Pests are organisms that negatively affect our lives or property by damaging or devaluing plants, crops, food stores, structures and furnishings. They also disturb the balance of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Prevention is the first step in pest control. Regularly remove garbage from homes, fix leaky pipes and store foods in sealed containers. Barrier sprays, netting, screens and other exclusion methods deny pests access to our living spaces. Contact Pest Control Ballwin MO now!
The best way to control pests is by preventing them from getting into your home or business in the first place. The best form of preventative pest control involves regularly inspecting for places where insects and rodents might enter and then using a variety of techniques to seal those entryways.
In addition, removing the food, water and shelter that pests need can also help prevent them from getting into your building. This includes storing foods in sealed containers, removing garbage regularly, and eliminating clutter. It is also a good idea to repair leaky plumbing, remove trash from outdoor areas and keep wood piles and other potential nesting spots away from your home.
Mechanical or physical methods of pest control include traps, screens, barriers and fences. These methods can often be effective without the use of chemicals and can usually be used safely around children and pets.
Chemical or pesticides can be very effective in controlling pest infestations, but they should always be used sparingly and with great care. Make sure to use pesticides designed for the particular type of infestation you are trying to control, follow all label instructions, and avoid spraying areas where people and pets are likely to be present.
While not all pests carry disease-causing pathogens, they can still pose a health risk to humans and their families. This is particularly true of pests like cockroaches and rodents, who can contaminate food and spread diseases, as well as spiders and other creatures that can bite or sting people.
In addition to contaminating food and making allergies worse, uncontrolled pests can cause significant damage to homes and businesses. Rodents can chew through wires and other materials, which can lead to fires. Insects can swarm and cling to people, which can be extremely uncomfortable. And pesticides, when misused, can be harmful to people and pets, as well as the environment. Safe pest control is a team effort, involving property owners, managers, supervisors, tenants and maintenance workers. They all need to be willing to learn about the pests they are working with, and share information about inspections and treatments with each other.
Suppression
As the demand for organic food and ornamental products grows, growers and green industry professionals are searching for pest control tactics that reduce or eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides. These chemicals pose health and environmental risks to workers and consumers alike. They also can cause problems with pollinators and other beneficial organisms. These problems are driving many growers to seek alternative pest management approaches, such as biological control.
Biological control is the use of natural enemies — predators, parasites and diseases that naturally suppress pest populations. Some biological control agents kill or otherwise harm pests directly, while others interfere with their reproduction or feeding habits. The goal of biological control is to reduce pest population and damage without the use of synthetic pesticides or with less pesticide than would be possible with only chemical controls.
In general, a pest population needs to be reduced to a level that is below the amount of economic damage caused by the pest. Suppression, or reducing the number of pests to this level, is the primary goal in most pest situations. Eradication is a common goal in indoor pest situations, such as greenhouses and nurseries, but is usually a rare or even impossible goal in outdoor areas.
Physical modifications of the growing environment, such as crop row covers or hoop structures that block pests from reaching crops, are common suppression methods. Chemicals, such as herbicides, can also be used to suppress pests. These chemicals may be sprayed on plants or placed in baits, traps or other types of traps.
Many pests are resistant to one or more pesticides. Rotating different pesticides can help reduce the chance of developing a resistance to any single type of pesticide.
Biological controls can be achieved by the release of sterile insects, such as the nematode genus Brevibacterium or the parasitic mites Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus galleriae. This approach is most often used in conjunction with other methods of controlling pests, such as supplementary insect population suppression or environmental barriers to prevent movement of pests between fields. Because sterile insects cannot reproduce, they are not a long-term solution to a pest problem and require periodic releases.
Eradication
Pest control involves a range of techniques, depending on the type of pest and how it is affecting a property. For example, termites can cause structural damage and leave piles of sawdust or mud tubes along foundations; mosquitoes can transmit diseases that are harmful to humans; and flies, rodents, ants, and bees can sting people and damage plants. The goal of pest control is to maintain a balance in the ecosystem and prevent damage that would disrupt natural processes.
Often, the best way to reduce an insect population is through a technique called biological management. This uses predators, parasitoids, and disease organisms that occur naturally in a habitat to reduce insect populations. For instance, nematodes and other bacteria that are natural to the soil can reduce plant-feeding insects. Pheromones can be used to lure male insects away from females to avoid mating and reduce insect numbers. Similarly, applying juvenile hormones to an area can keep some immature pests from maturing into adult insects.
The ultimate goal of eradication is to get rid of an insect or other pest entirely, but this is difficult to achieve. Eradication is typically a goal in indoor settings, such as food or health care facilities, where pests cannot be tolerated, and it may be possible to control them through a combination of prevention and suppression. In outdoor settings, eradication is rarely attempted because of the difficulty involved in achieving it.
Infectious disease anthropologist Thomas Aiden Cockburn defines eradication as the complete extinction of a pathogen. However, eradication is not an objective of most pest control efforts, which instead aim for containment and suppression. This is because it is impossible to eliminate all pests, and there are many environmental and socioeconomic costs of doing so. For example, if an invasive species causes an ecological imbalance, other organisms will eventually fill the void, leading to further imbalance and even more pests. This is why it is important to consider all options when choosing a pest control strategy. Also, as a general rule, it is preferable to avoid over-intervening in natural systems in order to minimize the impact of human actions.
Monitoring
The goal of monitoring is to keep tabs on pest populations in order to identify trends. In addition, it allows for early detection of pest intrusions and helps to determine what control measures are necessary.
Thorough inspections are the backbone of any IPM program. This includes scouting for evidence of pests (droppings, webbing, egg masses, etc) and also checking for harborage areas. A key tool for scouting is the use of a flashlight which helps to shine a light on dark, secluded harborage areas like behind equipment, under furniture and in cabinetry. In addition, an extendable mirror is a valuable tool to help you reach into spaces such as hoods, sinks and other tight spots where pests live or seek shelter. A magnifying glass can also be helpful for identifying the presence of pest parts, droppings or other indicators.
Pest monitors, such as glue boards or trap trays can be valuable tools for monitoring as well. These devices work 24/7 and can act as your eyes in accounts when you are not there. They are an important part of any IPM program and can alert you to a pest problem before it becomes entrenched in your client’s facility.
Glue monitors are typically comprised of a plastic or cardboard tray covered in glue, sometimes folded into a tent-like structure to protect it. Pests are attracted to the glue and once they walk across it, they become stuck. Often, these devices can be augmented with pheromones or attractants to increase their effectiveness. Glue-based monitors are very effective in detecting and pinpointing activity/hot spots at an account. This information can indicate structural deficiencies or conditions which are allowing conducive conditions to exist where pests can thrive.
Another function of glue-based monitors is to help identify pests that may be present, but not yet active at an account. This information can allow you to proactively monitor for the presence of a pest species without having to conduct an entire treatment program at that time. This can reduce your overall chemical use and prevent a pest infestation from becoming entrenched in your client’s facility.