are more difficult to manage later in the growth cycle or as plants mature into dormancy (perennials).

Many pests are naturally controlled by other organisms, natural forces, or barriers that restrict their population buildup. For example, mountain ranges and large bodies of water restrict the movement of some pests. Natural enemies, such as birds and other predators, can also reduce pest populations. Landscaping features, such as grass and weeds that block pest pathways, can prevent them from spreading between properties.

Eradication is a rare goal in outdoor pest situations, but it is sometimes attempted with invasive species, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly or gypsy moth. In indoor environments, such as residences, schools, hospitals, office buildings, and food processing and preparation facilities, eradication is more common because these locations are closed to the elements and less likely to be invaded by pests. Prioritizing prevention empowers technicians to minimize the need for chemical treatments and uphold environmentally conscious practices and responsible methods.

Pest Control Methods

There are many ways to control pests, including natural, biological, cultural, genetic, physical and chemical. Natural controls, such as weather or topography, limit pest populations by limiting their access to resources (water, food, shelter). Cultural practices affect the environment in which pests live to make it less suitable for them. Genetic and physical methods physically remove or alter the pests themselves, such as catching or destroying them. Chemical methods use either naturally occurring or synthetic chemicals to reduce the size of the pest population.

When deciding whether to take action, consider the harm the pest is causing and what you can tolerate. Is it necessary to kill the pest or can you let the numbers decline to a point where the problem is not as bad? Threshold-based decision-making also applies to monitoring. A few wasps buzzing around the house may not be a big deal, but if you are seeing them all the time and their numbers are increasing, it’s probably time to act.

Suppression, or decreasing the number of pests to a level where they are no longer causing unacceptable harm, is an important goal in most pest situations. It is often combined with prevention, preventing new pests from getting established, by controlling the factors that promote them or provide them with a home, such as moisture, weeds, and open trash cans.

Methods used to prevent pests include screens, caulking and plastering, removing harborage sites, reducing the availability of water, food, or shelter, and repelling them. Physical removal is common for pests like rats and mice, and trapping can be useful for some insects and vertebrates. There are many types of traps, from simple pitfall traps to those with specific attractants or pheromones such as ant baits or mousetraps.

Some of the more commonly used pest control techniques are physical, biological, and chemical. Physical methods include trapping, removing harborage, and scouting/monitoring. Biological methods use living organisms to reduce pest infestations, such as predators or parasites that injure or consume the pest. Chemical methods can be as simple as using a fogger (the “bug bombs” sold in some stores) or, at the extreme, fumigation.

Pesticides

Pesticides are any substance or mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy or control unwanted species of plants or animals that are considered to be a nuisance. They are widely used in agriculture, horticulture and in residential and commercial landscapes to kill or control pests such as weeds, insects and mildew. They can also be used to kill or control rodents and birds, or in some cases to protect crops during transportation. Some types of pesticides are biodegradable, meaning they break down quickly in the environment, while others are persistent, which means they take months or even years to break down.

In addition to the toxic effects on pests, pesticides can be hazardous to people and pets. They can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled as airborne sprays. They can also contaminate waterways and degrade soil quality. Many pesticides also interfere with the natural processes that make water and soil useful for growing crops, such as by killing off beneficial organisms like bees, butterflies and earthworms.

Using non-chemical methods of pest control is best for the environment, health and safety. However, if you decide to use pesticides, be sure to select a product that is designed for your particular pest and read and follow all label instructions carefully, especially the safety precautions. Choose the lowest-toxic pesticide available, if possible, and always use the smallest amount needed. Seek medical attention immediately if you suspect that you have been poisoned by a pesticide.

Pesticide use is regulated by provincial and territorial governments, which are responsible for setting pesticide standards, responding to spills or incidents and licensing applicators, vendors and growers. They are also responsible for regulating the sale, use, storage, transportation and disposal of pesticides, as well as training and certification of those who apply pesticides.

If you are concerned about your level of exposure to pesticides, consider reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides in and around your home or business. Instead, focus on preventing pests by selecting healthy plants, providing shelter and food for wildlife, and making your property unattractive to pests. Remember, that pests can be mistaken for desirable plants or animals – for example, squirrels in your roof may be a sign of an abundant squirrel population rather than a problem with your garden or trees.

Pest Control

Pest Control Strategies Explored

Howard Moss
pest control

Modern agriculture seeks effective ways to protect crops against pests that can cause considerable revenue losses. Ideally, such control tactics should be ecologically and human-health benign.

IPM includes preventive measures (exclusion, trap crops, mating disruption, sterile insect releases, and other biological controls), plant physical defenses, and chemical management of pest populations above a determined acceptable level of injury or economic threshold. Check out Pest Control Columbia MO for more information.

Prevention

The goal of prevention strategies is to stop a pest problem before it starts. Depending on the audience, this could be at the home level (like setting traps for mice) or in agriculture (using crop rotation and soil management to reduce the threat of disease-causing pathogens). This is often achieved through cultural control. Cultural methods involve changing the environment in which a pest occurs to make it less favorable for them, such as removing weeds, keeping food in sealed containers to prevent infestation by rodents, or cleaning up fallen leaves where mosquitoes might lay eggs.

A pest can be any organism that degrades, diminishes, or destroys a natural resource and causes damage to plants, animals, or humans. The term pest is defined by Merriam-Webster as any organism that “destroys or annoys” humans and can include plant species (such as invasive weeds) and animals (like bees and wasps).

An organism may rise to the level of a pest because it has escaped normal control by natural regulating agents. This can happen because the organism is imported to a new region (called classical biological control) or because human activities decrease the populations of natural enemies of a particular pest. In some cases, native natural enemy populations migrate to a new region and control an invasive pest population (called fortuitous biological control).

Many different pests can be managed through the use of pheromones or semiochemicals. These chemicals are used to change behavior by altering the communication of organisms in a given area. For example, mating disruption pheromones can be used to reduce pest populations by altering the way they meet and mate.

Physical and mechanical control methods remove or exclude pests from an area. These techniques can include physical barriers such as fences and nets or mechanical removal using sticky cards, sweep netting, or hand picking. Biological controls such as predators, parasites, or pathogens can also be used to manage pests. However, biological controls are most effective for small pest invasions and they take time to work.

Chemical controls can be useful for managing a pest when all other options have been exhausted or when the pest has reached an economic threshold or nuisance level. Chemicals can be used in combination with other control techniques and should always be used with caution and with the goal of minimizing environmental impact.

Suppression

When pests have already invaded a field or other area, suppression strategies seek to reduce their numbers and damage to an acceptable level. This may be done with natural enemies, predatory species that prey on pests; pathogens, microbes that attack or kill disease organisms; or chemical agents that disrupt the life cycle of pests by attacking their nervous systems or other essential functions.

Most treatment sites are complex ecosystems with living organisms (people, plants, and other animals) as well as nonliving surroundings such as soil, water, air, structures, and objects. The actions of each type of organism or component usually affect the action and well-being of others at the site. When pest control efforts are taken, they must take into account the effects of these strategies on all components of the system.

In general, the most desirable outcome for a pest control strategy is to prevent the pest from invading or harming crops in the first place. This can be accomplished by using pest-free seeds and transplants, avoiding field locations and conditions conducive to disease development, scheduling irrigation to avoid moisture stress that favors disease infection, cleaning tillage and harvesting equipment between fields or operations, practicing crop sanitation procedures, removing alternate hosts for insect pests and plant diseases, and using weed killers to keep weeds from competing with desirable plants for resources.

Some pests are recurring problems that require constant or regular control. These are called continuous pests. Other pests are sporadic, migratory, or cyclical, and require periodic control. Still others are potential pests, which do not cause harm under normal circumstances but could become a problem in certain conditions.

Suppression strategies for these pests are generally targeted to specific areas or seasons. In general, they are less effective than prevention strategies.

The effectiveness of different suppression strategies is usually compared against one another, and the best performing strategies are identified. This can be done by evaluating the performance of each control effort against several metrics that reflect pest population dynamics. For example, the use of green insecticides, mating disruption, and plant removal can be evaluated against each other to see which combination of control measures produces the highest performance criterion.

Eradication

When a pest population is so high that its presence threatens the economic or aesthetic health of the plant or environment, an eradication strategy may be needed. The goal is to bring the pest numbers down to an acceptable threshold where additional controls are not cost-effective. Eradication strategies are rare in outdoor situations, but are more common for invasive plants and pests found in greenhouses, nurseries, food processing and storage facilities, and in indoor residential and commercial settings.

Eradication strategies often involve biological control tactics, but not necessarily as a replacement for chemical controls. This involves using predators, parasites, and diseases to reduce the populations of unwanted organisms. In addition, promoting the existence of natural enemies, such as beneficial insects or weed species that can serve as a food source for a particular pest, can reduce pest numbers. This can be achieved by reducing the use of broad-spectrum insecticides that can disrupt the populations of these natural enemies, or by introducing beneficial insects to the landscape or crop fields.

Behavioral control strategies can also be used to reduce pest populations without directly killing them. This can be done by altering their mating or aggregation behavior with the use of pheromones or semiochemicals. For example, pheromones that interrupt the mating process of certain moths can be used to reduce their populations in fruit or vegetable fields. Likewise, the use of chemicals that interfere with host identification or with feeding can cause pests to disperse.

Identification of the pest is essential for developing an effective pest control program. This is particularly true for eradication strategies, which require accurate identification of the pest to be sure that it is being treated and that the treatments are working. Scouting and monitoring should be done regularly to assess the situation and determine if pest populations have reached an unacceptable level. In a greenhouse, for example, scouts should look under leaves, along foundations and at bait stations to check for the presence of mosquitoes. This regular activity allows the scouts to treat only where necessary, minimizing overall pesticide usage.

Integration

The best way to prevent pests and their damage is with integrated pest management (IPM). This approach combines multiple control tactics, including biological controls, and uses monitoring and evaluation to determine the effectiveness of each tactic. Its goal is to reduce costs for growers and minimize the impact of pest control methods on non-target organisms and the ecosystem as a whole.

IPM programs typically start with a problem assessment. This consists of a careful observation of the plant to determine the scope and severity of pest damage, as well as an accurate identification of the organism that is causing it. Once a risk level is established, prevention strategies are implemented. This includes crop rotation, planting pest-resistant species, or using pre-treated seeds. Sanitation practices can also be very effective at reducing pest populations, for example by eliminating food sources or depriving them of shelter. For example, mulching around plants helps prevent weed growth while keeping soil temperatures and moisture levels adequate for optimum plant growth. In urban environments, good garbage pickup and frequent cleaning of equipment and food containers can help reduce pest carrying over from one area to another.

In many cases, IPM programs use cultural and physical control tactics rather than chemicals. This may include screens, floating row covers, or food-storage containers that limit access to pests; traps, baits, and lures that deter them; and planting in areas where pests cannot easily get to the plants. IPM programs also often rely on natural resources to keep pests in check, for example by planting plants that naturally repel them or by introducing predators and parasitoids into the environment.

Chemical control is usually used only when other management techniques are ineffective or impractical. This is because overuse of pesticides can cause them to lose their effectiveness and lead to resistance in the pest population. Therefore, it is critical to carefully evaluate each pesticide before applying it, as well as periodically monitor and reevaluate the effectiveness of all control tactics.

Pests live and thrive in an environment that provides them with the basic necessities of life – food, water, and shelter. If any of these elements are denied, they may not be able to sustain themselves and will need to seek out new food or shelter. This is why it is so important to select the most appropriate plants for our climate, plant them in the right place, and provide them with the care they need to remain healthy.