Pests are organisms that interfere with human activities, spoil food, and damage property. Pest control methods include prevention, suppression, and eradication.

Keep pests out by blocking entry points with quality sealants and caulking. Remove garbage regularly and use trash cans with tight lids. Identify and use traps and baits for specific pests. Contact Killian Pest Control now!

Preventing pests from entering a building or plant is usually the first step in controlling them. This can include enforcing sanitation practices, sealing entrance points, and limiting food sources. It also includes instituting routine inspections and monitoring to spot problem areas. It can also mean establishing a protocol that defines what the client is responsible for and what the pest management professional is responsible for so both parties fulfill their obligations. For example, if a food establishment relies on incoming deliveries, a protocol might dictate who is responsible for inspecting them.

Physical and mechanical controls are also used to prevent pests from entering a building or plant. These may include traps, screens, barriers, fences, radiation and electricity. They can also include cleaning, maintenance and cultural practices that limit a pest’s ability to thrive, such as pruning trees, removing debris and reducing moisture around buildings and plants.

Chemicals may also be used to control some pests, including herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. However, these are often limited to those that are specific to a pest and applied only when the situation calls for it. Pesticides should always be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and kept out of the reach of children and pets.

Some pests are sporadic or migratory and only require periodic control, while others are continuous and must be controlled regularly. Certain plant diseases can be prevented if the conditions are not right for them to thrive, and pests such as ants can be controlled by proper garden maintenance.

The presence of pests can deter potential customers and clients from visiting a business or buying a home, regardless of how well the property has been maintained. The psychological impact is just as important as any visible damage, so vigilance in checking for signs of pests and regularly implementing prevention strategies can make a difference.

In addition to being unpleasant, the presence of pests can actually lower a property’s value by creating a negative perception in the mind of the prospective buyer or tenant. This can be especially true of cockroaches and other rodents, which carry dangerous bacteria that can make people sick.

Suppression

Pests are usually defined as organisms that contaminate or damage crops, plants and their products, or harm human health. Depending on the situation, pest control methods aim to reduce the number of pests to levels that are acceptable. Most pest control efforts combine prevention and suppression strategies.

The simplest way to prevent pests is by eliminating their food sources. Regularly remove garbage and keep stored food in tightly closed containers. Keep gardens free of weeds, and keep soil healthy to discourage insects that prey on crops.

Chemical controls are also used to suppress the growth of plant-eating pests. They can include sprays, granules, baits and traps. Insecticides kill pests by disrupting their nerves and muscles, or by combining with their proteins to poison them. They may be applied in the field, greenhouse, or laboratory to treat specific pest problems. Some chemical treatments can affect non-target organisms and should be used with care.

Weather conditions can directly influence pest populations by affecting their development and activity, or indirectly by influencing the growth of their host plants. Rain, freezing temperatures, high humidity and drought can all help to control pests by killing them or making it more difficult for them to reproduce.

Animals that eat pests can also control their numbers. Birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and fish all prey on some pests. Some mammals, such as foxes and coyotes, even hunt rodents for fun. Fungi, bacteria and nematodes also suppress insect pests. Nematodes, which are microscopic worms found in the soil, are especially helpful because they are predatory and parasitic on a wide range of insect pests, including cockroaches, fleas and beetles.

Certain proteins found in the nervous system of mammals can take on abnormal, infectious forms that resemble viruses, called prions. These can cause neurological disorders that resemble dementia, as well as other diseases and death in humans and animals. EPA regulates products that are used to control and destroy prions.

Eradication

A key element of pest control is eradication, the complete destruction of an invader. Eradication can be accomplished through the use of traps, poisons, fumigation and other methods, depending on the method and the species in question. This is a process that requires careful planning and is usually carried out by government agencies with the help of local residents. Eradication can also involve the destruction of the habitat in which a foreign species has established itself in order to prevent the spread of the organism and protect native biodiversity.

In the case of noxious foreign weeds, eradication means the destruction of the plant, thereby excluding it from its natural environment and preventing the species from becoming a dominant or even a minor part of that ecosystem. A number of plants have been singled out by California as being particularly destructive to agriculture and wildland habitats, and the state has worked aggressively to eradicate them from the landscape. These are generally species that overrun fields, pastures and rangeland, and/or taint crops such as hay, costing farmers millions of dollars annually. They also infest forests, riparian corridors, estuaries and other natural habitats, disrupting the flow of nutrients, water and sunlight to native vegetation and negatively impacting wildlife.

Historically, most eradications have been carried out in agricultural and other human-made habitats, rather than in natural habitats, although there are now several examples of successful eradications in nature, for example of invasive aquatic weeds and of insect pests attacking agriculture. The success of eradication campaigns is largely dependent on the size and extent of the infested area, but also on a number of other factors, such as the reaction time of authorities to the outbreak and the effectiveness of sanitary measures (Terminal Nodes 1 and 2) that are used to prevent the spread of an invading organism.

In addition to these management-related factors, the ability of an eradication campaign to identify and target source populations is crucial (Terminal Node 6), as it allows a much more thorough eradication and potentially reduces the risk of re-invasion in mainland managed areas. Using genetic assignment testing (e.g., Cornuet et al., 1999), it is possible to separate survivors from the population that has been eradicated and identify whether they represent a true eradication or re-invasion, thus providing useful information for planning future eradication campaigns.

Monitoring

Pest monitoring is an essential part of any pest control program. It allows you to detect pests early and take action before they cause significant damage or a widespread outbreak. Pest monitoring can be done using several different methods, including scouting, trapping, and visual inspection of crops. Monitoring can also help you determine the level of a pest infestation and whether or not treatment has been effective.

Regular scouting or inspection of a crop is the basis of integrated pest management (IPM), regardless of the control strategy used. It focuses on identifying the target pest, its phenological stage, and how much damage it has caused. Using this information, a scout can then evaluate the effectiveness of controls and decide if an additional action is necessary.

In greenhouses, a regular inspection is done throughout the crop to identify pest problems and to evaluate the effectiveness of the current controls. Inspections are usually done beginning at the bottom of the plant and progressing upwards, paying special attention to buds, blooms, and new growth. It is also important to inspect all areas of the greenhouse, especially nooks and crannies where many pests hide.

Trapping is a valuable tool for both homeowners and pest professionals. Insect light traps, insect pheromone lures, and simple sticky traps can be used to monitor the presence of pests. In addition, a number of trapping techniques are being explored to monitor the presence of rodents in homes and structures. For example, glue boards can be placed in corners or flush against walls to capture pests as they travel along the wall. Glue boards should be checked frequently and replaced when they become dusty, dirty, or lose their stickiness.

In addition to traditional trapping, IPM includes preventative measures like cultural practices, use of resistant varieties, and habitat manipulation. Using these tools reduces the need for pesticides and improves the environment by minimizing risks to human health, beneficial insects, and other nontarget organisms. It also ensures that any pesticides used are applied at the proper time and place to be most effective.