Pest Control focuses on stopping pests from damaging plants, animals and buildings. This is done through preventive measures like cleaning up cluttered areas and closing off places where pests breed. Physical pest controls include traps and bait stations.

Monitoring pests allows you to know how many there are and what damage they’ve caused. This information helps you decide if they can be tolerated or need to be controlled. Contact High Rock Pest Control now!

Preventing pests before they become a problem is the best way to protect yourself and your property. It can be as simple as keeping doors and windows closed, especially when you’re not home to keep them shut, or making sure the screens are in good shape. Prevention also includes eliminating food sources and water, and blocking pest entryways. Store foods in tightly sealed containers, remove garbage regularly, and fix leaky pipes. Eliminate places for pests to breed and hide, like stacks of newspapers, books or cardboard boxes. Clean counters, tables and floors on a regular basis to eliminate crumbs and other potential breeding grounds. And don’t forget to check the yard, as landscaping that comes in contact with buildings provides a route for pests to enter.

Pest control techniques can be categorized as physical or chemical. Physical methods kill or block the pest directly, while chemical controls change an environment to make it unsuitable for the pests. Both methods need to be combined for effective pest control. Chemical controls include traps, baits, sprays, and powders. Chemicals are often more convenient than physical control, but it’s important to use them carefully and read the pesticide label for instructions and safety warnings.

It’s also important to know the difference between continuous and sporadic pests. Continuous pests are present year round and require constant monitoring and control measures, while sporadic pests appear infrequently and can be controlled under certain conditions. Knowing this distinction can help you decide whether it’s time to call in the pest control experts. They’ll be able to offer advice on the best strategies for your specific situation.

Suppression

Pests are undesirable organisms that negatively affect crops, livestock and other plants, human health and well-being, and property. Pests can be insects, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, viruses, weeds or vertebrate animals such as rodents and birds. Pests can also displace native species, alter soil health and nutrient content, alter terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems, and disrupt the ecological balance of humans and other organisms.

Control of pests is usually accomplished through a combination of prevention, suppression, and eradication methods. Prevention tactics include using pest-free seeds and transplants, irrigation scheduling to avoid situations conducive to disease development, field sanitation procedures, cleaning tillage and harvesting equipment between fields or operations, monitoring for pest presence by trapping or scouting, and managing environmental factors that limit habitat for pests.

The environment can limit pest populations through natural controls such as weather and topography. Physical controls such as fences and barriers can prevent pests from entering or leaving a site. Natural or synthetic chemicals can be used to directly impact pest populations and to modify the environment to make it less suitable for them.

When pest populations reach unacceptable injury levels based on economic, health or esthetic considerations, control measures must be taken. These levels, commonly known as thresholds, have been established for many pests.

Suppression of pests is done by reducing their ability to reproduce or feed, by making them sick or infirm, or by killing them. This may be achieved through pathogens such as bacteria, fungi and protozoans that infect and reduce the rate of feeding and growth of insect pests and nematodes that attack weeds and other plants, or by direct toxic effects on the insects, weeds and other organisms.

Biological control uses naturally occurring organisms to control pests by predation, parasitism or herbivory. Biological pest control requires extensive research into the biology of potential natural enemies, their interactions with other organisms, and the possibility of unintended consequences (such as negative impacts on native species that are not pests or on other natural enemy populations). Once suitable natural enemies have been identified, they must be collected, quarantined to eliminate pathogens and parasites, and then released into the environment in small batches or inundatively.

Eradication

Pest control is important to safeguarding public health because of the diseases carried by some pests, preserving agriculture and food supplies, protecting property from damage, and maintaining ecological balance by preventing invasive species from disrupting ecosystems. It is generally accomplished through the use of chemical and non-chemical methods.

Historically, the most common method of pest control was extermination. This involved spraying buildings or rooms with chemicals designed to kill or repel pests. This is still sometimes used, especially in sensitive situations such as library collections or food preparation environments, but it is increasingly being replaced by less toxic methods like IPM and biological control.

Chemicals that are used to kill or repel pests are called pesticides. They are often sprayed over wide areas, but targeted treatments may also be used to get rid of small pockets of pests that have remained despite other methods. If a home or business owner decides to use pesticides, they should always hire a licensed professional and carefully read the label before applying any product indoors. Pesticides should never be applied to bare skin or in breathing zones. When spraying, pesticides should be aimed at the most likely source of the pest—the insect, rodent or weed. Before spraying, a homeowner or business should try to remove any possible food sources or water sources for the pests, such as repairing leaky pipes, trimming back bushes, sealing trash cans, and eliminating clutter.

The term pesticide is derived from the Latin word eradica, which means “to pull up by the roots.” As a result, many people think of eradicating pests as a literal uprooting. However, the most accurate meaning of the word is actually to destroy a pest population through sterility or euthanasia.

This is a non-toxic method of eliminating unwanted insects and rodents in libraries. It involves freezing or exposing specimens to oxygen deprivation to slow down or kill them. It is a good alternative to the more harmful chemicals that are typically used in libraries, but it should only be employed in extreme situations. It is best combined with IPM or other non-chemical approaches to pest control.

Biological Control

Biological control uses predators, parasitoids and pathogens to suppress pest populations. It reduces the use of chemical pesticides and can be used as part of an integrated pest management program. Preserving existing natural enemies and introducing new ones are the keys to successful biological control. It can be used to control insects, mites, nematodes, weeds and vertebrates.

UC’s biological control program is involved in a variety of projects. Many of these are focused on restoring the role of native organisms in managing pest populations. Some focus on promoting landscape practices that enhance the survival of beneficial organisms. For example, agroforestry techniques, minimizing soil compaction and planting flowers for insect pollinators can all help to promote the abundance of natural enemies that can keep pest populations in check.

One type of biological control, called classic biological control or importation, is used against exotic (non-native) species that have been introduced into new environments. These species often arrive without their natural enemies, so that their populations can quickly explode and potentially become invasive, taking over habitats that were occupied by native organisms. Classical biological control involves expeditions to the locations of the original habitats of these introduced species, studying and collecting potential natural enemies that can kill or otherwise interfere with the pest, and then shipping them back for testing and release.

The key to success with biological control is in accurate identification of the pest (often down to the species level). Once a suitable natural enemy is identified, it must undergo extensive quarantine to ensure that it does not carry unwanted diseases or parasites. It must also be adapted to the environment and pest at the time of its release, with careful consideration given to the timing of natural enemy and pest life cycles.

Relatively few or literally millions of the natural enemy can be released, either on a seasonal basis or “inundatively.” Inoculative releases are frequently used in greenhouse production. Some natural enemies, such as Bacillus thuringiensis and entomopathogenic nematodes, are available commercially in the form of a microbial pesticide.