Pests cause damage that may threaten an area’s health, safety, or economic viability. Control methods aim to reduce pest numbers to an acceptable level with as little harm as possible to people, property, and the environment. Contact Pest Control Bakersfield CA now!
Prevention involves not attracting pests in the first place. This can be as simple as wiping up crumbs after meals or using a trash bin with a secure lid. It can also involve planting species that are natural predators of unwanted pests, such as nematodes that kill fleas and grubs.
Many people associate insects with disease-carrying pests, but most insects are not harmful. Some contribute to plant reproduction and serve as food for other creatures. Other insects control pests, act as scavengers, and help conserve soil. Some even provide a valuable service by pollinating flowers.
Most insects are tiny and cannot move very fast, but they still have a variety of behaviors to protect themselves and seek out food. For example, some insect mouthparts are modified into a tube called a proboscis that sucks liquid, while others have chewing mouthparts to eat solid food. Many insects have eyes, which allow them to see, and most have antennae, which help them sense sounds, vibrations, and other environmental factors.
Insects vary in shape and size, from minute wingless antlike creatures to large beetles that can kill conifers by defoliation. Most species of insects have special glands that produce a sticky substance to attract mates or to mark territory. Some also have chemicals that repel predators, such as the odor released by froghoppers (Arestus mellis).
Insecticide use rarely eradicates outdoor pest populations, but control is possible. Pests that damage plants or their food sources are generally controlled by letting nature take its course and applying pesticides only when damaging population levels are anticipated.
Monitoring of plant and animal pests usually involves trapping or scouting. For instance, scouting for leaf-feeding insects such as the caterpillars of the ash borer (Euploea occidentalis) or flea beetles (Chaetocnema basalis) involves looking at their shot holes in leaves. For weeds and other nonplant pests, the monitoring method depends on the type of problem being addressed.
The decision to apply an insecticide is often based on economic or aesthetic injury levels, which establish the level at which the cost of labor and the costs of chemical products is justified to avoid pest damage. It is important to read and follow all directions for pesticides, including those on the label, which are written specifically for the crop or weeds being treated. Those directions include the information needed to determine if treatment is necessary, including when the break-even level will be reached.
Rodents
Rodents, such as rats and mice, are the most common pests. They are scavengers and will feed on almost anything, including dry pantry items and garbage. Rats can cause serious diseases when they enter homes, where they can leave feces and urine throughout the property. The rodents also gnaw at walls, wires and other surfaces, leading to damage and destruction.
Rodents can be found everywhere, in cities and towns as well as in rural areas. They are extremely adaptable and live in nearly any environment, surviving even in darkness and sewers. Their burrowing activities often dislodge insulation and damage weather-proofing products. They gnaw on plastic, paper and other materials, ruining furniture and creating costly repairs for homeowners.
The most dangerous aspect of rodents is that they breed rapidly, producing many babies in a short amount of time. The gestation period for a rat is only 21 days, and a single couple can produce billions of offspring in their lifetime. Rats and other rodents can transmit a number of diseases to humans when they bite them, as well as through contaminated food and water and through breathing in dust containing rodent droppings and fur.
Practicing good sanitation and cutting off access to food and water are the first steps in eliminating rats. Physical/mechanical controls are helpful, such as glue boards, snap traps and shock traps. Chemical controls include first-generation anticoagulant baits, which take multiple feedings to kill rodents, as well as second-generation vaporizing gases that act more quickly than the anticoagulants. It is important to follow all directions for the use of these products. Always place bait in tamper-resistant bait stations or other locations out of the reach of children, pets and nontarget wildlife. Remove trapped rodents and buried carcasses promptly to prevent secondary infestations and odors.
A professional rodent control company will have the right tools to reduce the population and keep it from growing. They will start by assessing the situation and conducting preliminary monitoring. Then, the company will choose an eradication strategy that is safe for the environment and human health.
Birds
Birds are well known for their role in seed dispersal and pollination, but they also regulate populations of insects and other small organisms that can cause severe damage to natural ecosystems and human agricultural systems. In forest ecosystems, for example, birds reduce tree-damaging insect species, and in grassland ecosystems they reduce populations of weeds that could otherwise smother crops. Such “ecosystem service” is vital to a healthy, functioning world.
To better understand the roles that songbirds play in pest control, researchers have recently started to identify specific bird species that consume crop pests and their natural enemies (known as predators) on a range of farms. This information allows growers to enhance habitat for the most important bird species and thus improve pest control.
In this study, fecal samples were collected from bird populations at 11 Western Massachusetts farms in 2019 and 2020. DNA was extracted from each sample and analyzed to determine the number of pest insect and predator species present. Of the 931 samples that passed all quality filters, 93 contained agricultural pest insects and 15 contained their natural enemies. Species that ingested the most pests included song sparrows, gray catbirds, and common yellowthroats.
The three bird species that consumed the most pests are shrubland birds associated with open canopy habitats, and so would be expected to encounter pests in fields. However, the frequency of predation on pests by these birds did not differ among farms. The reason is unclear but could be due to variation in diet, habitat associations, or the effect of the farming system on predation on pests and their natural enemies.
In addition to directly controlling pests, bird activity can affect the ability of crop plants to withstand herbivore damage and insect herbicides. The impact of birds on crop production was most pronounced in long beans and eggplant, where crop yield and weight were significantly higher when there were birds around.
As more farms become surrounded by urban development, the amount of pesticides used on crops is increasing, which can harm wildlife and humans. Fortunately, organizations such as ABC have helped to drive the use of less toxic chemicals by encouraging manufacturers to pull more of the highly dangerous pesticides from retail shelves. For example, after years of pressure from ABC and other groups, the maker of d-CON agreed to pull the chemical from the market in 2014.
Other Small Creatures
Above ground, other small creatures are performing the invisible work that keeps populations of pests in check. Hundreds of different species of insects are responsible for pollinating flowering plants, decomposing waste, dispersing seeds and providing food for birds, amphibians and bats. Many of these creatures are also natural enemies of pests, reducing their numbers through predation or parasitism.
When these natural enemies are lacking, pest populations can become excessive and cause problems for humans or their property. Besides harming or disrupting crops, flowers, lawns and other vegetation, pests can damage and devalue buildings, structures and personal belongings. They can also negatively impact environmental factors like soil quality, nutrient content and availability, displacing native plants and animals.
Several methods can be used to control pests, including biological, chemical, cultural and mechanical. Natural controls, such as weather and topography, limit the number of pests by limiting their habitat or movement. Biological controls use natural enemies of pests to injure or consume them, and include predators, parasitoids and pathogens. Classical biological control involves finding suitable natural enemies, importing them to a target area and releasing them in large numbers, usually in conjunction with other natural enemies of the pest.
In addition to the pathogens mentioned above, nematodes (infectious wormlike microorganisms) and bacteria can be employed in biological pest control. Nematodes, for example, are injected into the soil of infested crops to kill insect pests and their offspring by attacking them from inside their cells. Similarly, bacteria can be engineered into a biological pesticide and applied to crops to control their pests.
The success of any pest control program depends on threshold-based decision making, involving a combination of scouting and monitoring to determine if a pest problem exists and what control methods are needed. A few wasps visiting a home may not warrant action, but seeing them everywhere may indicate that the nest needs to be located and destroyed. As pests are controlled, they are replaced with beneficial organisms, and the ecosystem is restored. In some cases, the pests themselves become the beneficial organisms by feeding on their predators.