Pests are organisms that damage plants or animals. They can also harm people and property by biting, stinging or damaging things like homes, food supplies and gardens. Some carry diseases, like cockroaches and house centipedes.
Some pests are continuously present and need regular control; others are sporadic or migratory, and require only occasional control. Methods of pest control include prevention, suppression and eradication. Contact Kansas City Pest Control now!
Pests often come into establishments in search of food, water and shelter. If these sources can be eliminated or minimized, the problem will likely be less severe. Steps to prevent pests may include:
- Cleaning.
- Storing food in sealed containers and removing trash regularly.
- Sealing cracks and crevices.
- Repairing leaky pipes.
- Keeping grass and shrubbery trimmed and away from building foundations and making sure doors and windows are properly shut and locked.
In addition, regular pest inspections are essential to identify and correct problems as soon as they occur. This will help prevent infestations and costly damage. It is also important to understand the life cycle of each pest, and how it behaves and moves through your facilities to gain an understanding of what can be done to keep them away.
Preventative pest control requires a greater investment of time and resources on the front end, but it can reduce the need for treatment and decrease the amount of chemicals that are used. It is especially useful for maintaining sanitary conditions and preventing contamination in food production facilities.
Steps to prevent pests can include the following:
Cleanliness is the best preventive measure to keep pests out. Food debris, moisture accumulation and odors can attract pests, so daily cleaning of floors and surfaces is critical. In addition, all garbage should be stored in tightly sealed garbage cans and disposed of regularly. It is also important to keep all areas free of clutter and tripping hazards, which can provide hiding places for rodents. Repairing leaky faucets and pipes both inside and outside is another important preventive measure, as well as reducing standing water around the facility.
Suppression
Pests often invade homes and businesses, and they can cause damage to property and health problems for people. They also interfere with a business’s normal operations. Infestations of cockroaches and mice can affect indoor air quality, while rat droppings can contaminate food and cause diseases like hantavirus and leptospirosis. Pest control professionals are called in to handle these infestations.
The goal of pest suppression is to reduce the number of pests to a level that does not interfere with production, processing or packaging activities. Suppression is usually combined with preventative measures and is often the first step in controlling a pest problem.
Preventative steps include storing food in sealed containers, keeping garbage and compost bins closed, and removing garbage regularly. In agriculture, plowing, crop rotation, cleaning of greenhouse and tillage equipment, and proper manure management are cultural controls that can deprive pests of their comfortable habitats and stop them from spreading.
Another way to prevent pests is to use natural methods such as weeding, trapping, and insecticidal soaps. These are generally less toxic than chemical pesticides, but should be used only when other methods fail.
Using traps and baits can be effective in the home, but they must be carefully placed. They must be out of the reach of children and pets, and they should not interfere with normal household activity. In industrial settings, only approved bait boxes and electrical insect control devices should be used; they should never be sited above production, processing or packaging lines.
There are many legal issues involved with pest control, especially when a public or private entity is handling a pesticide. Only trained and qualified professionals should be allowed to handle and apply pesticides. There are laws that require pesticides to be labeled, and there are regulations governing how they are applied.
Some pests are permanent; they are always present and require regular control. Others are sporadic or migratory and need control only occasionally. Eradication is not a common goal in outdoor pest situations; it is more commonly a part of prevention and suppression programs. In enclosed areas, however, it is possible to eradicate certain pests altogether.
Eradication
If pests get into your home, they can damage the property and cause health risks for people and pets. While there are some DIY preventative measures you can take, like using traps and bait stations, if the problem is severe enough you will likely need to have your home or business professionally treated. This is where PURCOR Pest Solutions come in, as we are licensed to use insecticides to get rid of your pest infestation once and for all.
In addition to making sure that your property is properly sealed, it’s important to clean up any potential food sources for pests. This includes sealing any food in containers, cleaning up any crumbs, and taking out the trash on a regular basis. It’s also important to clean up any puddles of water, as pests often thrive in these conditions.
One of the most effective preventative steps you can take is to ensure that your home or business has proper ventilation. Keeping air circulating can help to control moisture and humidity, which is another thing that many pests love.
It’s also a good idea to keep an eye out for any new ingredients or packages that may have been delivered to your home or business, as this is a common way that pests sneak in. A quick glance at these could catch them in the act and allow you to quickly dispose of them before they have a chance to escape.
Another good preventative step is to remove any water sources from your home or business. This includes ensuring that all water pipes are properly shut off and that there is no standing water on your property. Leaking pipes or faucets should be fixed immediately as well, as these are all very attractive water sources for many pests.
It is also helpful to move any large furniture items away from the walls in your kitchen, especially if they are flush against the wall. This will make it easier for your pest protection expert to inspect these areas for signs of pest activity. It’s not necessary to do this in all rooms, but it is a good idea.
Biological Control
Biological control uses natural enemies of pests, such as predators, parasitoids, or pathogens, to reduce or eliminate pest populations. This type of pest management has the potential to be a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical controls. It is most effective when practiced as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, which are designed to address a broad range of pest issues through multiple tactics.
Unlike chemical pesticides, which can directly kill or displace natural enemies, biological control agents generally target the specific pest species without harming other organisms in the ecosystem. This makes biological control a desirable pest management tactic for organic growers and those concerned about the negative health and environmental impacts of chemical pesticides.
The goals of biological control are to establish a self-sustaining population of the introduced natural enemy that will effectively suppress or eliminate the pest in order to achieve crop protection. It can be implemented in four major ways: conservation biological control (saving native predators or parasitoids), classical biological control (importing and releasing non-native natural enemies), augmentive biological control (increasing the population of a naturally occurring organism) or inundative biological control (release of large numbers to overwhelm pest populations).
Steps to prevent biological control are similar to steps to prevent chemical pest control. A healthy garden habitat is important, as the natural enemies of pests require suitable food, shelter and/or water sources. Providing the necessary resources will help ensure that the introduced biological control agent is able to successfully colonize the area, suppress or eradicate the targeted pest, and eventually become a self-perpetuating component of the ecosystem.
For example, when stink bugs are causing significant damage to lychee flowers and fruit in an orchard, a beneficial wasp that attacks the stink bug is released. Releasing more of this wasp species, reared in an insectary, results in a substantial reduction in stink bug population and damage to the orchard. Classical biological control is the most common way that biological control is utilized. In this method, the country of origin of the pest is identified and a search for potential natural enemies in that region is conducted. The natural enemies are then imported, under strict quarantine conditions to prevent the introduction of unwanted organisms (diseases, hyperparasites etc), and released into an area where they will have a favorable impact on the pest population.