Learn to recognize the pest you have and how to prevent it from causing harm. Learn about nonchemical control methods and, if necessary, choose a company that will treat the problem with low-toxicity products, reduce environmental risks, and take precautions to keep you, your pets, and the environment safe.
Avoid clogging up places where pests breed and hide by clearing clutter. Try natural predator and parasite controls or encourage the growth of resistant plants, trees, and woody shrubs. Contact Pest Control Bakersfield CA now!
Preventive Measures
The first step in pest control is to remove any sources of food, water or shelter. That means storing all food items in sealed plastic or glass containers, removing trash regularly and keeping garbage cans tightly closed and covered at all times. It also means fixing leaky plumbing and preventing the accumulation of standing water around the building, including under houseplants and refrigerators.
Structural preventive measures include caulking or sealing cracks and gaps that pests might use to enter a building. The goal is to create a barrier that keeps pests out of a building and reduces the number of places where they might enter during routine maintenance, according to Massey Services technical and training manager Tom Jarzynka. Creating sanitary perimeters on floors through the careful layout of shelving and cabinets also helps decrease the number of areas where pests might hide and provides a good spot for traps to be placed.
A facility’s employees are a major factor in preventing pest infestation. Employees should be trained to recognize pest conducive conditions and know what steps they can take to correct them, according to Jarzynka. In addition, they should be able to identify and report any potential pest problems.
Routine inspections of both the interior and exterior of a facility are also critical for preventive pest control. If a food or beverage plant finds pests during an inspection, it needs to act quickly and effectively.
The preventive measures that food or beverage producers should implement will vary depending on their production processes and other factors, but they all should include a thorough inspection of the facility by both the plant’s own employees and external pest management professionals. During the inspection, the company should look for signs of pests that could impact product quality, such as gnaw marks on packaging or droppings around equipment.
Chemical pest control uses a variety of solutions to destroy or deter specific pests. These products might include repellents, which deter or displace pests without killing them; fumigants, which kill pests; and insecticides, which are designed to eliminate a pest population by poisoning it. These chemicals can sometimes be more effective and faster to work than biological pest control methods, but they also pose health and environmental concerns upon exposure to humans and the environment.
Pesticides
A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy, mitigate, remove or repel any pest. The term includes natural, organic and synthetic materials. It also covers insecticides (insect killers), herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, miticides, molluscicides and plant growth regulators. The most common pesticides are organochlorine, organophosphate, carbamate and pyrethroid insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and rodenticides.
Before using pesticides, make sure to follow the instructions on the label carefully. Use protective equipment as indicated, including rubber gloves and eye protection. Avoid spraying plants when it is windy or the air is cool, as the pesticide may drift to other areas where it is not needed. It is best to apply outdoor pesticides in the early morning or evening, when there is less chance of causing respiratory problems in family members and pets. Thoroughly rinse sprayed plants with water before they dry, to reduce the risk of tracking residues into the house.
When selecting a pesticide, choose the one that is most effective against the specific pest and poses the least risks to people, pets and wildlife. Look for “least-toxic” products, which have a lower potential for environmental impact and may be more humane than conventional pesticides. If you need help selecting a least-toxic pesticide for a particular problem, consult University of California Pest Notes available at UC Cooperative Extension offices and on the UC Statewide IPM Program Web site.
The primary benefit of pesticides is to save crops from damage caused by insects, diseases or other organisms. They can also be used to control animals that carry disease vectors or are a nuisance.
Pesticides can be very hazardous to humans. The toxic chemicals they contain are released into the environment and can enter the air, water and sediments where they can affect non-target organisms, such as fish, birds, mammals, bees and flies. They can also cause a range of human health effects, from short-term headaches and nausea to chronic impacts like cancer and reproductive harm.
Whenever possible, select an organic or non-chemical method of controlling pests. Avoid purchasing more pesticide than you will be able to use immediately; store it in a sealed container away from children and animals, and out of reach. Consider donating unused pesticides to friends and neighbors.
Biological Control
Biological control involves introducing natural enemies to suppress pest populations below damaging or intolerable levels without the use of chemicals. Natural enemies include predators, parasitoids, pathogens (bacteria, protists and fungi) and herbivores (Bellows & Fisher 1999). Biological control is a long-term strategy; success may take years. It is usually employed in perennial crops such as fruit plantations, forest management and greenhouse horticulture.
Historically, classical biological control has involved the importation and release of natural enemies from countries or regions of origin of the pests to be controlled. The natural enemies are selected because they can live in the environment where the pests are established, and because their presence can suppress or eliminate the pests. In the best cases, the introduction of the natural enemy leads to permanent control of the pests, a situation that has been called a ‘breakthrough’ in pest control. Examples include the successful import and release of the predatory ladybird Rodolia cardinalis to control the accidentally introduced citrus pest Icerya purchasi in Mediterranean Europe around 1900, and the introduction of the parasitoid Aphelinus mali in the 1930s for control of the woolly apple aphid in European apple orchards.
Today, biological control is used worldwide in crop production. According to a study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture, for every dollar spent on research and development of biological control agents, growers save $30 in accrued benefits. This makes biological control a sound investment for producers and consumers.
Another significant advantage of biological control is that it is generally less expensive than chemical controls. A study by Ramakers (1982) compared the cost of controlling glasshouse whitefly with the use of insecticides and found that it was twice as expensive – product and labour – to use insecticides than to use predatory mites to control the pest.
Despite its important role in pest control, there are some concerns about the risks of using biological control agents. For example, the risk of natural enemies crossing over into natural ecosystems and becoming environmental pests themselves is a concern that has caused regulatory agencies to delay or prevent the release of many potential biocontrol agents.
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is a long-term approach to pest control. Its goal is to reduce risks to people, beneficial and nontarget organisms, and the environment from overuse of chemical pesticides. IPM strategies are based on monitoring and scouting to identify pests, determine their damage levels, and assess whether or not treatment is needed. The methods used in IPM can include preventive measures, biological controls, and targeted use of chemical controls.
Preventive measures include cultural practices like crop rotation, planting pest-resistant varieties, and soil amendments that promote a healthy plant. They can also include physical barriers to pests such as screens and caulking, trapping and baiting, and choosing landscaping plants with natural predators or resistance to diseases.
Monitoring and scouting are key to IPM programs, as they allow pests to be detected before they cause significant damage or become uncontrollable. Detailed information about each pest, including its life cycle, its ability to harm crops, and how the weather affects it, is gathered during scouting. This data helps establish economic and aesthetic injury thresholds that indicate when action should be taken.
Targeted applications of chemicals are then used to manage pest populations, usually using less toxic alternatives than the more dangerous, broad-spectrum chemical pesticides. These targeted insecticides may be herbicides, fungicides, or insect growth regulators (IGRs).
Another key to IPM is the cultivation of natural enemies of pests. These can be predators, pathogens, or parasitoids that kill or disable their hosts. The most common example of this is the bacterium Bt, which is made to attack and kill caterpillars. Several strains of this bacteria are available that work against different types of pests, such as Bt israelensis to control mosquitoes and Bt kurstaki to control Lepidopterans.
As more and more consumers learn about the dangers of pesticide chemicals to human health and the environment, they are seeking greener, less toxic pest control services. Many of them are willing to pay more for these services, which can be highly profitable for companies that focus on them. As a result, more pest control businesses are moving away from spray-focused methods and toward IPM.
