Pests are organisms that harm crops, animals, or people. Pest control methods attempt to reduce their numbers below harmful levels. They can be preventative, suppressive, or eradicative.

Preventative measures include keeping food in tightly covered containers, removing garbage regularly, and fixing leaky pipes. Biological controls, such as parasites and pathogens, also work to control pests. Contact Facility Pest Control now!

Preventive pest control techniques are usually the first line of defense against any pest problem. Many of these techniques are as simple as keeping windows and doors closed, storing food in containers with tight lids, cleaning and sweeping to remove food particles and other debris, and wiping down surfaces to eliminate sticky residues that attract pests.

Another important preventive technique involves removing the things that attract pests in the first place. For example, getting rid of woodpiles near the house, securing garbage bins to keep rodents from chewing their way in, keeping grass and debris trimmed, and a host of other things can often significantly reduce pests’ presence and damage to buildings.

In addition to these physical measures, some biological controls can help prevent pests, including predators that feed on pests and parasites that kill or slow their growth. These natural forms of pest control can be especially effective for plant-eating insects, such as aphids and caterpillars.

A combination of physical and biological methods of pest control is a common approach in IPM programs. These methods are often less toxic than sprays, and they can be used in a more targeted manner, minimizing the risk of damage to beneficial organisms, people and property.

Regular scouting, monitoring, and record-keeping can also help identify pest problems as they develop. This allows for more targeted preventive measures and may also lead to earlier detection of a pest infestation. It’s also important to communicate preventive pest control strategies to employees or customers and to encourage their participation in the process. For example, if an employee sees a pest and knows that sealing a crack or wiping down a shelf would make a difference, he or she should say something. This can often save time, money and lessen the amount of pesticide needed. It can also minimize the amount of off-target damage that might occur in the process. It’s also wise to keep in mind that preventing pests is much easier than eliminating them once they have established themselves, so tell your customers the best ways to prevent problems, and follow up regularly.

Suppression

Suppression is a method of pest control that kills or blocks the growth of the organism that is causing damage. It may include traps, screens, barriers, fences, radiation, or chemicals. It is important to remember that any kind of suppression tactic can have a negative impact on the environment around it. In addition to killing the pest, a chemical might also affect the soil, water, plants, and other living things in the area.

Some natural forces cause pest populations to rise and fall without human intervention. These include weather conditions, the availability of food and shelter, and the presence of predators and parasites. Predators and parasites often suppress pest populations by eating them or using them as hosts. They can also contaminate the environment with waste products or pheromones that interfere with the normal behavior of the pest.

Climate conditions, including temperature and rainfall, can kill or suppress pests by directly influencing their growth or development. This is especially true of plant-eating pests, which depend on their host plants for survival.

Similarly, nematodes, microscopic eel-like worms that live in the soil, can suppress insect populations by attacking them. There are several species of nematodes that can be used to target different kinds of pests, including cockroaches, fleas, and grubs. When applying nematodes, it is important to ensure that the soil is moist and aerated.

Pests in homes and buildings are a common problem that pest control experts must deal with. In many cases, these pests are rodents such as rats and cockroaches, but they can also be birds, bats, or insects. Sanitation methods can be helpful in controlling these pests, including limiting the amount of food left out in kitchens and keeping garbage cans tightly closed.

It is also important to properly identify the pest before any kind of treatment is attempted. It can be tempting to use a pesticide to kill a rat that you think is in your roof, but if it turns out to be a possum, the poison could do more harm than good. If you hire someone to apply pesticides, ask them to use baits and crack and crevice treatments whenever possible, and to keep their application as low-impact as possible. They should also read and follow the label’s instructions, safety warnings, and recommendations for the area.

Eradication

In eradication, the goal is to eliminate a pest population from an area. This is the only approach that can lead to a permanent solution. It is typically applied to large outdoor pest situations, like weed infestations in crops, and in indoor areas such as dwellings; schools; office buildings; health care, food processing and storage facilities; and restaurants.

It is a very difficult strategy to pursue because if even one remaining pest survives, it can quickly reproduce and overwhelm any control efforts. It is also extremely costly. The cost of an eradication program can run to millions or billions of dollars. The success of an eradication effort depends on the ability to detect and promptly treat infected persons, as well as to eliminate the last remaining pest populations and their habitats (such as a mosquito-borne virus). In addition, the tools of eradication, such as vaccines or insecticides, may be lost (as occurred with yellow fever) or fail due to resistance and other problems (as is occurring with guinea worm).

Chemical control uses a variety of methods, from baits to crack and crevice treatments to sprays. It is important to choose the correct chemical for each situation and to follow label instructions carefully. It is also essential to properly dispose of any chemicals and pesticide containers after each use.

Physical control involves removing or blocking nests, removing or modifying habitats, and using temperature control methods. It can be effective in reducing or controlling many types of pests, especially those found in the home. This includes removing or modifying debris and clutter that provides hiding places for pests; sealing holes or gaps around the house; and cleaning out attics or garages to remove spillage that attracts insects.

Storing food in airtight, insect-proof containers and freezing foods to kill pests can also help reduce or control pests in pantries and cupboards. It is a good idea to clean these areas frequently, and to remove or discard any foods that have been infested by pests. It is also helpful to clean up any crumbs or other food spillage as soon as it happens, and to store susceptible foods in the refrigerator or freezer to keep pests from breeding.

Biological Control

Biological control involves the use of living organisms (often insects) to suppress pest populations. These organisms are known as natural enemies of the targeted pest. Biological control is a part of integrated pest management and can be used to reduce the need for chemical sprays, as well as improve crop production and ecosystem health. Biological control agents include predatory insects, parasitic wasps, mites, nematodes and beneficial microorganisms.

Unlike chemical pesticides, biological control agents are often safer for humans and the environment. However, the success of biological control depends on careful planning and timing, as well as a good understanding of the target pest and its interactions with the surrounding ecosystem. In addition, biological control programs can be negatively affected by the type and timing of agrochemicals used. For example, broad-spectrum pesticides such as organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides can kill or disrupt a variety of natural enemy species. Additionally, fungicides can have adverse effects on beneficial microorganisms.

Biocontrol has been most successful with perennial crops such as fruit plantations and forests, where the long-term nature of these systems allows for slow and steady establishment of interactions between agrochemically-treated plants and their natural enemies. Classical biological control is a form of biocontrol that relies on the importation and release of one or more natural enemy species to manage an exotic, introduced or invasive pest. Typical examples include the use of several decapitating flies against red imported fire ants, the release of flea beetles and thrips against alligator weed, and the introduction of predatory wasps and nematodes against the European apple rust disease.

In contrast to classical biological control, augmentative biological control is a non-permanent approach that uses mass rearing and periodic releases of natural enemies with the goal of controlling an introduced or invasive pest. Augmentative releases are intended to rapidly suppress pests by establishing large ratios of biological control agent to pests, which can be achieved through inundative or seasonal releases.

A growing population of natural enemies can also be accomplished through the conservation and maintenance of existing ones, such as in traditional farming practices like trapping and monitoring. However, many growers find it easier to manage natural enemies through inundative or seasonal releases than through conservation methods.