Pest control refers to the regulation or management of a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 defined as a pest, usually because it is perceived to be detrimental to a person's health

Health

Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

, the ecology

Ecology

Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...

 or the economy

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

.

History

Pest control is at least as old as agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

, as there has always been a need to keep crops free from pests. In order to maximize food production, it is advantageous to protect crops from competing species of plants, as well as from herbivore

Herbivore

Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...

s competing with humans.

The conventional approach was probably the first to be employed, since it is comparatively easy to destroy weeds by burning them or plowing them under, and to kill larger competing herbivores, such as crows and other birds eating seeds

Seed predation

Seed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores feed on the seeds of plants as a main or exclusive food source, in many cases leaving the seeds damaged and not viable...

. Techniques such as crop rotation

Crop rotation

Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation confers various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals...

, companion planting

Companion planting

Companion planting is the planting of different crops in proximity , on the theory that they assist each other in nutrient uptake, pest control, pollination, and other factors necessary to increasing crop productivity...

 (also known as intercropping or mixed cropping), and the selective breeding

Selective breeding

Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...

 of pest-resistant cultivars  have a long history.

In the UK, following concern about animal welfare, humane pest control and deterrence is gaining ground through the use of animal psychology rather than destruction. For instance, with the urban Red Fox

Red Fox

The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...

 which territorial behaviour is used against the animal, usually in conjunction with non-injurious chemical repellents. In rural areas of Britain, the use of firearms for pest control is quite common. Airguns are particularly popular for control of small pests such as rats, rabbits and grey squirrels, because of their lower power they can be used in more restrictive spaces such as gardens, where using a firearm would be unsafe.

Chemical pesticides date back 4,500 years, when the Sumerians used sulfur

Sulfur

Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...

 compounds as insecticides. The Rig Veda, which is about 4,000 years old, also mentions the use of poisonous plants for pest control. It was only with the industrialization and mechanization

Mechanization

Mechanization or mechanisation is providing human operators with machinery that assists them with the muscular requirements of work or displaces muscular work. In some fields, mechanization includes the use of hand tools...

 of agriculture in the 18th and 19th century, and the introduction of the insecticides pyrethrum

Pyrethrum

Pyrethrum refers to several Old World plants of the genus Chrysanthemum which are cultivated as ornamentals for their showy flower heads. Pyrethrum is also the name of a natural insecticide made from the dried flower heads of C. cinerariifolium and C...

 and derris

Derris

Derris is a climbing leguminous plant of Southeast Asia and the southwest Pacific islands, including New Guinea. Its roots contain rotenone, a strong insecticide and fish poison....

 that chemical pest control became widespread. In the 20th century, the discovery of several synthetic insecticide

Insecticide

An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...

s, such as DDT

DDT

DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....

, and herbicide

Herbicide

Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...

s boosted this development. Chemical pest control is still the predominant type of pest control today, although its long-term effects led to a renewed interest in traditional and biological pest control

Biological pest control

Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms...

 towards the end of the 20th century.

Causes

Many pests have only become a problem because of the direct actions of humans. Modifying these actions can often substantially reduce the pest problem. In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, raccoon

Raccoon

Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...

s caused a nuisance by tearing open refuse sacks. Many householders introduced bins with locking lids, which deterred the raccoons from visiting. House flies tend to accumulate wherever there is human activity and is virtually a global phenomenon, especially where food or food waste is exposed. Similarly, seagulls have become pests at many seaside resorts. Tourists would often feed the birds with scraps of fish and chips

Fish and chips

Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...

, and before long, the birds would become dependent on this food source and act aggressively towards humans.

Living organisms evolve and increase their resistance to biological, chemical, physical or any other form of control. Unless the target population is completely exterminated or is rendered incapable of reproduction, the surviving population will inevitably acquire a tolerance of whatever pressures are brought to bear - this results in an evolutionary arms race

Evolutionary arms race

In evolutionary biology, an evolutionary arms race is an evolutionary struggle between competing sets of co-evolving genes that develop adaptations and counter-adaptations against each other, resembling an arms race, which are also examples of positive feedback...

.

Biological pest control

Biological pest control

Biological pest control

Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms...

 is the control of one through the control and management of natural predators and parasites. For example: mosquitoes are often controlled by putting Bt Bacillus thuringiensis

Bacillus thuringiensis

Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacterium, commonly used as a biological pesticide; alternatively, the Cry toxin may be extracted and used as a pesticide. B...

ssp. israelensis, a bacterium that infects and kills mosquito larvae, in local water sources. The treatment has no known negative consequences on the remaining ecology and is safe for humans to drink. The point of biological pest control, or any natural pest control, is to eliminate a pest with minimal harm to the ecological balance of the environment in its present form.

Elimination of breeding grounds

Proper waste management and drainage of still water, eliminates the breeding ground of many pests.

Garbage provides food and shelter for many unwanted organisms, as well as an area where still water might collect and be used as a breeding ground by mosquitoes. Communities that have proper garbage collection and disposal, have far less of a problem with rats, cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies and other pests than those that don't.

Open air sewers are ample breeding ground for various pests as well. By building and maintaining a proper sewer system, this problem is eliminated.

Poisoned bait

Poisoned bait is a common method for controlling rat populations, however is not as effective when there are other food sources around, such as garbage. Poisoned meats have been used for centuries for killing off wolves, birds that were seen to threaten crops, and against other creatures.
this tool is also used to manage several caterpillars eg.Spodoptera litura,fruit flies,snails and slugs,crabs etc..

Field burning

Traditionally, after a sugar cane harvest, the fields are all burned, to kill off any insects or eggs that might be in the fields.

Hunting

Historically, in some European countries, when stray dogs and cats became too numerous, local populations gathered together to round up all animals that did not appear to have an owner and kill them. In some nations, teams of rat catchers work at chasing rats from the field, and killing them with dogs and simple hand tools. Some communities have in the past employed a bounty system, where a town clerk will pay a set fee for every rat head brought in as proof of a rat killing.

Traps

Traps have been used for killing off mice found in houses, for killing wolves, and for capturing raccoons and stray cats and dogs for disposal by town officials.

Poison spray

Spraying poisons by planes, hand held units, or trucks that carry the spraying equipment, is a common method of pest control. Throughout the United States of America, towns often drive a town owned truck around once or twice a week to each street, spraying for mosquitoes. Crop dusters commonly fly over farmland and spray poison to kill off pest that would threaten the crops. Many find spraying poison around their yard, homes, or businesses, far more desirable than allowing insects to thrive there.

Space fumigation

A project that involves a structure be covered or sealed airtight followed by the introduction of a penetrating, deadly gas at a killing concentration a long period of time (24-72hrs.). Although expensive, space fumigation

Fumigation

Fumigation is a method of pest control that completely fills an area with gaseous pesticides—or fumigants—to suffocate or poison the pests within. It is utilized for control of pests in buildings , soil, grain, and produce, and is also used during processing of goods to be imported or...

 targets all life stages of pests.

Space treatment

A long term project involving fogging or misting type applicators. Liquid insecticide is dispersed in the atmosphere within a structure. Treatments do not require the evacuation or airtight sealing of a building, allowing most work within the building to continue but at the cost of the penetrating effects. Contact insecticides are generally used, minimizing the long lasting residual effects. On August 10, 1973, the Federal Register

Federal Register

The Federal Register , abbreviated FR, or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains most routine publications and public notices of government agencies...

 printed the definition of Space treatment as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎ (EPA):

Sterilization

Laboratory studies conducted with U-5897 (3-chloro-1,2-propanediol) where attempted in the early 1970s although these proved unsuccessful. Research into sterilization bait is ongoing.

Another effective method of soil sterilization is soil steaming

Soil steam sterilization

Soil steam sterilization is a farming technique that sterilizes soil with steam in open fields or greenhouses. Pests of plant cultures such as weeds, bacteria, fungi and viruses are killed through induced hot steam which causes their cell structure to physically degenerate. Biologically, the...

. Pest is killed through hot steam which is induced into the soil.

Destruction of infected plants

Forest services sometimes destroy all the trees in an area where some are infected with insects, if seen as necessary to prevent the insect species from spreading. Farms infested with certain insects, have been burned entirely, to prevent the pest from spreading elsewhere.

Natural rodent control

Several wildlife rehabilitation

Wildlife rehabilitation

Wildlife rehabilitation is the process of removing from the wild and caring for injured, orphaned, or sick wild animals. The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to provide the food, housing and medical care of these animals, returning them to the wild after treatment.-Process:Rehabilitation begins...

 organizations encourage natural form of rodent control through exclusion and predator support and preventing secondary poisoning altogether.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ agrees, noting in its Proposed Risk Mitigation Decision for Nine Rodenticides that “without habitat modification to make areas less attractive to commensal rodents, even eradication will not prevent new populations from recolonizing the habitat.”

Repellents

• Balsam fir oil from the tree Abies balsamea is an EPA approved non-toxic rodent repellent.
• Acacia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha
  Acacia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha
  Acacia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha is a perennial tree native to Africa. Common names for it are Whitethorn and Witdoring. It is not listed as being a threatened species. Its uses include wood and medicine.-Repellent uses:...
  
   root emits chemical compound
  Chemical compound
  A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
  
  s that repel animals including crocodiles, snakes and rat
  Rat
  Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
  
  s.

See also

• Animal repellent
  Animal repellent
  Animal repellents are products designed to keep certain animals away from objects, areas, people, plants, or other animals.-Overview:Repellents generally work by taking advantage of an animal's natural aversion to something, and often the thing chosen is something that the animal has learned to...
  
  
• Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers
  Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers
  The Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers is an international not-for-profit professional association representing the biological pest management industry....
  
  
• Bird control spike
  Bird control spike
  A bird control spike, also known as an anti-roosting spike or roost modification, is a device consisting of long, needle-like rods used for bird control. They can be attached to building ledges, street lighting, and commercial signage to prevent wild or feral birds from perching or roosting...
  
  
• Crop rotation
  Crop rotation
  Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation confers various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals...
  
  
• Disease
  Disease
  A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
  
   control
• E B Meyer Inc.
  E B Meyer Inc.
  E B Meyer Inc., also called E B Meyer Inc. dba Meyer Industries, is a U.S. private manufacturing firm located in a small town in Emmett, Idaho that produces Pest Control device called the Rodenator.- History:...
  
  
• Insect repellent
  Insect repellent
  An insect repellent is a substance applied to skin, clothing, or other surfaces which discourages insects from landing or climbing on that surface. There are also insect repellent products available based on sound production, particularly ultrasound...
  
  
• Insectary plants
  Insectary plants
  Insectary plants is a term used to describe plants that attract insects. As such, beneficial insectary plants are intentionally introduced into an ecosystem to increase pollen resources and nectar resources required by the natural enemies of harmful or unwanted insect pests...
  
  
• International Organization for Biological Control
  International Organization for Biological Control
  The International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants is usually referred to as the International Organization for Biological Control or IOBC...
  
  
• Inundative application
  Inundative application
  Inundative biological control refers to the release of overwhelming numbers of a mass-produced biological control agent in the expectation of achieving a rapid reduction of a pest population without necessarily achieving continuing impact....
  
  
• Invasive species
  Invasive species
  "Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
  
  
• List of common household pests
• List of politically endorsed exterminations of animals
• Mosquito control
  Mosquito control
  Mosquito control manages the population of mosquitoes to reduce their damage to human health, economies, and enjoyment. Mosquito control is a vital public-health practice throughout the world and especially in the tropics because mosquitoes spread many diseases, such as malaria.Mosquito-control...
  
  
• National Pest Technicians Association
  National Pest Technicians Association
  The National Pest Technicians Association is a professional trade association for pest control companies in the UK, with over 850 total memberships. Pests concerned with include rodents, certain vertebrate pests The National Pest Technicians Association is a professional trade association for pest...
  
   (in the UK)
• Pesticide application
  Pesticide application
  Pesticide application refers to the practical way in which pesticides, are delivered to their biological targets...
  
  
• Pesticide control
• Poison shyness
  Poison shyness
  Poison shyness - a behavioural phenomenon observed in animals.When pest control is in use some animals , which previously ingested sublethal doses of poison can subsequently detect and therefore avoid these poisoned baits in the future.It is believed, that the animals can make the connection...
  
  
• Radio wave pest control
  Radio wave pest control
  The Concept of radio wave or radio frequency in the use of controlling the behavior of living organisms have been speculated on for years. Only recently, studies have shown promise in using this technology in commercial applications.According to Drs...
  
  
• Rat-catcher
  Rat-catcher
  Rat-catching is the occupation of catching rats as a form of pest control. In developed countries the role may be merged with, or the title inflated to, Pest Control Operative or Pest Technician....
  
  
• Rat trap
  Rat trap
  A rat trap is a trap designed to catch rats.Rats are suspicious of new objects and traps with only one entrance. If they see other rats have been trapped they may avoid the trap. Traps which do not address these issues are likely to catch only young, inexperienced rats, not the older ones.Spring...
  
  
• Rat baiting
• Remote-controlled animal
  Remote-controlled animal
  A remote-controlled animal is controlled via a radio link. Electrodes have to be implanted in the animal's brain and it has to carry a receiver . The electrodes do not move the animal directly, as one would move a robot; instead, they are used to signal its desired direction or action, then...
  
  
• Sterile insect technique
  Sterile insect technique
  The sterile insect technique is a method of biological control, whereby overwhelming numbers of sterile insects are released. The released insects are normally male as it is the female that causes the damage, usually by laying eggs in the crop, or, in the case of mosquitoes, taking a bloodmeal from...
  
  
• Varmint hunting
• Weed control
  Weed control
  Weed control is the botanical component of pest control, using physical and chemical methods to stop weeds from reaching a mature stage of growth when they could be harmful to domesticated plants and livestock...
  
  
• Wildlife management
  Wildlife management
  Wildlife management attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. Wildlife management can include game keeping, wildlife conservation and pest control...
  
  
• Residential Pest Control

External links

• Global-solutions pest free solutions
• National Pest Management Association
• Pest control tactics
• Pesticide application network
• Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers - trade association of the biological control industry
• Pest management information from Preservation Department of Stanford University Libraries
• National Pest Technicians Association,England U.K
• Pest Exterminator
• UF/IFAS Pest Alert Web site - arthropod
  Arthropod
  An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
  
  s, nematode
  Nematode
  The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...
  
  s and plant diseases affecting humans, livestock/pets, agricultural and ornamental plants
• Pest Control Tips from Pest Control Professionals.