Pest Control O’Fallon MO manages unwanted organisms that damage plants, crops, or structures. It involves a combination of preventive and active control methods.

Some natural forces affect all organisms, causing their numbers to rise and fall. These include climate, natural enemies, food and water supplies, and barriers to entry.

Pests can impact health and safety, damage property, and compromise the environment. Routine pest control can minimize problems before they grow and improve the value of your home or business. It is also vital to the safety of your family and colleagues, as many pests carry dangerous diseases that can be spread to humans and animals. These pests include rodents (rats and mice), roaches, bees, flies, mosquitoes, and termites.

Prevention is an important aspect of pest control because it prevents the need for toxic chemicals and other harmful methods. Monitoring pests and their habitats allows you to determine if an infestation is occurring and how serious the problem is. This information can help you decide whether to employ a specific management strategy or a different approach.

Predicting a pest’s presence or abundance can reduce the need for pesticides and make prevention possible. Continuous pests are often very predictable, while sporadic and potential pests are usually more difficult to predict. Knowing a pest’s life cycle, which habitat it prefers, and the conditions that influence its appearance can improve the ability to predict its behavior.

Monitoring pests also helps you determine which methods are most effective and how often to apply them. For example, certain pesticides require a certain amount of time to take effect, so they need to be applied correctly and at the right intervals. Similarly, many insecticides can be detrimental to beneficial insects, so they should always be used carefully and in a manner that is safe for the environment.

Physical and mechanical controls kill or block pests directly, or make their environment unsuitable for them. For example, traps for rodents, screens and fences, steam sterilization of soil and barriers like walls can all be used to manage pests.

Biological control uses natural enemies of pests to reduce their numbers, such as predators, parasites and pathogens. However, the effectiveness of this method varies and it is not a total eradication technique. It can be supplemented with chemical methods such as releasing sterile males or using pheromones.

Biological Control

Biological control (also known as biocontrol) involves the use of living organisms—predators, parasitoids, or pathogens—to reduce unwanted pest animals and/or plants. Unlike agrochemicals, which may kill both the pest and the beneficial species, biological controls suppress the pest without affecting the non-target organisms. Biological controls can be used in combination with other methods of pest management or on their own. Examples of biological control include predatory insects, plant pathogens, and weed herbivores. Biological control has a long history, dating back to 324 B.C. when Chinese growers began releasing ants into their citrus orchards to keep away pests.

Typically, a species of natural enemy that is native to the target pest’s home range is identified as the most promising candidate for augmentation and introduction into the new location. The candidate is studied and collected in its natural habitat, if possible, to determine how well it will perform. It then undergoes a lengthy quarantine period to ensure that it does not carry any unwanted diseases or parasites that could infect the host. The natural enemy is then reared to a suitable population size and carefully released, with attention to the precise timing of the pest’s life cycle and that of its natural enemy. Follow-up studies are conducted to measure the success of the program and evaluate any unintended consequences.

In the field of biological control, most parasites and pathogens are specialized for attacking a limited number of closely related pest species. For this reason, they are generally more effective than generalist predators and herbivores. Biological control of insect pests, especially invasive arthropods, has been a cornerstone of integrated pest management (IPM) since its inception.

Increasingly, scientists are also focusing on the role of microorganisms—bacteria, viruses, and yeasts—in enhancing biological control programs. These organisms can be introduced to the environment in a variety of ways, including directly into crop fields and forests. These “indirect” biological control agents are sometimes called biostimulants and can be an important component of IPM programs. Biostimulants can complement direct biological control, reduce the need for agrochemicals, and help to stabilize populations of pests by boosting the effectiveness of natural enemies.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Pest management is a critical component of sustainable agro-ecosystems. It reduces costs and minimizes risks to human health, domestic animals, wildlife, the environment, and the economy. It is a thoughtful approach that integrates biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools to prevent or reduce pest damage and promote plant health.

IPM is a decision-making process that uses monitoring and assessment of pest populations, environmental factors, and potential impacts to make the most cost effective use of pest control techniques. IPM combines preventive and treatment methods with emphasis on the avoidance of toxic chemicals. IPM is a sensible alternative to no pest control at all or widespread use of indiscriminate and often unnecessary pesticides.

UC IPM provides a framework for the prevention and control of pests in gardens, farms, or natural areas. IPM strategies focus on making the best use of natural resources to limit the need for chemical controls. They consider the life cycle and behavior of the pests, possible damage, the presence or absence of natural enemies, and other factors that affect population levels. An IPM plan also includes a threshold level that defines when action is needed to control the pests.

Prevention methods are the first step in an IPM program. Proper site selection, planting the right type of plants for a given place, and establishing healthy soil are all important components of a preventive strategy. IPM practices that minimize pests’ access to water, food, and shelter include crop rotation, habitat manipulation, plant disease management, weed removal, and avoiding over fertilization.

When a pest infestation is detected, scouting and monitoring should be used to determine the extent of the problem. In some cases, a combination of preventive measures can eliminate the pest without the need for any chemical treatments. Chemical treatments should be used only when all other options have been exhausted. IPM practices, such as soil testing and weatherization to seal entry points into buildings, are often cost effective in their own right.

The best way to protect children’s health is to prevent pest problems in their schools and day care centers. With IPM, students can learn in healthy environments that are free of biting insects and the diseases they carry. They can also avoid exposure to the many dangerous pesticides that are over-applied or misused in school settings.

Pesticides

A pesticide is any substance that is used to prevent, destroy or control unwanted organisms, including insects, weeds, rodents and pathogens. They are usually sprayed on crops or in gardens and come in many forms, from fungicides to insect repellents to rodenticides. Pesticides are regulated by governments at the federal, provincial and municipal levels through various acts, regulations, guidelines, directives and bylaws. Each has its own risks and effects on the environment, people and wildlife. Proper pesticide use decreases the risk to a level acceptable by regulators.

Pesticides are available in spray cans and granules, in household cleaners and hand soaps, swimming pools and even some foods. They are grouped into chemical families depending on their chemical properties or how they affect the pest. For example, organophosphates kill bugs by interrupting nerve-impulse transmissions (cholinesterase inhibition) and neonicotinoids interfere with the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to cause paralysis.

Some of the most common and effective pesticides are synthetic pyrethroids, carbamates, organophosphates, dioxins and neonicotinoids. These are used to kill or repel insects, weeds, rodents or other organisms, although some also have other undesirable side effects.

While pesticides may seem dangerous, they are important tools in a pest control professional’s arsenal. Pesticides that are overused or improperly applied can have devastating effects, however, and should be used only when other methods aren’t effective.

Properly using pesticides means following the directions on the label carefully. These are not merely suggestions, and failure to follow them can cause health problems for you, your family, pets or other living things. It’s also important to avoid mixing different chemicals, as some combinations can create toxic fumes. Applying outdoor-use pesticides when there’s no wind and the temperature is cool, such as early in the morning or evening, reduces the chance of drifting to other areas.

Unless you choose to live with pests, such as hornets’ nests or a colony of termites, it is often necessary to resort to chemical treatment plans. Obviously, the goal is to get rid of the problem without damaging the home or its occupants. That can require moving furniture, emptying clothing drawers and practically decluttering the home to get into all the nooks and crannies where pests lurk.