Pest control is the attempt to exclude, prevent or eradicate unwanted organisms. Pests are organisms that damage or contaminate crops, animals and structures.

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The goal of suppression is to reduce pest numbers to a level that does not cause unacceptable harm. This can be done with the right combination of control tactics. Control tactics include sanitation, habitat manipulation, biological control, mechanical controls, and chemical (pesticide) control. Correct identification of the pest is also an important part of any pest management program.

Sanitation practices can help prevent and suppress many pests by eliminating the food or shelter they need. For example, garbage cans can be sealed tightly or collected frequently to cut off pest access to food. In agriculture, crop residues can be burned or removed to eliminate pest food sources. Landscaping features such as waterways can restrict pest movement and provide refuge from predators.

In most cases, the best way to reduce pest numbers is to limit their availability of food and shelter. However, in some situations the damage caused by the pest is so great that it requires action even if there are only a few of them present. This is usually the case with rodents and roaches in homes. Threshold levels, or “action thresholds,” have been established for these types of pests.

The basic principles of pest control include prevention, suppression, and eradication. Prevention is keeping pests from becoming a problem; suppression is reducing their numbers to an acceptable level; and eradication is destroying an entire pest population.

Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is a method of controlling pests that includes all the above methods and more. It focuses on using the least amount of pesticides and causing the least possible harm to living organisms and the environment at the treatment site.

The use of several different tactics is important because each tactic has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, trapping and mating disruption can be used to control aphids and other insects that damage plants without the need for pesticides. Likewise, pheromones can confuse males and reduce the number of female insects that produce offspring. In addition, certain genetic elements can drastically reduce the fitness of a target pest population. This approach has the potential to reduce the number of pests in a way that conventional pesticides cannot, but significant technical and regulatory issues need to be addressed before it can be widely applied.

Prevention

Pest control is a process of preventing and eliminating pests that cause unacceptable damage to people or property. It includes actions such as inspections of food processing plants and homes for pest infestation, the use of baits and barriers to prevent pest entry, the sealing of cracks and crevices and the removal of debris that provides hiding places for insects, rodents and other pests. Prevention is the preferred method of pest control as it causes less harm to the environment and people.

Pest identification is the first step in prevention. This is a critical component of integrated pest management (IPM), an approach to managing pests that stresses monitoring, assessment, and treatment as needed rather than blanket application of pesticides. IPM focuses on the prevention of pests from becoming a problem, not just controlling them after they have already invaded.

Threshold levels are set at which a pest population is considered significant enough to warrant action. These thresholds are based on a variety of factors, including esthetic and health concerns as well as economic losses. When a threshold level is reached, an action plan is developed to reduce the population of pests to acceptable levels.

Many pests are predictable and can be controlled before they become a major nuisance. For example, plant diseases that destroy valuable crops are often triggered by specific environmental conditions. If the conditions are not present, the disease is unlikely to occur. This is why IPM focuses on monitoring plant growth and condition as the basis for decision making about pest control.

Scouting and monitoring are the best ways to find and deal with pests before they become a problem. This includes checking on a regular basis, anywhere from daily to weekly, depending on the pest and the environment. It also involves knowing the pest’s habits, such as where it goes and how it gets there. This information helps in predicting when the pest will reach its threshold level and determining which physical, biological or chemical methods to apply for control.

The best preventive measure is to get rid of all possible pest habitats. Clutter such as piles of wood and stacks of paper should be cleared away; garbage cans should be tightly covered; and food should be stored in containers with tight lids. Close off places where pests can hide, such as caulking cracks and crevices and using steel wool to cover holes around piping. Also, spray a good quality repellant, such as those made with natural ingredients like garlic or cinnamon, around the exterior of a home or commercial establishment on a regular basis.

Biological Control

Biological control involves using predators and parasitoids, often in conjunction with herbicides, to manage unwanted insects, weeds, or diseases. Its importance is illustrated by the sudden and devastating outbreak of spider mites that often results from the broad-spectrum residual insecticide application of carbamates or organophosphates.

Generally, the goal of biological control is to bring pest populations below economic thresholds or ecological damage levels. Its success is often enhanced by the use of nonpersistent chemical pesticides that are less harmful to natural enemies that migrate into a field after a spray treatment.

One major subset of biological control is called classical or importation biology, which focuses on introducing exotic (non-native) natural enemies into a new environment. This is often necessary when an invasive species arrives in a new location without its native predators and becomes abundant. Scientists go to the pest’s native habitat, study and collect its natural enemies, then ship promising ones back for release in the area that needs control. This is often effective in controlling a wide range of invasive insects and weeds.

Another type of biological control is augmentative or inundative biology, which aims to flood an area with natural enemy agents in order to overwhelm and suppress pest populations. This strategy is used for some weeds, including certain bamboos, and some caterpillars and beetles. It is also an important part of the approach to aphid control in citrus plantings. In many cases, this is the only way to achieve satisfactory control of some weeds and caterpillars.

There is also a third category of biological control, conservation biology, which seeks to conserve naturally occurring natural enemies rather than to stimulate their numbers or actions. For example, channels are dug in a salt marsh to connect pools of water so that naturally-occurring fish can access them; this provides a food source for the native mosquito-eating fish. Another example is the practice of leaving plots of a weed untreated in a sugarcane field to provide a food source for the grub-eating wasp that controls white grubs. This conserves the wasp population, reduces grub damage to sugarcane, and decreases the need for insecticides.

Environmental Control

Environmental control is the use of natural resources to control pests without releasing chemicals. This may include the introduction of natural enemies (parasites, predators, pathogens) into an environment to reduce pest populations below economic damage levels. This can also be accomplished by modifying the environment, such as altering water or temperature to disrupt pest growth and reproduction. Physical and mechanical controls are often used to reduce pests, such as trapping, netting, fencing, and the use of radiation and electricity.

Chemical pesticides can have serious health and safety implications, especially for humans. Many are highly toxic and can cause a wide variety of side effects, from minor nausea and vomiting to long-term neurological problems, including depression. They can also harm the ecosystem, contaminate waterways and soil, and degrade biodiversity. Some pesticides have even been shown to be carcinogenic.

Using environmentally safe methods of pest control helps to keep children, pets, and the surrounding ecosystem safe. These methods can be as simple as using pheromones to prevent pests from mating or as complex as spraying with non-specific pesticides to eradicate an infestation. Evaluating the benefits and risks of each tactic is important in choosing the right method.

An effective pest control strategy must take into account the type and extent of the pest problem, the desired outcome, the environment in which the pests are present, and local, State, and Federal laws that relate to this situation. Choosing the correct tactics and applying them correctly is vital for successful pest control.

A pest is an organism that interferes with a desirable plant or animal, damages human structures and crops, or causes other economic or environmental harm. Examples of pests include insects, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, weeds, and vertebrates such as rodents, birds, and fish. Pests can also include disease-carrying organisms such as viruses, and weedy plants such as kudzu, mustard, and nightshade. Some pests are continuous, such as cockroaches and termites, while others are sporadic or migratory. Some are invasive and can displace native species, while other pests simply cause nuisance or annoyance. Some pests are parasites, which live on or in another species for the purpose of obtaining food.