If you can, try to prevent pests from infesting your home or garden. Store food in tightly-sealed containers, remove garbage regularly and fix leaky plumbing.
Most Treasure Valley Pest Control situations involve prevention and suppression, with eradication being rare in outdoor settings. Eradication can be achieved indoors, though, as with the Mediterranean fruit fly and gypsy moth eradication programs.
As with any hygiene problem, prevention is always the best option for dealing with pest infestations. Many pests can be kept at bay with simple measures that are easy to implement in both residential and commercial properties. These may include keeping trash, compost, and pet food tightly sealed and in locations that are not easily accessible to pests. Taking out the garbage regularly and being aware of your local waste collection day is also essential to prevent the buildup of debris that may attract pests.
Rodents are one of the most common pests that people encounter in their homes or businesses. They can cause damage by chewing through wires or gnawing away at wood. It is possible to prevent rodents by blocking holes in walls and floors with materials that are resistant to gnawing and installing rodent-proof doors and windows. Another way to deter mice and rats is by moving bird feeders, bird baths, and other sources of water far from the home and removing rotting fruit from trees and bushes that come into contact with buildings.
Insects are another common pest that can cause deterioration in artifacts and other materials. They can damage paper and textiles, as well as damage or contaminate food products. In museums, insect pests can contribute to deterioration by feeding on or destroying artifacts. Fortunately, many museums have implemented preventive pest management strategies to limit the number of insects that are allowed in the building.
Insects can be prevented by using smell-blocking and securely sealed containers for all foods, including those that are just sitting out on counters or tables. It is recommended to wipe down surfaces on a regular basis to eliminate the buildup of crumbs and other food particles that can attract insects. Keeping all windows and doors closed when not in use is also an important preventive measure. Lastly, a yard that is neatly maintained and free of debris such as piles of leaves or stacked firewood can help to deter pests from entering the home or business. In addition, it is a good idea to install pest screens for any exterior doors that are frequently left open.
Suppression
A pest’s population can usually be controlled by making the environment unfavorable for survival. Environmental factors can include terrain features that restrict movement, scarcity of food or water, or competition for those resources from other organisms. Natural enemies of pests can also suppress populations, either through predation or parasitism. Diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, protozoans, and viruses can reduce growth rate, slow or prevent reproduction, or kill pests. In agricultural situations, certain soil nematodes can reduce or prevent insect pests.
Using cultural controls that make the conditions for pests’ development as difficult as possible also can help to control them. Cultural practices such as tillage, crop rotation, planting of resistant varieties, cleaning and disinfecting farm and greenhouse equipment, and careful management of manure storage and application can limit the spread of pests and their diseases.
Sanitation practices can help to control pests that enter homes and businesses. Screening windows, doors and vents, and installing eaves with tight-fitting coverings can prevent the entry of rodents and other nuisance species. Keeping garbage containers sealed and frequently picked up, decontaminating plant materials before bringing them into buildings, and improving the design of food-handling areas can all discourage pests.
Accurate identification of a pest is essential for effective control. A pest that is not properly identified can be more difficult or more costly to control. Detailed knowledge of a pest’s life cycle, habits and needs can guide prevention and avoidance tactics. This knowledge can be obtained from a variety of sources, including commodities or industry organizations; local, state and federal agencies; Cooperative Extension agents; and universities.
Eradication of a pest is a rare goal in outdoor pest situations. When successful, it can be accomplished only by using a combination of prevention and suppression methods in an integrated pest management program. Achieving eradication of a pest is even less likely when it has become established in an area. The occurrence of resistance to pesticides can make eradication even more difficult. Rotating pesticides and carefully managing the timing of their use can help to reduce the development of resistance.
Eradication
Pest control is the process of managing pests in a way that minimizes harm to humans and the environment. Ideally, pests are controlled before they cause problems in residential and commercial settings. Pests can damage property, contaminate food sources, spread diseases and create general discomfort and fear. Pests can be animals, plants or other organisms.
There are three main stages of pest control: prevention, suppression and eradication. Preventive measures include sanitation, cleaning and storing items properly, sealing cracks and eliminating standing water. Practice integrated pest management, and don’t use indiscriminate or excessive amounts of chemicals. If pests become a problem, try traps and baits instead of chemical sprays or powders. Remember that the safest and most effective way to deal with pests is to keep them from getting into your home in the first place.
Chemical pest controls are typically easier to find and more immediately effective than biological solutions. These include repellents, which deter pests by making them unwelcome; insecticides, which kill insects by targeting their nervous systems; and nematodes, microscopic worms that live in the soil and can be sprayed to attack and consume harmful bugs. However, most chemical effects are short-lived and may expose people to toxic substances, which is why a healthy, preventive approach is always the best way to manage pests.
Biological pest controls are natural enemies that can be introduced to control unwanted populations. These can be predators, parasites or pathogens. Classical biological control involves the release of species that have been found to naturally suppress pests in agricultural settings, such as ants in orange groves or hummingbirds in strawberry fields. However, this type of control can be risky if the wrong enemy is selected or if the environment is not appropriate.
Eradicating pests from the environment can be very difficult and is often not possible. The eradication of some pests has actually resulted in their extinction, such as the Rocky Mountain grasshopper (Melanoplus spretus). In addition, intense eradication efforts can have negative effects on ecosystems. For example, pesticides can affect beneficial insects that prey on targeted pests or weeds and may also disrupt the balance of soil microorganisms.
Biological Control
Biological control uses living organisms, known as natural enemies, to reduce pest populations and their damage. These organisms include parasites, predators, pathogens and disease agents, nematodes, fungi, vertebrates and herbivores. Most parasites and predators are highly specialized and attack only a few closely related pest species. Biological control can be used against insect, mite, vertebrate, plant pathogen, and weed pests. The principles of biological control are the same for all types of pests, but techniques and tactics differ for each type. Conservation, augmentation and classical biological control are the main approaches for harnessing the benefits of natural enemies.
The goal of classic biological control is to bring the pest population below economic thresholds and allow native species to compete again. This takes time; it may take six to ten generations and several years to achieve results.
In the meantime, farmers and gardeners can help promote the growth of natural enemies by providing habitat that is useful to them (e.g., host plants for caterpillar parasitoids) and by minimizing disturbances that disrupt their activity. Moreover, the use of less persistent pesticides will reduce the impact on natural enemies.
Despite its proven success, the practice of biological control is not widely utilized. The key obstacles to its wider adoption are cost and availability. It is expensive to produce and introduce new natural enemies, especially those that can successfully control exotic pests. In addition, natural enemies must be properly screened for their ability to survive and thrive in the target environment and for their potential to transmit diseases or parasitize other plants.
Despite these obstacles, there are many good reasons to promote the use of biological control. The benefits of biocontrol are enormous, and they can be obtained at a fraction of the cost of chemical control. In addition, biological control is environmentally safe, energy self-sufficient, sustainable, and compatible with integrated pest management systems. It also can be more effective than chemical controls.
