Pests can cause damage, contaminate food and disrupt natural habitats. Hiring a pest control company helps reduce risks for homeowners by focusing on prevention. They offer tips like keeping food in sealed containers, trash in tightly closed bins and closing easy entry points like rat holes or open window frames. Contact Pest Control Abbotsford BC now!
In order to maintain a healthy environment and avoid pest problems, the best option is prevention. Pest control companies can prevent pests by regularly assessing the environment and taking preemptive measures to deny pests access to food, water and shelter. For example, a stack of old newspapers may provide a perfect place for mosquitoes to breed, but regular trash pickup can eliminate this problem. Clutter also provides hiding places for rodents, and removing it can prevent damage to your home and health risks for you and your family.
Several factors affect the population of pests, including weather conditions, natural enemies, available shelter and food, and the availability of water. These forces are independent of human activities, but they can help or hinder efforts to manage a pest population. For example, a prolonged drought might increase the numbers of plant-eating pests, while a sudden heavy rain might suppress them.
Another factor that affects pest populations is the presence of other organisms that kill or feed on them. For example, birds, reptiles, fish and other animals, and parasitic insects, fungi, bacteria and pathogens often control or at least reduce the number of pests that would otherwise be damaging to plants and crops.
Physical or mechanical controls are devices that physically exclude pests, such as fences, nets and barriers. The use of radiation and electricity sometimes can also control pests, especially diseases transmitted by insects or rodents. The manipulation of the environment by adding or removing water, light or heat can also influence pest populations.
Chemical pest control includes spraying, baits and other substances that contain chemicals. Whenever possible, these methods are used in conjunction with other controls and should always be applied according to label directions. When pesticides are needed, the goal is to apply them in a manner that minimizes harm to humans, pets and property, and the environment.
Pest infestations can destroy the value of a property, threaten the safety and well-being of its occupants, and lead to environmental problems such as water pollution and soil erosion. Pests can also carry disease-causing pathogens and contaminate food. A pest control program can prevent or manage these problems and preserve a property’s value and beauty.
Suppression
Pests must be controlled if they damage the environment or threaten human health and safety. Threshold levels have been determined for many pests, and they are the level of damage above which action must be taken. A pest management plan should include preventive practices that reduce the occurrence of pests, as well as corrective ones that deal with problems once they occur.
Natural enemies, including predators, parasites and pathogens, can suppress populations of pest insects. The natural environment also can limit pests’ numbers through factors such as weather conditions (e.g., freezing temperatures or heavy rains), limiting their growth and development. Geographical features such as mountains and bodies of water restrict pest migration, while natural habitats provide refuge from predators, allowing pests to thrive only as long as their food, shelter and other needs are met.
Sanitation practices can prevent or suppress some pests, particularly in urban areas and industrial facilities. These practices can include improving garbage collection, removing pest harborage and reducing the amount of waste materials that are brought to a location. Sanitation practices can also include limiting the movement of animals, plants and products that may carry pests from one area to another, such as by increasing the frequency of livestock feed and garbage pick-up, using pest-free seeds or transplants, and decontaminating equipment between fields or buildings.
Biological control is a method of controlling pests through the use of organisms that attack them directly or cause them to die, such as bacteria and viruses. Biological controls are often specific to the pest species and must be identified accurately, and their production and release must be carefully planned. This may involve enhancing existing natural enemy populations through conservation or adding more of them, either by augmentative releases or inundative ones, to provide sustained suppression.
Chemical pest control is used to kill or damage a pest when other methods are not effective or available. Chemicals are usually applied in a way that minimizes risk to nontarget organisms and the environment. Chemicals also may be used to support other pest control methods. For example, a product that mimics a female insect’s pheromone can confuse male insects and prevent mating, resulting in lower pest numbers. Another example is the use of juvenile hormones, which keep immature pests from developing into adult, reproducing pests.
Eradication
Whether pest control methods are based on physical exclusion, chemical application or a combination, the goal is to get rid of the unwanted creatures. It is best done by hiring a professional that knows the different methods of eliminating pests from your property. These professionals are called pest control experts or technicians and they can use either chemicals or traps depending on the situation.
Often, pests are eradicated by simply making the environment uninhabitable or unhospitable. This can include obstructive landscaping, planting of crops that are detested by pests or diversionary elements such as building large scrap wood piles to lure pests away from valuable crops. These can also be combined with biological control. For example, the nematode Steinernema carpocapsae can kill many species of insects, including fleas and grubs, and is useful as an alternative to toxic chemical pesticides.
A word of caution: Although the term “eradicate” means “pull up or out by the roots,” eradication is not a precise science. Microbes can hide in intermediate hosts or humans and can reappear at any time as a result of new transmission events or environmental factors. A microbe’s reproductive rate depends on local conditions and is highly variable at the community, regional, national, or global level. Attempts to eliminate a microbe must therefore involve certification by independent, respected parties that the infectious agent no longer exists in a given region.
Chemicals are the most common way to control pests. These include herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. They are used on farms to protect crops from pests, and in homes and businesses to control ants, roaches, and other household pests. Pesticides can also be used to protect public health by controlling mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects.
Pesticides can cause harmful side effects when they come into contact with the skin, eyes, or mouth. It is important to read and follow the directions on the pesticide label carefully to minimize exposure risks. It is also a good idea to wear protective clothing when applying pesticides or working near them. Moreover, when using any pesticides, it is important to have an emergency plan in case of exposure to the pesticide. This includes knowing what to do to prevent or treat poisoning and how to contact emergency services if needed.
Monitoring
Pest control programs must include some form of monitoring to be effective. In most cases, monitoring involves identifying and locating pests to determine what kind of damage they are causing. It also allows a decision to be made about when to start implementing pest control tactics. Thresholds are usually defined in terms of the level of pest populations that must be reached before a control tactic is initiated.
The best way to monitor is through inspection, but in many cases, the time available and urgency of a pest situation dictate how often traps are checked. Generally, it is preferable to catch pests early in their development, before they have an opportunity to build up high numbers. For this reason, it is advisable to place monitors in pest-vulnerable areas (PVAs). PVAs are any areas where conditions are ideal for the survival of a particular pest – they provide food, shelter, water or other materials the pest needs. These can be indoors or outdoors, such as in kitchens and garbage areas.
Keeping a log of pest sightings is an important step in monitoring. This information can help the pest management professional decide where to focus inspections and trapping efforts. A log can also reveal patterns in pest activity, which may indicate what kinds of preventive measures are needed to keep them away.
In some situations, a threshold may be zero. For example, a facility may have zero tolerance for the presence of bacteria in operating rooms and other sterile environments. Monitoring in these situations is very intense and occurs on a regular basis.
Other circumstances, however, call for a more moderate approach to pest control. In these situations, it is important to develop a pest monitoring strategy that takes into account the level of damage to the environment, human health or safety, and quality of a crop. Generally, monitoring is conducted regularly and includes the use of various types of traps and baits.
