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How to Protect Your Garden from Pests Naturally
Pest Control Van Nuys is a way to limit the damage caused by insects and rodents. It involves removing food and hiding places for them, keeping bushes and trees trimmed, and using traps or baits.
Pest control companies often enjoy high profit margins and repeat business. They also work in challenging conditions, including crawling in confined spaces.
Preventing pest problems is often the most cost-effective part of any pest control program. It saves money by avoiding expensive damages and full exterminations. Moreover, it improves the quality of life by keeping living environments clean and healthy. Effective preventive tactics include a thorough cleaning routine, regular trash removal, and preventing moisture from attracting pests. Prevention also includes structural treatments, which block common entry points of pests and deny them access to a property.
Understanding what makes a pest thrive is essential to controlling it. It helps to identify its food, water and shelter sources. In addition, it is helpful to know its lifespan and life cycle. This information highlights a pest’s vulnerabilities, making it easier to control.
A pest’s natural enemies often suppress its numbers, such as parasites and predators. It is important to consider these enemies when devising pest control strategies, especially because there is usually a lag between the increase in a pest’s population and the corresponding increase in its enemy populations.
Chemicals are sometimes necessary to control some pests, especially when other methods fail. Fortunately, many of today’s pesticides are designed to eliminate only the targeted organism while minimizing harm to nontarget species and humans. When pesticides are used, it is important to follow the label’s instructions and safety warnings.
Other mechanical or physical controls can be effective against some pests, such as traps, screens, fences and barriers. Altering the environment may also be useful in controlling some pests, such as by changing the amount of light or introducing heat or cold.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an ecosystem-based approach to managing pests and their damage. It is based on monitoring, inspections and data collection, which guides the selection of appropriate actions. IPM uses a variety of techniques to achieve long-term prevention of pests or their damage, such as biological control, habitat manipulation and modification of cultural practices.
If you suspect a pest infestation, immediately contact your pest management professional for a pest trend analysis, risk assessment and treatment recommendation. Make sure to provide detailed information about sightings or indicators, including the time and location where they occurred. This will help your PCO to provide the most effective service possible and to determine what controls are best for your situation.
Suppression
Pests can cause direct damage to plants, animals or structures such as homes and buildings. They can also introduce disease and contaminate food. When their numbers reach a threshold that causes unacceptable damage, we can take action to control them. The goal of pest management is to solve problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment. This is accomplished through a process known as integrated pest management, or IPM. IPM can be used in urban, agricultural and wildland/natural areas.
Step 1: Learn about the pest you are dealing with. Find out what it eats, where it lives and how it reproduces. This information highlights the pest’s weaknesses, which can be used to your advantage.
Understanding a pest’s needs and habits can help you decide whether or not to use a suppression tactic. Some pests have a very negative impact, such as rodents that can chew electrical wires and spread diseases like hantavirus, leptospirosis and Salmonella. Others can be a nuisance, such as wasps, hornets and bees that sting or annoy people. Some may have a strong smell, or look scary or grotesque, such as spiders and silverfish. Many have aggressive behavior, such as mud dauber wasps and yellowjackets. And some contaminate food and personal items, such as bed bugs, cockroaches, cluster flies and clothes moths.
Methods that physically trap or exclude pests are called mechanical controls. These include screens, traps and barriers. Some methods can alter the environment to suppress pests, such as radiation, heat and electricity. Changes in water, such as adding or removing humidity, can affect some pests.
Chemicals that poison or repel pests are called pesticides. They are a common form of pest control, and are usually applied as baits or sprays. Some have low risk for humans, as long as they are used according to the label instructions and safety warnings. Others have a high risk for human health and should only be applied by licensed pest control technicians.
Suppression tactics are often combined with preventative and eradication strategies in order to reduce pest populations to levels that can be tolerated. Once corrective actions have been taken, it is important to monitor the results of the suppression tactics (see Monitoring page). In addition to assessing how well a suppression tactic worked, this step can also reveal information that can guide future prevention and avoidance tactics.
Eradication
When pesticides are used, it is important to make sure that they are targeted to the correct insect and at an appropriate stage of development. Otherwise, the application may not control the pests and it will have other negative consequences such as contaminating non-target organisms or polluting water. Pesticides can also be ineffective if they are overused or if the environment is unfavorable for their use.
The use of pesticides should be minimized to the extent possible. If pesticides are necessary, they should be applied only when the damage caused by the pests is significant or if other pest control methods have not been effective. The selection of pesticides is very important and should be based on the information provided on the pesticide label and in the NMSU Pest Management Guide.
Overuse of pesticides often leads to the emergence of resistant pest populations. This is because the use of a single pesticide kills all the insects that are susceptible to the active ingredient, while leaving the strongest resistant pests to mate and propagate. Resistance can be reduced by using different chemicals for the same pest problem or by applying the chemical in a manner that limits its ability to kill.
An integrated pest management (IPM) program focuses on reducing the numbers of pests to a level that does not harm crops. This is usually done by restricting pests for only part of the growing season and spraying them only when there is a high risk of economic injury. To do this, the pest population must be monitored and carefully evaluated. This evaluation must take into account the environmental conditions that led to the pest infestation and other factors such as weather or the presence of natural enemies.
IPM plans include cultural, biological, genetic and physical controls. These are designed to modify the environmental conditions that support pest activity, directly reduce pest populations or indirectly limit their damage by making them less suitable for the desired plants. Biological controls involve the use of predators, parasitoids and pathogens to manage pests. Predators and parasitoids are organisms that kill or injure pests and disperse them, while pathogens are bacteria or fungi that cause disease in pests.
Monitoring
The monitoring part of pest control involves regular inspections (often called scouting) to determine the presence and extent of pests, pest conducive conditions and damage. This information functions like an early warning system, helping to prevent or minimize a pest outbreak and to track pest population trends. Monitoring also enables the identification of natural enemies, which can keep pest populations in check. It also helps in determining if loss is likely to occur and what control tactics would be most effective.
Depending on the situation, the best tool for monitoring is a simple checklist, a spreadsheet or an electronic data collection system. Ideally, scouting data should be collected on a consistent basis throughout the growing season and into the winter to help scouts anticipate pest problems.
It’s important to recognize that pests are not the same everywhere, so a good monitoring program will be site and crop-specific. Often, monitoring is time-consuming and labor intensive, but it can pay off in improved decision making.
For example, greenhouses require frequent scouting for insect pests throughout the year. A simple checklist with space to write dates, trap locations and pest numbers is an excellent way to document current populations and a history of pest problems.
In the case of rodents, it’s important to identify potential harborage areas such as bushes and shrubbery or equipment corners, and then monitor them regularly for signs of gnawing and burrowing activity. An extendable mirror and a flashlight can be valuable tools for scouting dark, secluded areas that might be difficult to see. In addition, a magnifying glass can help identify insect parts and frass (excrement) that are indicative of pest presence or activity.
Some pests are continuous and always present, such as roaches or rats in homes, while others are sporadic or cyclical, such as rodents in operating rooms of health care facilities. It is important to establish threshold levels based on esthetic or economic concerns, so that action is taken only when the pests reach unacceptable levels of damage or injury. This is an essential element of IPM.
The Basics of Pest Management
Pest management involves regulating organisms that negatively impact human activities or the environment. Control methods include prevention, suppression, and eradication. Contact Armis Pest Management now!
Eliminate food, water, and shelter for pests by regularly removing garbage, keeping work areas clean, and caulking cracks: plant species that attract natural predators, parasitoids, and disease organisms.
Chemical controls kill or repel a pest by attacking its body parts, disrupting its hormones, or blocking its senses.
Prevention
Prevention is a key component of pest management. Preventive practices are economic and environmentally responsible and include regularly cleaning areas where pests live and preventing them from spreading to new areas.
These practices can be natural, biological, chemical, or physical/mechanical. Natural controls (weather or topography) limit pest populations; biological control agents, such as predators and parasites, injure or kill target organisms to manage their numbers; cultural controls, such as changing irrigation practices to reduce root disease and weed problems, or encouraging natural predators of insects; and physical/mechanical controls, including barriers that prevent pests from reaching desirable plants; or traps, lures, or pheromones that attract and then poison or repel pests.
The best way to prevent damage from pests is to plant adapted, well-suited plants in the right place and make sure they receive adequate water and nutrients. Regularly inspecting your yard and garden for pests and assessing the amount of damage they are doing to desirable plants is also essential. Inspecting a pest for the first time means correctly identifying it and its host plant. If you find a pest, it is important to start with cultural changes and treatments that do not require toxic chemicals.
Once a pest is established, it may be necessary to use suppression methods to control its population and prevent the emergence of new generations. Suppression methods are typically less expensive and less risky to the environment than preventive measures.
Eradication is usually not possible in outdoor settings, but it may be an option for enclosed spaces, such as greenhouses and food processing or storage facilities.
When making decisions about pest control, keep in mind that a healthy urban ecosystem contains many species; controlling just one can lead to major disruptions. A good goal is to determine a threshold level for pests, above which further action would not be cost-justified. This should be based on the extent of the pest’s damage, the impact on the environment, and other factors. A healthy system is more resilient to stress and will recover from most pest infestations. Avoid overly aggressive pest control, which can lead to imbalances and serious harm to the ecosystem.
Suppression
Suppression is an important goal in many pest situations. It means reducing the number of pests to a level that does not cause unacceptable damage. Suppression is often part of a preventive program that includes prevention and control methods such as physical, cultural, biological or chemical controls. It is especially important to avoid overuse of pesticides because this can lead to resistant pests.
Once the threshold for a pest has been determined, the next step is to use a combination of prevention and suppression techniques to keep the population below the tolerance level. For example, removing sources of food, water and shelter can help prevent some pests. This can include storing foods in sealed containers and regularly removing garbage; repairing leaky plumbing; and eliminating hiding places.
Encouragement of natural enemies can also help reduce pest populations. These are predators, parasites, or pathogens that kill or control pests. In a garden, this may be accomplished by planting flowers that attract insect predators, such as asters (Aster spp), or fruiting shrubs that attract bird predators, such as serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis).
Other types of cultural practices are designed to disrupt pests’ life cycles or discourage their persistence. These may include intercropping crops to make it more difficult for pests to find a host; using varieties that are not as attractive to pests; and delaying crop plantings until after potential pests have emerged and died off for the season.
Biological control involves releasing natural enemies into an area to kill or control unwanted pests. This can be done by introducing new enemies to an area or releasing more of a species that is already present as a natural enemy. The degree of control achieved by these methods can vary and does not usually result in eradication.
Chemical control uses synthetic or organic substances to kill or suppress pests. Some chemicals are more toxic than others, and the amount of harm caused by a chemical depends on how it is used. Some types of chemicals can have long-term harmful effects on the environment and human health. This is why the NIH supports and promotes integrated pest management (IPM), an approach to pest management that includes prevention, suppression and control by using multiple approaches.
Eradication
Pests are organisms that cause economic or environmental damage to crops or other plants. They can be insects, plant diseases or weeds. Pest control involves intervention by any of several means to reduce or eliminate them. Control strategies are generally grouped into chemical, biological, cultural and physical/mechanical methods. The goal of pest management is to reduce pest numbers to an acceptable level. Pest eradication is rarely the objective because of the difficulty of the task. Continuous pests are those organisms that require regular control; sporadic pests are those that are not continuous but are migratory or cyclical in nature and need periodic control; potential pests are those that do not pose significant economic threat but may become pests in certain conditions.
Chemical control is generally considered the last resort in the management of pests. The types of chemicals used include herbicides to kill weeds, insecticides to kill insects and fungicides to kill plant pathogens. Chemicals are applied in a variety of ways such as spraying, dusting and drenching. The proper timing of a pesticide application is crucial to its effectiveness. If the application is too early or too late, it will not be effective. Moreover, an overuse of pesticides can result in the development of resistant organisms.
Biological management uses the pest’s natural enemies, such as predators, parasitoids and pathogens, to control the population. This is often a more cost-effective method of controlling a pest, but it can also be more risky than other management techniques. For example, introducing the sterile male of a pest species into an ecosystem to induce increased mortality rates has the potential to disrupt the genetic balance in the species.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an increasingly popular approach to managing pests, especially in agriculture. IPM includes a combination of all the above-mentioned control methods and prioritizes the use of non-chemical pesticides, with the least toxic pesticides used as a first choice.
Monitoring
A pest control program must monitor the pest population and determine if action is needed. This can be done through inspections and scouting (searching for, identifying and assessing) of insect, insect-like, mollusk and vertebrate pests; weeds; and plant pathogens. Monitoring may also include checking environmental conditions in the area that is being managed. For example, examining the temperature and moisture levels of soil or plants can help to predict when the pests are most likely to be active and reach damaging populations.
If the pest numbers rise to unacceptable levels, a decision must be made whether to begin control. This must take into account the value of the crop, the extent to which the damage is being caused and the cost of control. Generally, only severe or widespread damage to crops, plants and natural areas justify the use of chemical controls.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies focus on prevention and suppression of pests using the least toxic means possible. IPM practices are often more effective and safer for humans and the environment than traditional methods of controlling pests.
In IPM, preventive control measures are put into place before pests become a problem. These might include changing the way an area is used, such as restricting access to it or modifying the design of facilities to make them more resistant to pests. Physical or mechanical controls can also be used, such as screens, floating row covers, or food containers with tight-fitting lids that block pests from reaching the contents. These controls are sometimes augmented with biological or chemical control methods, especially when preventive measures fail to work or pose unreasonable risks to human health or the environment.
The IPM process involves a careful evaluation of the potential risks from pests and their control methods to ensure that they are both safe for people and the environment. It may include establishing thresholds above which enhanced control methods are applied, if the damage to the environment or humans is unacceptable.
NIH’s pest management programs are supported by technical oversight that provides an objective evaluation of the activities, effectiveness and costs of the IPM program. This service is provided by the Pest Management Policy Committee, which includes staff members from the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, Center for the Advancement of Biomedical Research, Office of Environmental Health and Safety, and Veterinary Services. The committee also serves as a liaison with extramural researchers, federal agencies, universities and private organizations on integrated pest management issues.