Pests cause structural damage, spread diseases, and make food unsafe. They can also be extremely difficult to eliminate, especially when established.
Preventive measures include removing food, water, and shelter sources and fixing leaks. Mechanical controls include traps and barriers. Chemical controls include insecticides and herbicides. Contact Pest Control In Bakersfield now!
Pest control programs need to focus on prevention in addition to regular inspections. A preventive program looks for conditions that encourage pests to enter a building in search of food, water, shelter, or other resources and eliminates those conditions.
For example, pests are drawn to moisture, so reducing humidity by keeping vents open and using dehumidifiers can help prevent infestations. Pests are also drawn to food, so storing all foods in airtight containers, removing trash regularly, and cleaning counters, sinks, and tables regularly will help keep them away. Finally, pests need water to regulate their bodies, so removing sources of standing water, such as clogged gutters and leaking pipes, will help reduce pest infestations.
A pest infestation can damage a structure and pose health risks for humans and pets. Hiring a pest control company can help identify infestation hot spots and create treatment plans that include sealing gaps, trapping and spraying with pesticides. Pest control professionals are trained to use chemicals in a responsible manner that minimizes risk to people, pets and the environment.
In addition, pests are often attracted to wood, so eliminating piles of wood and ensuring that trees and shrubs are not touching a structure can help prevent an invasion. Paying attention to auditory cues like scratching and scurrying sounds can also be helpful, as they can indicate that there is an infestation.
While pests will always need some human intervention, taking steps to promote sustainability and prevent infestation can greatly lower the need for intervention. A professional pest control technician can help identify and remove food and water sources that are attracting pests, and ensure that landscaping and other infrastructure do not provide easy access to buildings.
A professional pest control company can also take a proactive approach by educating the public about proper food storage and disposal practices. For instance, storing all foods in the refrigerator and keeping counters and sinks clean will help keep pests at bay. Similarly, placing garbage cans in the middle of a lawn rather than close to a house will help keep pests from finding them.
Suppression
If you hear scratching, scurrying or squeaking sounds in your walls, attic, basement or elsewhere in your home, it could be a sign of pest infestation. Infestations can lead to damage and health problems. A few simple steps can help control them.
Preventive pest control involves keeping the house clean, removing food and water sources, and reducing shelter for pests. It is easier and less expensive to prevent pests than it is to get rid of them once they are established. Seal cracks and crevices in the home and repair and caulk windows and doors. Store food in the refrigerator and in sealed containers, and put a screen over drains in sinks and bathtubs. Keep pet areas clean and remove food and water bowls at night. Fix any leaks or standing water, and eliminate clutter to reduce the attractiveness of the home to rodents, cockroaches, ants, termites, bed bugs and other pests.
Pesticides are poisonous substances that kill pests by interfering with their internal processes or by destroying their outer shells. Some also pose health risks to people and other organisms, depending on the kind of pesticide, how much you are exposed and for how long or often.
While pesticides are effective in killing pests, they can also disrupt the balance of nature by killing non-target organisms such as pollinators and beneficial insects. In addition, the broad-spectrum pesticides such as neonicotinoids can cause harmed plants and other organisms that are not targeted by the spray, or even interfere with their normal growth habits.
There are also many other forms of pest control that are less harmful to the environment, other living things and human beings. Biological pest control is one such approach, using predators or parasites to kill the target pest without harming other organisms. The natural predatory mite Amblysieus swirskii, for example, feeds on caterpillars and thrips, while the parasitic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae targets grubs, fleas and cockroaches.
Physical and mechanical controls kill or block pests by blocking their entrance into a space, trapping them or making the environment unsuitable for them to live in. Examples include putting up mousetraps; mowing and mulching the garden to prevent weeds; using diatomaceous earth in the garden for ant control; spraying vinegar solutions on ants’ trails; hanging sticky traps in closets; and placing cinnamon powder in areas where cockroaches are found.
Eradication
Pest control involves eliminating or preventing pests (such as insects, rodents and weeds) from damaging crops or structures. There are many different techniques for controlling pests, including physical methods such as traps and barriers, and chemical methods such as pesticides. An effective pest control program may use a combination of these methods.
Some of the most common physical pest control methods are traps and baits, which are used to capture and kill unwanted pests. Other physical pest control methods include removing their breeding grounds and blocking access to food, water and shelter. Cleaning up the yard and getting rid of cluttered areas where pests can hide is also an important part of keeping them away.
Chemical pest control uses synthetic or organic chemicals to kill or repel pests. Some of these chemicals are highly toxic and can affect humans, pets and the environment. Whenever possible, non-chemical pest control methods should be used.
Biological pest control relies on natural enemies of the pest, such as parasites, predators and pathogens. These enemies can be introduced to the area where the pest is a problem or they can be added to existing populations. There is often a time lag between when the enemy is introduced and when the pest population declines.
There are also a number of natural products on the market that can be used for pest control. For example, the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) releases a protein that is toxic to caterpillars but not to other insects or plants. This can be sprayed directly on the plant or mixed into soil.
In addition to using Bt, gardeners can reduce the number of caterpillars and other pests by planting more resistant varieties of flowers and vegetables. A gardening expert can recommend the best variety for a particular location.
If chemical pesticides are needed, they should be used sparingly and with caution. Whenever possible, the shortest-lived types should be used, since they will degrade more quickly and leave fewer residues to be washed off into streams or rivers. Rotating pesticides and using them in a manner that minimizes spray drift can also help prevent the development of resistance to pesticides.
Monitoring
Pest control programs are a series of actions designed to prevent, remove, or reduce the population of pests. A key component of a successful program is monitoring, which can be done by scouting (checking for pests) or trapping. Using this information, it’s possible to identify the number and type of pests present, whether or not they are reaching unacceptable damage levels, and to determine when to begin control tactics.
When it comes to monitoring, there are a lot of different methods available, with some more sophisticated than others. In general, however, a program needs to be tailored to the specific situation. That means that it will be site, crop or building-specific, with monitoring tools that are matched to the pest’s biology and habitat and the environmental conditions that influence its presence or growth.
The most important tool in a pest monitor’s arsenal is the ability to correctly identify the pest. This is because many organisms, from weeds to insects and fungi, don’t need control and some may even be beneficial. The use of accurate identification allows control measures to be applied only when it’s necessary and to do so in a way that minimizes the chance that a pesticide will be used unnecessarily or improperly, such as by spraying foodstuffs with insecticides.
Most pest monitoring involves looking for and counting pests, either actively with a net, such as a sweep net in agriculture and horticulture, or passively, as with a malaise trap in buildings and other structures. It can also involve examining harborage areas for signs of infestation, such as debris, frass (excrement), and egg masses.
Monitoring is a critical step in IPM, and it’s important that it be performed regularly, often on a daily basis. The frequency of inspections will be determined by the urgency of the situation and the level of pest activity. The inspection should be documented with a logbook that includes: the scope of work, service reports, pest company details, qualification certificates or licenses for the pest control technician and name of the daily contact person; inspection findings (pest activity and types, trap results, monitoring devices, trend analysis); photographic documentation; other relevant environmental information and documents, such as inspection notes, records of treatments, pesticide application records and labels; and monitoring equipment specifications and locations.
