Pests damage buildings, crops, gardens, and livestock and introduce diseases to people and pets.
Many pests have natural enemies, such as predatory species and pathogens. These help control their numbers. Contact Pest Control Springfield MO now!
Scouting and monitoring are key parts of pest control. If you see a pest problem, it should be dealt with promptly.
Prevention
A pest infestation is unpleasant and can lead to costly repairs, revenue loss, or a complete shutdown of operations. Developing a preventative program will reduce the need for more severe control measures. It is also less expensive than repairing or replacing pest-damaged materials and products and the costs associated with lost customer confidence.
Prevention is achieved through inspection, sanitation techniques, a sanitary layout of shelving and cabinets, proper waste management, and other measures to shut down entry and harborage areas for pests. Many pests enter buildings through incoming material, so creating a quarantine area for all materials to be inspected and segregated is one of the most important preventative steps.
Devices, machines, and other methods that stop pests or alter their environment are called mechanical or physical controls. Traps, nets, barriers and fences, radiation, heat, sonic repellents, and changes in water or food are some of these methods.
Chemicals can be used in pest control, but they are often not the best option for a museum because they can harm people, the environment, and artifacts. For example, some pesticides can cause respiratory problems or skin irritation. In addition, the use of pesticides can be dangerous to children and pets. To minimize risks, it is recommended to choose a natural pest control product with a low risk of exposure and apply it sparingly. Only purchase pesticides that have a valid EPA number and follow the label’s instructions and warnings.
Biological Controls are living organisms that help with pest control by feeding on or killing them, and they can be very effective in some cases. Examples of biological methods include using nematodes and other insects as natural predators, growing crops that are harmful to certain pests (such as anthrax spores), or introducing beneficial plants into the facility.
Disease-carrying pests such as mosquitoes, ticks and rodents are also controlled with biological methods. EPA has a number of products registered to control these pests and the diseases they carry, including rabies and Lyme disease.
Suppression
The goal of suppression is to reduce pest numbers to a level that does not cause unacceptable damage or harm. Threshold levels have been established for many pest species. They are based on esthetic, health, or economic considerations and determine when it is necessary to take action.
When the threshold is reached, monitoring becomes important to help predict when pest populations will reach control objectives or exceed them. This is particularly true for diseases, weeds, and other organisms that are difficult to eradicate once they gain a foothold. Monitoring can be done by observing the pests in a field or landscape, catching them in traps or on scouting trips, or checking environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture.
In most outdoor pest situations, eradication is rarely the goal. Prevention and suppression are generally desired instead. However, in enclosed environments such as buildings and operating rooms of health care facilities, certain pests cannot be tolerated and eradication is the goal.
Biological methods, also called biological control, are designed to release living organisms that will prey on or parasitize pests to keep them below damaging or nuisance levels. Insect natural enemies are the most commonly used biological controls, but nematodes, birds, earthworms, pathogens and other organisms can be useful as well.
Other ways to prevent pest problems include physical barriers and modifications of the growing environment. These include traps or other devices to catch pests, such as netting over citrus trees; screening to protect vegetables from insects; and mulching to inhibit weed growth.
Chemical controls are used only when other methods do not provide satisfactory results. When a pesticide is applied, it must be done carefully so that it causes minimal injury to nontarget plants or to humans.
The goal of APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine is to safeguard America’s agricultural production, natural areas, forests, and other public and private lands in the continental United States and American territories from invasive insect, nematode, fungus, plant disease, and weed species. This includes controlling the introduction and spread of these organisms into new areas and improving the effectiveness of current pest management.
Eradication
Eradication in pest control is the destruction of an entire population of a targeted organism. This can be achieved through the use of sterile insects, genetic manipulation, or natural enemies such as parasites and predators. It is a very expensive option that requires rigorous monitoring of the environment and the targeted organism, as well as highly trained pest management personnel. Eradication is not a popular method of pest control, and is often opposed by growers who feel that the cost of eradicating an introduced species outweighs the economic benefits.
The distinction between prevention, suppression, and eradication in pest management is important to understand. Prevention keeps a pest from becoming a problem; suppression reduces the pest population to an acceptable level; and eradication destroys the pest at its source (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2005).
A pest is classified as A-rated if it is known to be very harmful and for which the state has developed an action plan. It is B-rated if it has been introduced to a commercial nursery and is likely to cause harm; or C-rated if it is of local occurrence and does not require any action. A pest may also be classified as Q-rated if it is suspected of being very harmful, but for which the status cannot be confirmed.
The success of eradication efforts for several pests, including screwworm fly, boll weevil, fire ants and witchweed, has been credited to the development of methods to eliminate the underlying problem causing the pest’s presence, such as soil erosion or crop loss. More recently, attention has turned to the use of genetic methods to improve eradication programs. For example, assignment testing identifies genotypes that are more adapted to an environment and could potentially reduce the time needed for an eradication program to become effective.
Efforts to eradicate pests of agricultural significance are often expensive, and are typically subsidized by government agencies, with the costs passed on to farmers and consumers. Eradication is especially controversial when dealing with established pests, such as gypsy moth and grape phylloxera, which have evolved over long periods of time to be resistant to various control strategies.
Natural Forces
A more sustainable approach to pest control involves maximizing the benefits of natural enemies and using nontoxic methods to reduce damage. Biological controls include predators, parasitoids, and pathogens that can reduce pest populations and make them less damaging. Plant diseases, nematodes and weeds also act as natural enemies to insect pests. The use of pheromones to confuse male insects and inhibit mating can reduce pest numbers, as can the application of juvenile hormones.
Intensive Pest Management (IPM) is an ecosystem-based approach to pest control that incorporates monitoring, prevention and treatment. It uses a variety of techniques, including natural enemies, habitat manipulation and cultural practices to reduce pest problems before they occur, and uses only the minimum amount of any pest control material required. It minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and nontarget organisms and the environment. Pesticides are used only when a pest population exceeds tolerance levels set in monitoring programs and when the sensitivity of the crop to the pest is established. This approach reduces resistance to chemicals by using rotating pesticides and by applying them only when necessary and in a manner that limits their exposure.
The therapeutic approach of killing pest organisms has been a major part of commercial and home gardening for many years, but safety problems and ecological disruptions have led to renewed appeals for effective, safe alternatives. Research into less toxic, environmentally acceptable chemicals and biologically based products continues.
Physical or mechanical controls kill a pest directly or block it from accessing an area. Traps, screens, barriers, nets and fences can keep pests out. Radiation, heat, and electricity can disrupt the growth of some pests or kill them. Irrigation practices that reduce water stress can reduce disease and weed problems.
Some plants attract pests more than others, so growing them in shaded areas or in a different location can help to avoid trouble. Altering soil pH or adjusting the amount of water and nutrients can change the conditions that favor pests. Soil amendments, such as humus, can help to increase beneficial organisms and suppress pathogens. Physical control measures, such as changing the size of planting holes or adding mulch, can improve soil quality and prevent weeds and diseases.