A pest is any organism that causes biological or physical contamination or harm to plants, crops or animals. They include rodents like rats and mice; birds; caterpillars, grubs, flies and beetles; and other insects.
Threshold levels for action have been determined for many pests based on economic, health, or esthetic considerations. Scouting and monitoring are keys to effective pest control. For professional help, contact St Charles Pest Control.
Whether pests are weeds, insects, diseases or other organisms that damage plants or animals, the first step in controlling them is correct identification. Accurate pest identification allows for the development of appropriate management strategies, and prevents unnecessary risks to people and the environment.
Identifying pests involves knowing their biology and life-cycle, habitat requirements, food sources, and timing of occurrence. This information helps you determine whether a pest is a nuisance or a serious threat and when it should be controlled. It also enables you to choose the most effective control methods, and time them so that they are most likely to be successful.
The best way to identify a pest is through field scouting. This involves regularly checking a field, garden, landscape or crop for the presence of pests and their damage. Scouting can be done using a variety of techniques, such as entering the field from several different locations, or surveying the entire field in small sections. A scouting program should be consistent and representative, so that you have an accurate picture of the pest populations in your field.
In addition to scouting, it is important to be familiar with the physical characteristics of pests that are commonly encountered in your area. This will help you distinguish them from their beneficial counterparts. You may also be able to find helpful information about a specific pest in published literature or on the Internet.
Many pests undergo significant changes in appearance as they mature through the various stages of their lives. This can make them difficult to distinguish from non-pests, especially when the pest is in an immature stage or in a different season than normal. Incorrectly identifying a pest can lead to improper management tactics that are cost ineffective or may even be harmful.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an approach to managing pests that relies on monitoring and combining preventative practices with careful selection of controls when they are necessary. Pest identification is an important element of IPM, because the goal is to keep pest damage below unacceptable levels by preventing or limiting the use of chemicals.
Pest Prevention
A pest control program isn’t just about eradicating existing infestations. It’s also about working proactively to prevent new infestations from occurring. Pest prevention isn’t just about making sure there are no cracks or holes in a building that pests could crawl through, but also about ensuring that trash cans are properly sealed and disposed of, keeping bushes and grass trimmed away from the structure, and educating employees to not bring pests into work in the first place.
Pest control professionals can help educate customers about their pests’ habits and lifestyles, and they can suggest changes in behavior or location that will help to prevent an infestation. Educating staff is a critical part of a pest prevention program, as it empowers them to be active participants in the protection of their workplace.
Preventative pest control is an integral part of an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) strategy, and is more effective than eradicating an established infestation. IPM strategies often combine biological, mechanical, and chemical methods of control, minimizing risk to humans, beneficial organisms, and the environment. Threshold-based decision-making focuses on monitoring results and defines action thresholds to determine the size, scope, and intensity of an IPM plan.
The most common way for pests to get into homes is through open garbage cans and loose-fitting trash bins, or even simply through the air. Pests can also gain access through unscreened windows and doors, as well as through the chimney, roof, or vents. Regular inspections and maintenance tasks like keeping debris and weeds away from foundation walls, sealing expansion joints, and repairing any leaky roof or window areas can help to keep pests out of a home.
The same can be said for commercial facilities and offices, and pest prevention is just as important. In addition to educating employees, facilities can implement basic maintenance tasks like installing door sweeps, sealing expansion joints, and cleaning out gutters on a regular basis to make it harder for pests to gain entry. They can also establish a consistent pest prevention program, which includes regularly scheduled wellness checks with their pest management service providers to ensure that the program is working as it should be.
Pest Control Tactics
A pest control tactic is any activity or device that can be used to reduce a pest population below the point of unacceptable harm. Generally, a combination of both short-term and long-term tactics is necessary. Many of the most effective pest control strategies rely on environmental or biological controls to keep pest populations below damage levels, while others use physical, chemical or sanitation methods to directly suppress or eliminate pests.
Integrated pest management, or IPM, is an ecosystem-based strategy that uses all available pest control tactics to minimize risks to people, beneficial organisms and the environment. Using several different tactics avoids the need for pesticides when possible, which is best for the ecosystem, human health and the economy.1
Natural and organic control tactics are most often employed in IPM. These include the introduction of natural enemies, the use of disease-resistant varieties, and the adoption of cultural practices that promote soil and plant health.
The earliest phase of an IPM program is scouting, which identifies the presence of pests and their damage level. Scouting should be continued throughout the season, even after the release of biological control agents. This is because the most effective control agents are predators and parasites that require time to build up in numbers before they can significantly reduce pest populations.
Most of the preventive and cultural control tactics described above fall under this category. Examples of these are applying a grease band to fruit trees to prevent wingless moths from laying eggs, or discing weeds to kill them before they can develop seeds. Many of these tactics are relatively inexpensive and easy to implement, making them the ideal choice for small-scale agricultural producers or urban dwellers. Other types of physical control include trapping and exclusion. Keeping a garden or landscape free of debris can help to exclude pests, while screens, barriers and fences can physically trap them. Using baits and lures that target a pest’s feeding habits or preferred routes of travel can also be effective, as can placing traps in places where the pest tends to congregate.
Natural Forces
Pest populations are usually kept in check by natural predators, parasites and pathogens. This natural control is the primary goal of many pest management strategies. These natural enemies are also important for maintaining a healthy environment in which plants and animals can thrive. Predators and parasitoids are often the first line of defense against insects that invade crops. Pathogens can also suppress insect population growth by attacking the organism directly or infecting its host plant.
Environmental factors such as soil conditions, weather and landscape structure affect the activity of natural enemies. For example, woody vegetation such as bushes and trees provides food (nectar and pollen) for beneficial insects that control pest populations. In addition, geographic features such as mountains and water can restrict the movement of pests. Pests may also depend on sources of water for survival, and they must have shelter to overwinter or hide from predators and other dangers.
When a pest population grows to a level that causes unacceptable injury to the land or to human health or welfare, action must be taken. This point is called an “action threshold.” Various models exist to help determine action thresholds for different pests. A variety of methods can be used to prevent pests from reaching action thresholds, including monitoring and best management practices.
Chemical control involves applying substances to kill or inhibit the growth of pests. This includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and rodenticides. Chemical controls are usually the last resort in a management plan, and they should be used only when all other non-chemical means of control have been exhausted. Pesticides must be carefully studied and approved for use by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency before they are sold for commercial application.
Biological control uses living organisms to manage pest populations without the use of chemicals. The organisms are normally native to the area in which they are being used for biocontrol, and they are selected based on their ability to suppress the pest in its natural habitat. This method is especially useful for introduced or “exotic” pests. Biocontrol agents can be conserved or enhanced in a field to improve their effectiveness. They can also be introduced to the site of a pest outbreak, using a number of techniques, such as releasing large numbers of sterile individuals or introducing new natural enemies that have not previously been present in the location.