Pests eat and damage plants, destroy structures, and create health problems. They carry bacteria and viruses that can cause hantavirus, leprosy, skin infections, intestinal diseases, and many others.

Natural forces regulate pest populations. They include climate, natural enemies, barriers, and the availability of food and shelter. Some pests may be controlled without pesticides. Contact Pest Control Springfield MO now!

Prevention is the key to a pest control program that is both effective and environmentally friendly. A preventative pest control program reduces the need for pesticides by removing the food, shelter and water that attract pests to an establishment. The program includes regularly searching for, identifying and assessing pests and their damage. It also includes preventing new infestations and controlling the expansion of an existing infestation. The goal is to cause the least harm to people and property as possible.

Prevention practices include eliminating entry points, effectively sealing cracks and crevices, storing food in containers that are hard to open, disposing of waste properly, maintaining a clean environment and educating employees or family members about pest control.

In homes and businesses, this may mean putting trash in garbage bags rather than loosely covering it, storing food in containers that are harder to open, or placing traps in places that do not have easy access to a person’s living space. It also means removing clutter, caulking holes in walls, and removing piles of wood, leaves, and debris from the yard. In a commercial kitchen, it may mean segregating raw and finished foods and ensuring that all stock is rotated. It may also mean establishing routine inspections and ensuring that the company uses only certified pest-free ingredients.

Some pests are continuous, such as cockroaches and termites, while others are sporadic or migratory, such as mosquitoes and ticks. For these pests, prevention is not always feasible. Consequently, the other forms of pest control should be used to minimize their numbers or damage and eliminate any potential for disease transmission.

Suppression

Pests are undesirable organisms, such as insects, weeds, nematodes, viruses or vertebrates (fish, birds and mammals), that damage or degrade crops, plants, human property or natural habitats. In addition, they may cause serious health or safety problems for humans and other animals. They can also displace or destroy desirable plant and animal species, and interfere with soil health and nutrient availability.

Pest control methods can be divided into preventive, suppression and eradication strategies. Preventive measures keep pest populations low by keeping environments unsuitable for them. Suppression methods limit pest activity and population growth to acceptable levels by quick action when they are detected. Eradication measures are seldom used for outdoor pests, but are more common in enclosed settings such as homes; school, office and hospital buildings; and food preparation, processing, storage and treatment areas in health care, food and other businesses.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an ecosystem-based approach to pest control that uses monitoring to determine when and where management actions are needed. IPM techniques include manipulation of the environment, modification of cultural practices and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are rarely used, and when they are, they are applied with a goal of reducing risks to humans, beneficial and nontarget organisms and the environment.

All organisms have natural enemies that limit their numbers through predatory or parasitic activity. Biological control programs aim to maximize the impact of these natural enemies on specific pests by purposefully releasing their predators or parasites, such as tachinid flies and braconid wasps for fruit flies and whiteflies respectively. These natural enemies are carefully studied and collected, quarantined to avoid introducing unwanted pathogens or negatively impacting other native organisms or their populations, then released at the proper time in the enemy and pest life cycles.

Biological Control

Biological control involves the use of living organisms to manage pests. Some of these organisms are bacteria, fungi, nematodes and viruses that infect and kill their host pests. Some of these pathogens naturally occur in the environment and can dramatically reduce aphid, caterpillar, or mite populations. Other pathogens, such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), entomopathogenic nematodes and granulosis virus, are commercially available in a form that allows them to be applied much like a chemical insecticide.

Most biological control agents are highly specific to attack only one or two species of the target pest. This is important to prevent “bystander” harm and other unintended consequences. To help ensure that a particular biological control agent is effective, its effectiveness is evaluated as part of any implementation project.

Many pests that are used in agriculture were not born here – they were brought here intentionally or accidentally from other countries. When they arrived, they lacked the natural enemies that would normally keep them in check – predators, parasites or diseases. When these natural enemies are introduced to an area, they can quickly reduce or even eliminate the pest population. This is called “importation” or “classical” biological control.

More recently, biological control has focused on augmentation of existing natural enemies to enhance their ability to suppress pests. This can be done by purchasing and releasing natural enemy species that are already well established, or it can be achieved by the more intensive process of “inundative” releases. Inundative releases involve mass production of natural enemies in an insectary and their periodic release into the landscape to overwhelm a pest population. Augmentation also may be accomplished by genetically enhancing the ability of natural enemies to suppress pests.

Mechanical or Physical Controls

As the name implies, mechanical or physical controls use traps, barriers and nets to prevent pests from accessing crops or structures. These tactics can also include the removal of debris such as corn stubble, squash vines and leaves that may harbor overwintering pests; tillage; and destruction of crop residues which can transport or concentrate certain insect pests. Physical control methods such as weeding, mowing, fire and physical barriers can also reduce or eliminate pest infestations by destroying the pests or their eggs or larvae.

Some physical pest control techniques, such as traps and barriers, are cornerstones of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM uses the monitoring of pest populations, their behavior, and environmental factors to guide decision-making, minimize the use of chemical pesticides and maximize beneficial organisms that can naturally suppress or eliminate pests.

IPM strategies are often focused on prevention and suppression, but eradication is an important goal in some situations. This is especially true in indoor spaces such as dwellings; schools; office buildings; and health care, food processing and storage facilities where pest eradication may be necessary for human or animal safety, public health or plant production.

As you evaluate pest control companies, make sure to ask whether the individual who will be assessing and treating your problem is a salaried employee or someone paid on commission. Salaried employees are more likely to provide you with honest, professional service. They are also less likely to misuse or overuse products that could pose significant hazards to your family or pets. Asking about this and other questions will help you select the best company to solve your pest problems. For your protection, only choose a company that is licensed to apply pesticides.

Pesticides

A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, controlling, mitigating, or repelling any pest. This includes plant diseases, weeds, rodents, and other unwanted species. Pesticides are classified based on their mode of action and are generally referred to by the specific insect, disease, or weed that they target. Examples of common pesticides include herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides and defoliants.

In order to be effective, pesticides must be lethal to the target organism while being harmless to other animals and plants. They can be either biodegradable or persistent; biodegradable pesticides break down quickly in the environment into non-toxic compounds, while persistent pesticides take months or even years to break down. Pesticides are also often categorized by their structural classes or the organisms that they target, as well as by their application methods.

Most pesticides only affect the target organism and do not have a broad impact on other species; however, other insects or animals may be affected if they come into contact with a spray that has spilled, for example. Additionally, if a pesticide is sprayed during windy conditions, it can easily drift from the targeted area and contaminate soil or air in a nearby vicinity.

Many pesticides have potential health effects and can cause injury to humans if they are ingested or inhaled. Using non-chemical pest control measures is recommended whenever possible to reduce exposure. If you must use a pesticide, make sure it is designed for the particular pest that you need to target and that the label instructions are followed closely. Wear proper protective equipment, such as rubber gloves and long-sleeved shirts, when handling pesticides and store them in a safe place out of the reach of children.

Kevin Moore