Pests like mice, rats, and cockroaches can carry bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants that make food unsafe and damage buildings and crops.

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The identification of pests, whether weeds, insects, animals, or microorganisms, is an essential first step in developing an integrated pest management strategy. It helps determine the appropriate controls, avoid injury to beneficial organisms, and reduce the use of toxic chemicals.

Several biological control agents are available to help manage some common pests. Preserving and utilizing natural enemies (predators) is often the preferred control method when possible, but chemical controls may be used if other means do not provide adequate pest suppression.

Correct identification is important because some pests can have similar physical forms, and others change appearance depending on their age or life stage. In addition, pests may be present in locations and conditions that make them difficult to recognize.

Working with local experts, such as county extension services or a pest management professional, is a good way to learn to identify pests. Many people can also offer advice on the best controls for specific pest problems.

Scouting, or regularly searching for and identifying pests and their damage, is an important component of integrated pest management. Regular scouting can alert you to problems before the pest populations become damaging and allow you to implement preventive measures.

Once you have determined a pest’s identity, it is helpful to know what foods it prefers, what environmental and harborage conditions it requires, how it reproduces, and other key biological information. This will allow you to develop an IPM plan that can eliminate or reduce the pests without using harmful chemicals.

For example, if you discover that the problem pest is cockroaches, you can dehumidify and store papers and books in containers, and set roach bait to kill them. If flies are the problem, you can locate the breeding site, which is often a decaying animal carcass or garbage, and clean it up.

If a particular insect has been identified, you can select an appropriate, approved insecticide that is specific to the order of the pest, such as Bacillus thuringiensis for caterpillars, moths and other lepidoptera. If the pest is a vertebrate, you can choose an appropriate rodenticide or a non-toxic bait. Using the correct application technique is equally as important as selecting the right pesticide.

Pest Prevention

A pest problem can be avoided or reduced by modifying the environment in which it occurs. This may include altering the food supply or removing available food, water, shelter and other resources that might attract or support pests. Good sanitation practices also help prevent pest problems and reduce the carryover of pests from one area to another.

For example, insects are less likely to enter homes if windows are kept closed and the roof is well caulked. Trash should be taken out regularly and the contents of garbage cans covered. Open trash containers are a common pest attraction. Food should be stored in the refrigerator or in tightly sealed containers. In addition, the removal of overwintering material in spring can prevent many insect problems.

Many pests can be controlled without the use of pesticides at all by making the environment more unfavorable for them. This can be done by changing the food, water or shelter supply; introducing natural enemies; or utilizing sterile insects or other biological controls. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on longterm prevention of pests or their damage through monitoring, inspection, and treatment on an as needed basis with the least risk to people, beneficial organisms, plants and the environment.

Pesticides are most effective during certain windows of opportunity, which vary by pest. Understanding the life cycle of the pest makes it easier to target control tactics during these windows. For example, weeds are most easily controlled by targeting them when they are seedlings or young transplants, while insect infestations can be more effectively managed by targeting them in their egg, larval, nymphal, or pupal stages.

In addition, the use of less toxic or nontoxic materials is often preferable to more chemically intensive treatments. When chemicals must be used, they should be applied only as needed, according to product label directions. Never apply more than the recommended amount, as this can cause harm to humans or other organisms.

Natural forces act on all organisms, causing their populations to rise and fall. While these forces cannot be altered, they can be balanced by identifying the factors that make an area unfavorable to pests and by implementing preventive measures. These might include improving sanitation, modifying food handling practices, maintaining temperature, moisture and lighting conditions in collections areas that are inhospitable to pests, and installing barriers or traps to prevent pest entry into buildings.

Pest Suppression

Pests are organisms, such as weeds, insects, vertebrates, fungi, nematodes or viruses, that damage plants and disrupt human food production, natural habitats, lawns, gardens, crops and other properties. The pests may also threaten the health of humans and animals, displace native species and alter soil, water or air quality. Pest control involves reducing the numbers of the organisms to an acceptable level and doing so with as little harm as possible to everything else. Pesticides can be used, but are most effective when paired with preventive techniques.

The goal of integrated pest management (IPM) is to prevent pests or their damage through nonchemical methods before using chemicals. This can be done by removing the food, water or shelter of the pest, blocking access to areas where they live, changing cultural practices, and planting resistant varieties. Monitoring pest activity is vital in IPM, and records should be used to guide future prevention and suppression activities.

In some cases, the natural enemies of a pest can limit their population through predation, parasitism or other means. This is known as biological control, and it can be supplemented through the mass rearing and release of natural enemies or through “enhanced” or modified natural enemies, such as predatory mites that are bred to target specific insect species, or the introduction of sterile males to reduce mating success.

Chemicals that are used to destroy or repel a pest include herbicides, such as glyphosate (Roundup), kaolin clay and neem oil, and pheromones (the chemical signals that an insect emits to attract or confuse mates). Nematodes, microscopic roundworms that feed on the roots of plants, can be added to soil to suppress plant-parasitic nematodes. Insects that transmit diseases, such as thrips and caterpillars, can be controlled with biological agents such as bacteria or virus-based biopesticides.

When all other methods fail, pesticides can be used as a last resort to eliminate the pest and its damaging effects. They must be chosen, applied and monitored according to strict guidelines to ensure they do not pose a risk of harming beneficial or nontarget organisms or the environment.

Pesticides

Pesticides are chemicals that destroy or disrupt the life cycles of organisms that cause damage or nuisance. They can be synthetic, created in industrial labs, or organic. They can be used in agriculture, on pets, and in homes. The ideal pesticide would kill its target while causing minimal harm to humans, non-target plants, or the environment. Unfortunately, no pesticide is perfect and they all have side effects.

The type of pesticide depends on the problem. Insecticides reduce destruction of crops and contamination of food stores by insects. Fungicides prevent spoilage of harvested crops and seeds by fungi. Herbicides control destruction and contamination of growing and harvested crops by weeds. Rodenticides protect the health of livestock and people by controlling rodents that carry diseases.

Many pesticides are toxic to humans and pets. They can be absorbed through the skin, eaten or inhaled. Some are persistent (do not break down easily) in the environment and can accumulate in fatty tissue. They can also pollute water and soil. Many have been linked to human health problems, from short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea, to long-term impacts such as cancer and reproductive harm.

There are a number of ways to minimize the use of pesticides, including:

Preventing Pest Invasion

Before using any pesticide, consider preventive measures. Clutter provides places for pests to hide and breed, so get rid of it. Seal and close off spaces where pests can enter the home, such as cracks and crevices.

Choosing Natural Methods

Biological methods of pest control use living organisms to help eliminate infestations. They involve less risk to people and the environment than chemical pesticides, but they can take some time to be effective.

Choose Integrated Pest Management to reduce the use of pesticides. This approach uses a combination of prevention, monitoring, and intervention techniques. It may include using beneficial organisms to control pests, such as ladybugs that eat aphids, green lacewings that feed on spider mites, or ground beetles that consume termites. It also involves using mechanical and physical controls, such as setting traps for pests or covering plants with tarps to protect them from birds that eat them.