Pest control is managing the presence of pests so they cause less damage. This is done through prevention, suppression, eradication or biological controls. Click Here to learn more.
Identifying the pest is the first step in developing a control strategy. Learn about the pest’s biology, life cycle, and needs.
Eliminate places where pests breed and hide. Clean up debris and clutter that can shelter pests.
Prevention
Taking the proactive approach to pest control is the best way to ensure a safe, healthy environment. Whether it’s disease-carrying cockroaches and rodents or venomous spiders and insects, uncontrolled pest infestations pose a threat to human health and safety. Using preventative methods to control pests eliminates the need for chemical treatments that can be harmful to people and pets, as well as the environment.
Prevention techniques include sanitation, sealing entry points and modifying the surrounding environment to make it less attractive to the pests. Inspecting buildings and facilities to identify the possible causes of pest problems is also key. Educating employees and customers on good hygiene practices, proper storage of food and supplies, and facility maintenance can help reduce pest problems.
In the case of structural prevention, a variety of traps and other devices can be used to block pests from entering buildings or spaces. Sealing cracks, gaps, and other entry points is also essential. Regularly removing trash from living and working areas and properly maintaining garbage cans will prevent pests from finding food sources. Keeping grass, bushes, and trees properly trimmed and away from structures will make it harder for pests to access food, water, and shelter.
Modifying the environment by altering the amount or type of food, water, or shelter available can be a effective method to control some pests. In addition, fungicides and other chemicals can be used to alter the conditions around plants and animals to make them more difficult for the pests to survive.
Biological control involves introducing natural enemies into the environment to reduce pest populations. This can be done through predators, parasites, or pathogens. There is often a lag between when the enemy arrives and when the pest population begins to decrease.
It is important to know when to use each of these control tactics. Prevention is a long-term strategy that can save money and avoid the need for expensive chemical treatments, while suppression and eradication are more immediate solutions to pest problems. Using these methods in conjunction with each other provides a more comprehensive and holistic pest control solution.
Suppression
Pests are organisms such as insects, fungi, nematodes and vertebrates that damage or devalue crops and other plants, displace native species, harm or cause disease in animals and humans, or disturb or degrade terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (EPA, 2014). Suppression is the goal of most pest control strategies. Suppression means controlling pest numbers to a level that will not cause unacceptable damage, and does so with as little impact on desirable species as possible.
Many natural enemies (predators, parasitoids and pathogens) can suppress pest populations without any human intervention. It is important to conserve and protect these organisms, and to avoid use of pesticides that kill them as well as target pests. This will allow the establishment of robust natural enemy populations that can provide long-term, sustainable pest control.
Some natural enemies, such as predatory mites, lacewings and lady beetles, can be collected or purchased and released in greenhouses and other enclosed areas to suppress pests. Other natural enemies, such as nematodes and pathogenic bacteria and fungi, are usually not readily available. When these organisms are purchased, they must be carefully selected to match the pest species and the environment of the facility. They must also be thoroughly inspected to ensure that they are viable and ready for release. The NMSU Extension specialists and the commercial insectaries that sell biological control agents should be able to provide guidance on selecting the appropriate species and strains for specific pests in different environments.
Many microbial products are available that contain microorganisms that control certain caterpillars, beetles and flies but do not affect other arthropods or plants. These are referred to as microbial insecticides and have a very low toxicity to other organisms. When these products are used as directed, they can be effective in controlling some pests.
Augmentative biological control is the purchase and release of species that specifically attack a target pest, such as the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis that controls some caterpillars, beetles and fruit flies. This is typically done by inoculative or inundative releases. Research has shown that augmentative releases of natural enemies can be effective in greenhouses and indoorscapes, but outdoor releases are less successful. This is primarily due to environmental conditions that cannot be controlled, but also because of antagonistic interactions between natural enemies and predators, such as intraguild predation of parasitized pests by ground-dwelling predators.
Eradication
In pest control, eradication is the permanent removal of a pest from an area. This is often accomplished by killing every single pest or preventing reproduction. Eradication strategies require expensive, high-level pesticide use. This results in unacceptably high levels of environmental pollution. Often, these pollutants will also affect non-target organisms. Moreover, the cost of repeated spraying and other eradication techniques can outweigh the benefits to growers and consumers.
Prevention is the best method of controlling pests, and this can be achieved by denying them food, shelter, or temperature. For example, planting in shade can deprive weeds of sunlight needed for germination. Alternatively, placing mulch around sun-loving plants can help deprive them of the competition that weeds provide for soil moisture. Providing plant material for the insects that naturally reduce pest populations can also be helpful.
Some insect pests, such as gypsy moths and Japanese beetles, do not have natural predators or parasitoids to keep them in check. Integrated pest management programs that incorporate natural control mechanisms, such as releasing parasitoids or natural predators, can be very effective at keeping these introduced pests under control.
Overuse of pesticides can create resistant pests. This happens when pesticides are used more than necessary, and they kill the pests that are vulnerable to them, while leaving behind more resistant specimens to mate and multiply. This is why it is so important to understand pest biology and pesticides, and to only apply pesticides as needed.
Other reasons that pesticides may fail include the wrong type of pesticide being applied, poor timing or location, and weather conditions that limit their effectiveness. In some cases, pesticides can also damage the environment by poisoning beneficial insects or by leaching into streams and rivers.
Once you have determined the tolerance level for a pest, a plan to prevent it from getting out of hand should be developed. This plan should involve monitoring and inspection of the garden on a regular basis, so that you can take action quickly when pests start to cause damage. For example, if you notice that your tomatoes are starting to get eaten by caterpillars, you should start handpicking them as soon as you see the first few infested leaves.
IPM
In integrated pest management, pests are controlled with a series of evaluations, decisions and controls. The ultimate goal is long-term suppression of pests with the least amount of risk to humans and the environment. IPM is a practical method of managing pests that can be used in gardens, fields, homes, and other buildings. It includes preventive measures and nonchemical pest control options along with safe, effective chemical treatments when necessary.
In an IPM program, the first step is to evaluate and understand pest biology and life cycles. This is done by scouting, monitoring and inspections. Identifying pests accurately is important because different pests require different control methods. This step is followed by establishing action thresholds that determine when enhanced pest control techniques should be employed. This ensures that pesticides are used only when needed and reduces the risk of overuse or misuse.
The next step is to implement preventive methods that eliminate or reduce the need for pesticides, such as growing crops that are resistant to certain diseases or using caulking to block pest entry into structures. IPM programs also take into account the environmental factors that affect pests, such as weather and soil conditions. These factors may be used to create conditions that are unfavorable for the pests, such as planting squash at a time when it will mature before the arrival of pumpkin maggots.
IPM also takes into consideration the positive aspects of pests, such as the role they play in the ecosystem or how they contribute to natural processes. For example, clover that grows in a lawn might be considered an unwanted weed, but it is useful for synthesizing nitrogen in the soil and as a source of food for honey bees and other pollinators. Tolerance for a few worms in an apple tree might be deemed acceptable because they are helping to break down organic matter in the soil.
If preventive measures fail, IPM programs begin with less-risky pest control options that include the use of pheromones to disrupt pest mating or mechanical controls like trapping and weeding. If these are ineffective, more-sophisticated chemical methods may be employed, such as targeted or broadcast spraying of pesticides.
