Author: Nicole Lindsey

Identifying pests and understanding their life cycles is the first step in any pest control strategy. Prevention includes removing the things that attract pests (food, water, and shelter) and eliminating their places to breed and hide.

Biological controls, like the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis against grubs or mosquito-eating fish against mosquitoes, can also be helpful. Other biological methods include using pheromone traps or releasing beneficial insects to control pests. Contact Coquitlam Pest Control now!

Pest identification is the first step in pest control. It is important because pests may look similar to non-pests or different stages of the same pest. Identifying the pest correctly is vital to planning an effective management strategy and applying the proper controls.

Pests are organisms that cause unacceptable injury or damage to crops, property, people, pets, livestock, etc. Damage may be esthetic, economic, or health-related. A pest infestation is considered to be a serious nuisance when the number of organisms exceeds certain levels based on the type of situation. These levels, known as action thresholds, are determined by the sensitivity of the crop, the extent of the damage, and whether or not any other factors may be involved, such as nutrient depletion or disease pressure.

The most common pests are rodents (rats and mice), insects, weeds, birds, diseases and fungi. Some pests are a constant presence in the landscape and require regular pest control, while others may be present only occasionally or seasonally. Some require specific cultural practices, tools, or products to control them. Others need more intensive control efforts, such as chemical or biological controls.

Incorrect identification of pests is one of the most common causes of failure in a pest management program. Often, the problem is caused by a mistaken identification of a beneficial insect or an immature stage of a pest.

Scouting is an essential activity in pest control. It involves regularly searching for, identifying, and assessing pests and the damage they cause. It also includes collecting data on pests in the landscape or in the home. Scouting helps to determine if pests are a constant presence and need to be managed on an ongoing basis, or if they are sporadic and can be controlled with cultural methods such as sanitation and managing moisture around structures.

Scouting requires the use of certain tools, such as a magnifying glass and a flashlight, to examine dark or secluded areas where pests are likely to hide. Other helpful tools include a sweep net, forceps, and a vial of rubbing alcohol for killing and preserving collected specimens. An extendable mirror is also useful for examining the underside of equipment and furniture where pests might live or seek shelter.

Pest Prevention

Pest control takes many forms, from a single fly in the house to an infestation of rats or mice. Ideally, prevention is the primary method of pest control. This involves making the environment unfavorable for pests, reducing their attractiveness, and stopping them from breeding or moving into the area. Preventive methods can include creating physical barriers to prevent pests from entering, which is called pest proofing. This can involve installing screens on windows and doors and repairing cracks and crevices. It also involves removing or blocking nest sites, which can stop pests from developing an infestation and stop it from getting worse.

Some pests are difficult to prevent, but preventing the build-up of a problem is still important. This is especially true in enclosed areas, where pests can cause serious damage or pose health hazards.

In the home, this can mean keeping garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids and reducing clutter where pests may hide. It can also include regularly washing dirty dishes and scrubbing floors to reduce food sources for pests and avoiding leaving pet feces around the property. Other important preventive measures include reducing moisture, which can be a draw for some pests, and keeping water and food in containers that are tightly sealed.

Sanitation practices are important for preventing and suppressing pests in industrial and agricultural settings. This can include instituting a protocol for inspecting incoming materials for signs of pests and establishing sanitation and cleaning standards. It can also include eliminating weeds and other potential food sources for pests and ensuring that waste is handled properly to minimize the chance of carryover from one area to another.

Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a combination of preventive and control strategies that can be used to manage pests in urban, agricultural and wildland environments. It is often combined with biological and chemical control methods and focuses on maintaining balance in natural ecosystems to avoid overly disrupting them. In addition, IPM programs are designed to minimize the use of hazardous materials for pest control. This is important because the chemicals that are used for pest control can be damaging to humans and other organisms in and near the affected areas.

Pest Control Methods

There are several ways to control pests. Physical and mechanical controls kill or block the pests or make the environment unsuitable for them to survive and thrive. This type of control includes trapping rodents, blocking holes in doors and windows, and spraying for insects. In farming, field burning and trap cropping are examples of physical controls. Some physical controls are more subtle than others. For example, storing food in airtight containers or removing stacks of newspaper piles that mice like to chew on are both ways to deny pests the foods they need.

Chemical pest control uses poisons and other substances to kill or affect the behavior of the pests, usually in a targeted way to avoid harming beneficial or non-target organisms. The substances may be gases, liquids, granules, powders, or ready-to-use sprays. In general, these chemicals should be used by only qualified pest control technicians to minimize the risk of poisoning people or pets.

Biological pest control relies on natural enemies such as parasites, predators, or pathogens to reduce the population of a target pest. When supplemented by human management, this can be a very effective control method.

In many cases, a combination of physical, biological, and chemical controls is needed to manage pests and protect plants, crops, and people. Integrated pest management (IPM) is a comprehensive approach to pest control that involves monitoring and assessing the problem, using preventive measures when possible, and taking quick action when necessary.

In outdoor situations, eradication of pests is rarely the goal; instead, prevention and suppression are the main goals. Threshold-based decision making is the key to deciding when to take quick action. For example, noticing one wasp flying around occasionally doesn’t warrant action, but seeing them in increasing numbers each day does. In enclosed areas such as homes, schools, and offices, eradication is more likely the goal, because these places are smaller and easier to control. Generally, the goal of Integrated Pest Management in indoor environments is to eliminate the pests without causing harm to the environment or people. This is accomplished by monitoring the pests, scouting, and deploying an appropriate response when the threshold is reached.

Pesticides

Pesticides are man-made chemicals that kill or disrupt the life cycles of target organisms such as insects, weeds and fungi. They are designed to be used on a specific pest and are usually formulated with the active ingredient(s) listed on the label. The label also lists warnings, restrictions, and hazards for the product. Pesticides are generally grouped into families, and a single product may contain active ingredients from more than one family.

The type of pesticide to use will depend on the pest, its habitat and the level of damage. For example, a soil-dissolving bactericide can control root-knot nematodes without damaging the plant; but a foliar spray might be needed to destroy caterpillars or other larval stage pests that feed on leaves.

Pesticide products are available in liquid, solid and gaseous forms. Liquid formulations include solutions, suspensions (flowables), emulsifiable concentrates and aerosols; solids are pellets, granules, soluble granules and baits. Gaseous forms include fumigants.

Health impacts from exposure to pesticides can range from mild to serious, depending on the toxicity of the chemical, length of exposure and concentration of the exposure. Acute exposures can result in headaches, dizziness, muscular twitching or weakness, tingling sensations and nausea; and can cause organ damage, cancers, reproductive problems and changes to the endocrine system (which controls hormones).

A number of factors affect how hazardous a pesticide is including its toxicity, the method of application and the conditions under which it is used. To reduce hazards, always read and follow the label’s instructions and precautions carefully. Consider reducing or eliminating the need for pesticides by using preventive methods such as proper site selection, destroying pest shelters and breeding sites, avoiding over-fertilizing plants, using crop rotation and incorporating organic matter into the soil.

Indoors, keep pesticides out of reach of children and pets; keep food, cooking utensils and other personal items away from treated areas; and clean up spills immediately. Use bait stations for rodents and other pests, and use surface sprays sparingly and only in out-of-the-way areas like along skirting boards. Always apply pesticides in windless weather, to minimise the chance of drifting onto areas where they aren’t wanted or needed.

Pests contaminate food and other daily-use items, cause health problems like asthma, and can spread disease. They can also harm pets and native wildlife.

Remove their food, water, and shelter to keep pests at bay. For example, put rubbish in a tightly closed bin and regularly empty birdbaths to remove mosquito-breeding puddles. Contact Pest Control Irving TX now!

Depending on their role and the conditions of life, insects can be pests or beneficial. The latter pollinate plants, produce useful substances, and control pest insects. They also act as scavengers and serve as food for other animals (see Importance). Insects are also valuable objects of scientific study, contributing significantly to our understanding of genetics, hormones, and sense organ function, among other things.

However, despite their numerous benefits, insects can also be vectors of pathogens and cause serious economic losses for humans. Arthropods such as cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and sandflies are responsible for 700,000 human deaths yearly because of insect-borne diseases. Insects can transmit pathogens in three ways: mechanically, by absorbing the contamination on feces, sewage, or other biological fluids; biologically, by obtaining the pathogen through a blood meal from an infected host; and chemically, by introducing microorganisms through contaminated feed and rearing conditions.

Insects that cause damage to crops are of concern because they may carry disease organisms and can reduce crop yield and quality. For example, the shoot fly Atherigona pulla and other flies infest proso millet in Africa and India, and the wheat stem maggot Meromyza americana causes severe damage to seedlings in the United States. In addition, thrips like Haplothrips aculeatus and mites such as Chrysomelidae, Acarina spp and Diabolocatantops axellaris attack leaves, earheads and stems of grain crops. The caterpillars Pelopidas mathias and Oedaleus senegalensis attack grass crops, causing distortion, curling, discoloration and poor emergence.

It is important that public health professionals address these issues, enforcing the role they play in regulating and exploiting the benefits of insects while minimizing threats to human and animal health. This includes ensuring that insect farming and processing is safe and efficient. To do this, public health authorities should establish effective surveillance and testing systems along the whole supply chain. Additionally, they should improve rearing and management conditions and animal welfare, in particular by addressing stress, the risk of injury and cannibalism, and euthanasia methods. They should also support research activities on different aspects of the insect-public health interface.

Rodents

Rodents are a diverse group of mammals that can be recognized by their prominent front teeth called incisers, which never stop growing throughout the rodent’s lifetime. They are the second most successful mammal species on Earth, inhabiting every continent except Antarctica and being found in a variety of habitats such as forests, rock crevices, burrows, leaf and bark structures, or clogged garbage bins.

Rodents can cause damage to human structures and the surrounding environment. In addition to gnawing on electrical wiring and insulation (posing fire hazards), they may chew through wood beams, create holes in walls and attics, and contaminate food. They also destroy crops, spread disease through direct contact or through the contaminating effects of their droppings.

On campus, rodents are a problem because of their large numbers and habit of seeking out shelter and food close to humans. In addition to their destruction of property, they pose a serious health threat to people by spreading diseases such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Leptospirosis, and Salmonellosis through bites or the consumption of contaminated foods.

Using preventative measures is important in reducing rodent problems. These include eliminating access points that rats and mice can use to enter buildings, removing sources of food and water, and reporting any large gaps around doors, vents, etc., to your local facilities group.

Keep garbage and compost bins as far away from buildings as possible and make sure they have a tight-fitting lid. Do not leave out pet food or water overnight. Remove weeds and other vegetation that provide shelter to rodents. Maintain at least a 2-foot space between bushes, shrubs, and fences and remove tree limbs that are within 3 feet of a roof or building.

Regular inspections are important in identifying rodent signs like gnaw marks, droppings, urine, and feces. Also, listen for noises such as scratching or scurrying during quiet hours. Also, inspect less visible areas like behind appliances and in cabinets for evidence of rodent activity. A good pest control program includes both prevention and extermination tactics, so the key is to be proactive.

Pathogens

Pathogens are microscopic organisms that cause disease. They can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa or even infectious proteins called prions. All of them have one thing in common: they must be able to enter their host and multiply to make you sick. They can also be carried on the skin of animals, transmitted by bites from infected insects and, in some cases, transmitted through air, water or food.

Infections caused by pathogens can vary in severity from mild inconvenience to assured death. They can affect the skin, eyes, lungs and gastrointestinal tract. They can be spread from person to person by direct contact, such as touching an infected hand or mouth after using a toilet or changing a baby’s diaper. They can also be spread by breathing in droplets of microorganisms when someone coughs or sneezes. They can be spread by consuming contaminated food or water and through blood-sucking insects, such as mosquitoes that carry the virus for malaria.

Some pathogens only infect a single species of animal, while others have an extraordinarily wide range of host species. For example, the bacteria that cause leprosy are restricted to a few species of wild animals, but they can infect human beings.

Pest control is often focused on preventing diseases that might otherwise affect plants and people. It might be a matter of suppressing the populations of certain pests to prevent them from growing into a nuisance, or it might be a matter of eradicating them entirely. Prevention is usually a goal in outdoor situations, where you can predict the conditions that will favor pest growth. Eradication is more common in indoor areas, where the conditions that support pests are less likely to occur.

Insects, like all other living things, are infected by bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses that can reduce their rate of feeding and growth, inhibit reproduction or kill them. These natural enemies are important natural controls of insect pests, and some of them have been cultivated and commercially formulated for use as insecticides. Bacteria such as Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, for instance, have been developed to produce a protein that interferes with an insect’s ability to eat.

Chemicals

Whether they’re used in the home garden or on large farms, pesticides travel through the environment after application. Pesticides may move from the place of application to non-target plants and environmental media by chemical degradation, evaporation into the air, leaching into ground water, spray drift or runoff. These movements are influenced by factors such as soil conditions, weather and temperature, and the type of pesticides applied.

A pesticide’s toxicity depends on its mode of action, which is how it kills the targeted organism. For example, organophosphates and carbamates act like nerve gas, interfering with nerve transmission. If ingested, they can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and difficulty breathing. If they come in contact with the skin, they can irritate and burn the skin.

In addition, many pesticides can have negative influences on non-target organisms (e.g., birds, fish and honeybees). These effects occur through direct contact or as a result of pesticide residuals that remain in the soil after the target plant has been killed. Generally, the more persistent and hazardous the chemicals are, the more likely they are to be transported and accumulate in non-target plants and environmental media.

Before a pesticide can be sold, it is tested to determine its acute toxicity to mammals. Laboratory rats of known weight are fed a specific amount of the pesticide’s active ingredient and monitored for survival. The number of rats that die is the LD50, or lethal dose that causes 50% of the population to die. Often, the more specific a pesticide is to its target insect, the higher the LD 50 value will be.

The environmental behavior of a pesticide is influenced by its chemical characteristics, such as water solubility, soil sorption constant (Koc) and octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow). Those with high Koc and low Kow values will strongly bind to the organic matter in soils, which results in long-term accumulation and persistence in the environment.

Whenever possible, use organic materials to control pests rather than chemical methods of control. If a chemical is needed, be sure to follow label instructions for safety and dispose of unused or partially used containers on household hazardous waste collection days or with your local trash service. When hiring a pest control company, be sure to ask for an inspection and a written program before you sign a contract. The program should include specific names of pests to be controlled and the types and amounts of chemicals to be used, as well as a statement of any safety concerns you might have.