Some pests can be hard to detect, especially in hidden areas. But soft scraping or tapping sounds can be a telltale sign of termites, and stale odors are a clue to cockroaches.
A visual inspection of a property can also reveal pest droppings, gnats, and flies. Other signs include tooth marks or smears on electrical cables, which can be a fire hazard. Contact Exceed Pest Control now!
To develop an effective pest control strategy, it is important to begin by accurately identifying the pests at hand. This can be done through some methods, including examining pests themselves or their damage, and learning to recognize pest behaviors. This knowledge can help to identify the best way to manage a particular pest, such as through sanitation or cultural practices. It can also help to determine whether or not a particular pest is a continuous problem, a sporadic one, or simply an issue that arises from time to time.
Identification may also be done through the use of various pest signs, such as characteristic damage to plants or structures, the presence of egg masses or nymphs, and even the odors left behind by certain pest species. These odors can serve as warnings to keep away from a given area or can help to locate the source of a pest problem such as rotten food, urine, or feces.
Many pests look different at each stage of their life cycle or during different times of the year. For instance, a weed seedling looks much different than a mature weed plant. It is important to identify the pest that is invading in order to ensure that management tactics are correctly timed and targeted.
For example, if an institution has problems with rodents entering buildings, proper pest identification can allow for the removal of their food and shelter sources. This can be accomplished by locating and eliminating their breeding sites such as stale or rotting foods, animal dung, or garbage. Once these are removed, the problems with rodents will resolve themselves.
Vertebrate pests such as insects or rodents that have invaded a home or business can be difficult to identify. MMPC’s Free Pest ID Center can analyze a physical specimen (or pictures of the mystery pest) and provide the results, along with suggestions for treatment. The identification of a pest can also provide critical information for an integrated pest management plan, such as what the pest feeds on, where it breeds, and how often it reproduces.
Pest Prevention
Pests are more than just nuisances – they can carry and spread disease, contaminate food, damage property and annoy people. The best way to control pests is to prevent them from entering buildings or gaining a foothold in the first place. This includes keeping the environment unattractive to them with cleaning, sanitation and maintenance programs. It can also include implementing preventative methods such as blocking entry points, using traps and baits, and installing screens, rodent proofing and other barriers to entry.
Pest prevention is a partnership between the client and pest management professional. The responsibilities of each party are clearly defined in terms of what the client is responsible for and what is the responsibility of the pest management professional. A preventive program can include pest trend analysis, risk assessment, exclusion, sanitation and maintenance, cultural practices and monitoring.
The use of pesticides is usually a last resort and should be used only when non-toxic methods fail or are impractical. It is important to carefully read and follow pesticide product labels. Pesticides can be dangerous to people, pets and plants. It is particularly important to keep children and animals away from areas where pesticides are applied.
Pesticides should always be stored in a secure location where they cannot be accessed by children and pets. They should never be transferred to other containers, which can cause them to become contaminated or pose a health risk. It is important to only apply the amount of pesticide recommended on the label, as applying more will not improve results and may increase exposure or risks to people, pets and other plants.
The need for pest control is determined by the level of harm caused to human health, property or the environment. The most desirable approach is to avoid pests altogether by using preventive measures such as sealing entrance points and inspecting and maintaining facilities on a regular basis. When pests do occur, they should be promptly addressed before they spread to unacceptable levels. Suppression is often the next step in a pest control plan and involves using control methods to reduce the population to below the threshold level that causes unacceptable harm.
Pest Control Methods
The use of a wide range of pest control methods can be employed to reduce pest infestations and damage. These include natural, biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical controls. Natural controls involve environmental factors, such as weather and topography, that limit pest populations. Biological methods utilize natural enemies to injure or consume target pests and manage their numbers. Cultural practices alter the environment in ways that make it less suitable for pests and more suitable for desired organisms. Chemical controls are used when prevention and monitoring indicate the need for treatment, with the goal of minimizing risks to people, beneficial organisms and the environment.
Preventing pest problems is often easier than controlling them once they occur. Incorporate preventive measures into your IPM program, such as sealing cracks in walls, removing weeds around your house, or trimming trees and shrubs to keep them away from buildings. Also, be sure to store food in sealed containers and remove garbage regularly.
Monitoring is essential to any pest control effort. By checking fields, landscapes, forests or buildings on a regular basis and identifying which pests are present and how many there are, you can decide whether they can be tolerated or need to be controlled. Monitoring also helps you gauge the effectiveness of your pest management tactics and provides valuable information for future decisions regarding pests.
Thresholds help you determine if the number of pests is high enough to warrant action. For example, if you’re seeing one or two wasps every other day, they probably don’t warrant a spraying. However, if you’re seeing them daily and in increasing numbers, it may be time to find and destroy their nest.
Pests often develop resistance to certain control measures. A common way this happens is when a pest is exposed to different insecticides with similar modes of action, which causes them to develop mechanisms that allow them to overcome the effects of one or more of these chemicals.
Suppression is a key element of most pest control strategies. Suppressing pests lowers their numbers to a level where they no longer cause unacceptable harm. Suppression can be achieved with natural or biological methods, but if these aren’t effective, you may need to consider carefully using chemical controls.
Pesticides
Pesticides are any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, or controlling pests (unwanted plants or animals). They are used in agriculture, industry, businesses, and homes. Over 800 pesticides are registered for use in the United States. Pesticides are generally toxic to living organisms and may pose health hazards if improperly used or disposed of. Some are absorbed through the skin, and others are ingested or inhaled. They can also pollute air, water, and soil. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates pesticides in the United States.
Many pesticides have harmful effects on humans and other living things, including insects, birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Some cause cancer or other serious diseases. Other harmful effects include damage to the environment, disruption of ecosystems, and contamination of food. Many older, more persistent pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and lindane are no longer in use because they pollute the environment and accumulate in animal tissues. Newer pesticides are less toxic and break down more quickly in the environment.
The type of pesticide needed depends on the species being treated and the extent of the infestation. The EPA provides guidelines for selecting the least-toxic pesticide. Before applying any pesticide, identify the problem and determine whether it can be controlled with other methods. Then review the pesticide product label to ensure that it is effective against the specific species being targeted.
Broad-spectrum pesticides kill or control a wide range of species, whereas selective pesticides target one or more specific species. The EPA recommends choosing the lowest-toxicity pesticide with the most targeted species listed on the label.
All pesticides are potentially harmful to the environment, so it is important to use them only when necessary and to dispose of them properly. In addition, any pesticide that seeps into groundwater or surface water can have long-term detrimental effects. The EPA works to reduce the use of pesticides by encouraging alternative methods of pest control, such as crop rotation and cover crops. It also works to develop and register non-toxic alternatives to traditional pesticides, such as pheromones and plant growth regulators.