Accurately identifying pests and assessing their levels of activity is critical to using the least toxic control methods. This ties into scouting and monitoring, ensuring that chemicals are used sparingly and only when necessary.
Physical pest control techniques include removing food and water sources, sanitizing indoor spaces and fixing leaks. Eliminating breeding grounds by cleaning and mulching can also help. Contact Pest Control Caldwell ID now!
Proper pest identification is an essential first step in an integrated pest management (IPM) program. It allows a pest manager to discover pest weaknesses and develop effective tactics for controlling them. Identification can help managers avoid overuse of pesticides and also prevent misapplication of a chemical to non-target organisms.
The process of pest identification begins with an observation of a suspected pest or plant damage. This may be done visually with the naked eye or by using a magnifying glass. Next, a written description of the pest is made. This includes its characteristics, habits, habitats, threats and signs of an infestation. This information is then compared to a pest guide to find a possible identification for the pest.
If a pest is identified, an action threshold is established that triggers the need for control. This action threshold may be expressed as a specific number for pests such as 7 moths/week or 2 weeds/foot of row or as a rating for conditions such as 20% defoliation or disease severity. These thresholds will vary by crop and state and should be monitored by IPM personnel.
Once a pest is identified, the pest biology and life cycle can be studied. This reveals important information about the pest such as how it feeds, its development rate and preferred food sources. This knowledge can then be used to design specific prevention and control measures to manage the pest without harming beneficial organisms.
The process of identification can be aided by the use of a simple tool kit. For instance, a flash light is helpful because many pests live or seek shelter in dark, secluded places. An extendable mirror is also useful for examining hard-to-reach places such as under equipment and in corners. A magnifying glass is also an important tool for observing insect parts, frass (excrement) and other clues of pest presence.
Other tools that can be helpful for pest identification include a pest guide and a pest photo gallery. A pest guide lists common pests and describes their characteristics, habitats, threats, signs of an infestation and prevention and control measures. A pest photo gallery contains photos of different species and can be a valuable reference when attempting to identify a new pest.
Pest Prevention
Pest prevention is a proactive approach to managing pests that involves using practical tips and treatments to keep them from coming into buildings or homes, and treatments to deal with existing infestations. It can also include preventing pests from moving on to other properties by keeping them from gaining access to food, water and shelter. Prevention can also involve learning about a particular pest’s habitat and habits in order to anticipate its presence, or understanding the conditions that are necessary for it to thrive. For example, some plant diseases are more likely to occur in certain environmental conditions, and so can be avoided by ensuring that the environment is not suited to the growth of that type of plant.
Structural preventive measures can include sealing gaps, caulking cracks and securing vents. In addition, regularly inspecting windows and doors for the presence of pests, and then repairing them to ensure that there are no entry sites, can help prevent an infestation from taking hold. Routinely cleaning gutters, removing fallen leaves and trimming overhanging branches can also reduce the opportunity for some pest species to exploit a building or home.
Many pests, especially rodents and birds, can cause a wide range of problems in buildings. They can damage woodwork and linens, contaminate food and affect health by spreading disease and irritating people with their droppings, and even cause fires by chewing through wiring. A few common pests include mice, cockroaches, ants, flies and beetles.
A well-established pest prevention program can help facility, property and QA managers better manage and lower the risk in their facilities. While it requires a bigger investment of time, people and resources on the front end, once it is established it becomes second nature and dramatically reduces a facility’s pest exposure.
In some cases, such as when a pest infestation has already occurred, treatment is necessary rather than prevention. Typically, such services are provided on an as-needed basis outside of a routine pest control schedule, and are used to address specific pest issues that cannot be prevented by other means. In such cases, it is important for building occupants to report sightings or indicators of a pest problem immediately, so that an effective solution can be initiated quickly.
Pest Control Methods
A variety of physical, biological, and chemical methods can be used for pest control. The first step is to remove things that attract pests, such as weeds that harbor them or compost piles that contain their eggs. Regularly removing garbage from outdoor growing areas can help keep pest numbers low, as can carefully considering what plants are grown near one another and at what time of the year. In homes and gardens, fixing leaky plumbing and storing food in tightly sealed containers can also help control pest populations.
Scouting is the process of regularly searching for, identifying, and assessing pests and their damage. This information can be useful in setting action thresholds, the point at which pest numbers or damage become unacceptable. For example, seeing a single wasp flying around doesn’t usually warrant spraying, but hundreds of wasps invading a zinnia crop probably does.
Biological control involves the use of natural enemies such as parasites, predators, and pathogens to reduce pest populations. This can be done manually, as in hand-picking plum curculio beetles from fruit trees or smashing aphids by tapping them with a padded stick. It can also be done using chemicals, such as pheromones (a manufactured copy of the hormone that female insects release to attract males) and juvenile hormones, to disrupt reproduction or prevent the pest from maturing into a damaging adult.
Chemical control includes the use of targeted, low-toxicity pesticides. It is important to understand the life cycle of the pest you are trying to control so that you can select an effective insecticide, and only as much as is needed. It is also important to consider how the use of a pesticide will affect everything in its ecosystem, including nonliving things such as air and water.
When using a pesticide, it is important to follow the label instructions, and remember that even “organic” and “natural” products still have the potential to cause harm to people, pets, other living things, and the environment. The most environmentally responsible choice is always prevention or the use of nontoxic controls. Only when prevention and nontoxic controls are not possible should pesticides be considered.
Pesticides
When pests occur and non-chemical methods are ineffective, pesticides are available for control. When applied correctly, pesticides provide effective, economical and quick results. Pesticides may be purchased from a store or a licensed pest control operator. When hiring someone to apply pesticides for you, ask them about their training and experience. Ask about the products they use and get their name and EPA registration number (if applicable). Keep chemicals out of reach of children and pets. Labels for pesticides usually warn that they are dangerous if ingested or inhaled. Never store or dispose of pesticides near waterways, streams, lakes or other bodies of water. Always follow the “Directions for Use” on the pesticide product label carefully. Never exceed the rate specified in the directions and NEVER use a pesticide to kill weeds or other plants that are not being targeted. Consistently exposing plant populations to high rates of pesticides may cause them to develop resistance to the chemical.
Pesticides are generally grouped into families according to their chemical structure and how they affect the pests that they control. For example, organophosphates control pests by interfering with nerve-impulse transmissions. They interfere with ion flow in the axons and synapses by disrupting the enzyme that regulates acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter). Organophosphates are less persistent in the environment than the organochlorine family and are less toxic to humans and animals, but they still can be very harmful if ingested or inhaled.
Some pesticides are biodegradable and break down in the soil or in living organisms into harmless compounds. Others are persistent and remain in the soil, food, or animal tissue for a long time or accumulate in fat tissues. In general, the more biodegradable a pesticide is, the safer it is to use.
Pesticides are formulated (prepared) in liquid, solid and gaseous forms. Liquid formulations include suspensions (flowables), solutions, emulsifiable concentrates and microencapsulated suspensions. Solid formulations include dusts, particulates, pellets, soluble granules and wettable powders. Gaseous pesticides include fumigants. Pesticides are also categorized as systemic or non-systemic. A systemic pesticide moves through the phloem or xylem of a plant and acts against the pest at the site of contact. Non-systemic pesticides stay on or close to the surface of a plant and act against the pest by direct contact.