Pest Control is the process of preventing or eliminating unwanted creatures that cause harm. It can be done through a variety of methods.
Many pests have natural enemies that keep them in check. It’s important to understand how these natural forces work before taking action against a pest problem. Contact Pezz Pest Control now!
Keeping pests away from homes and businesses reduces their threat to people, pets and property. Pests can carry disease-causing pathogens and allergens, and damage home and office structures and furniture. Routine pest control can save money by preventing costly repairs and replacements.
Preventive methods for pest control include regular inspections and targeted treatments inside and outside the facility. A comprehensive pest prevention plan should be based on the specific needs of the facility.
A thorough initial inspection should be performed before beginning any pest control treatment. A qualified technician can identify entry points and nesting areas, and recommend a course of action.
Often, pests enter buildings through gaps and cracks. Sealing these with caulk or steel wool helps prevent pests from entering and also enhances energy efficiency. Similarly, installing weather stripping around doors and windows stops rodents from making their way inside. Keeping shrubs and trees trimmed, eliminating places where pests harbor or breed, and regularly emptying water-holding containers such as bird baths and flowerpot saucers can also help prevent infestations.
Inside, removing cardboard boxes, paper clutter and other items where pests hide and breed can cut down on their numbers. Thoroughly cleaning kitchen benches before preparing food and storing foods in plastic-sealed containers can be additional deterrents. Keeping trash cans tightly closed and containing garbage as close to the curb as possible discourages rodents from foraging inside. Regularly emptying garbage cans, sanitizing bins and keeping them covered are other simple, yet effective, pest control tactics.
In the garden, regularly weeding and mulching can keep a landscape attractive and prevent overgrowth that gives pests hiding spots. Regularly removing fallen fruit, moving bird feeders and putting out slug baits can also prevent pests from flourishing. In addition, spraying the soil with beneficial nematodes can offer an ecofriendly alternative to chemical pesticides.
Using surface sprays such as fly spray in out-of-the-way areas such as along skirting boards is another relatively low-risk pest control method. However, such treatments should be used sparingly in order to avoid contaminating food and other sensitive surfaces and leaving harmful chemicals in the air that can irritate sensitive people and pets.
Suppression
Suppression techniques are used to bring pest numbers down to an acceptable level. The goal is to cause as little harm to the environment, the crop or the human population as possible. This type of control often includes using less toxic chemicals than would otherwise be needed, rotating chemical controls and taking steps to prevent resistance. It also may include physical barriers, such as traps and screens or modifying the environment with things like watering, steam sterilization and temperature changes.
Some pests are naturally controlled by predators and parasitoids, which take part in a natural balance of organisms living in the same habitat. These organisms are important to our ecosystem, so it’s a good idea to conserve them whenever possible. Examples of this are providing bird feeders and shelters, not moving firewood in areas where insects can live or spread diseases and using field sanitation procedures to reduce the spread of disease-causing pathogens.
Weather conditions affect the activities and well-being of all organisms, including plant-eating pests. Rain, freezing temperatures and extremes of day length or humidity can kill pests or cause them to slow down. Diseases, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, can affect insect growth or reproduction or even kill them. It is not unusual to find insect species that are symbiotic with bacteria and other microorganisms and help them digest or use nutrients, but when these relationships break down the insects become pests.
Conserving existing natural enemies of a pest and introducing new ones are often effective in reducing the density of potential pest populations. These can include predatory and parasitic birds, mammals and other animals that feed on the pests or parasitize them, as well as plants that provide food or habitat for the pests. Biological control agents that attack the pests directly, such as nematodes that kill harmful soil grubs or wasps that parasitize greenhouse whiteflies, can also be used. Chemicals can also be introduced, such as sterile males or pheromone-released juvenile hormones, to delay the growth of some pests and to suppress their ability to reproduce.
Eradication
Eradication techniques are used to completely remove a pest. These techniques are usually very expensive and require a high level of skill, but the results can be dramatic. This is often the goal in indoor pest situations such as flies, rats, and cockroaches that can cause disease and damage to structures. This is also the goal in some outdoor pest situations where a pest causes significant economic loss or environmental harm, such as Mediterranean fruit fly and gypsy moth control programs.
Biological methods such as parasitoids and pathogens are effective in controlling some pests, particularly insects. The most widely known example of a parasitoid is bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which releases toxins that kill caterpillars and other insects. Some Bt strains are tailored to specific insects, while others work on a wide range of pest species.
Chemical pesticides are the most common and fastest way to get rid of some pests, but they can be harmful to humans, pets, wildlife, and the environment. It is important to use them sparingly and only when the situation calls for it. When using pesticides, always read and follow label instructions. It is especially important to wear personal protective equipment when handling pesticides.
Pests can develop resistance to chemicals, so pesticide management includes alternating chemicals and changing application methods. Also, it is important to properly identify pests so that the correct product can be used.
In addition to monitoring and reducing food and water supplies, pest control requires removing shelter and other materials that encourage infestation. For example, regularly inspect birdbaths and change the water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in them. Also, regularly drain or run the pool filter to eliminate standing water where mosquitoes may breed.
Some eradication programmes have been successful, though careful consideration must be given to how they are measured. For instance, the three mammal eradications that have been achieved in Europe involved complete removal rather than true eradication and thus left the risk of reinvasion. In general, however, eradication is more difficult than suppression and prevention. This makes reducing the number of pests through education and ongoing area-wide control a more realistic goal than attempting to eradicate individual species.
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques allow us to manage pest populations in a way that reduces damage and risks to people, pets, property, and the environment. IPM includes preventive and non-chemical control strategies that focus on monitoring, scouting, and evaluation. It starts with a thorough pest assessment to determine the type of pest and how damaging it is. This information is used to establish an economic or aesthetic injury threshold above which action should be taken. Once the threshold has been reached, a treatment strategy is implemented using mechanical, cultural, biological, or chemical controls.
IPM techniques begin with preventing pest problems before they occur. This includes keeping landscapes and gardens clean, providing proper food and water for plants, avoiding over fertilization, and selecting ornamental and turfgrass species that are resistant to disease. IPM also relies on attracting beneficial insects and mites to control unwanted pests through the use of traps and baits.
Scouting is an important part of IPM. It means periodically visiting your fields, orchards, gardens, landscapes, and other areas to monitor pest populations and damage. This allows you to detect pests early and to correctly identify them before taking action. Accurate identification is critical to ensuring that any treatment is effective. Scouting also helps you to assess and consider environmental factors that may influence the pest, such as weather or soil conditions.
A primary goal of IPM is to reduce the use of pesticides. However, if a pest is detected and other control methods are not working, pesticides can be used. When pesticides are used, they are judiciously applied according to established guidelines that minimize risks to people and the environment.
Whenever possible, non-chemical methods should be used to control pests. These can include mulching to deprive weeds of sunlight, locating sun-loving plants where they will receive full sun, and draining irrigation systems after each use. When pesticides are used, they must be properly applied and labeled. Herbicides are available to kill weeds, insecticides to kill insects, and fungicides to control diseases. If necessary, a combination of these can be used.