Pests invading homes and buildings can damage property, spread disease, and cause other health and safety risks. Pest control methods include natural, biological, chemical, and cultural controls.
Crawling pests like rodents, arachnoids such as spiders, and insects like millipedes and centipedes can enter homes and other buildings through open windows or doors. Many can produce venom that is dangerous to humans. Visit https://www.benspest.biz/ to learn more.
Insects are the most abundant and diverse group of organisms on the planet. Often referred to as bugs or creepy-crawlies, insects have long held a special place in human culture, providing food, shelter and spiritual renewal for millions of people. Insects are a valuable part of ecosystems, contributing to the supply of essential resources for agriculture and other natural areas. But when pest populations increase, their negative impacts can outweigh the benefits. Pests can degrade and destroy agricultural crops, lawns and gardens, forestry products, livestock feed and wild animal habitats. They can also damage or displace native plants and disrupt terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, altering soil health, nutrient content and available moisture.
In addition to reducing crop production, pests can damage or devalue property, including homes and businesses. They can also harm animals and humans and cause economic losses in the form of decreased productivity or physical discomfort. Using the right control methods and addressing environmental factors that lead to pest infestations can help reduce the severity of an insect problem.
Whether they are insects, rodents or weeds, pests can be difficult to manage. But a variety of controls are available to minimize or eliminate the problem, and some are more environmentally friendly than others. Before implementing any management strategy, the situation should be evaluated and the pest identified. The underlying causes of the pest infestation should be addressed as well, and proper site selection is critical.
For example, soil-dwelling root feeding insects (such as wireworms, white grubs and cutworms) can damage or kill vegetable and fruit crops. These pests can be controlled with a combination of cultural practices and chemical application. Organic control includes the use of row covers, regular weeding and hand picking, and applications of neem oil or pyrethrum.
Leafhoppers are a common garden pest. They are small, active and can quickly become abundant. They are best managed by preventing their entrance into the garden with tall, densely vegetative borders or by applying row covers before planting. If they have already made it into the garden, spray treatments of broad-spectrum synthetic insecticides that kill on contact are recommended. Repeated applications may be necessary to control large populations.
Rodents
Rodents are notorious for causing damage to homes and businesses. Their gnawing can create holes in walls, insulation, and electrical wiring, resulting in costly repairs. They are also known to carry diseases that can affect humans directly or through the bites of ticks and lice.
Rodents that invade homes and buildings may cause food contamination, which can lead to illness. They can also transmit a variety of diseases through rodent urine, feces, saliva, and blood. In addition, they can also spread fleas and mites.
Mice and rats are the most common rodents that infest residential spaces. Both have short limbs, long tails, and sharp incisors that they use to defend themselves, gnaw food, and excavate burrows. They leave a trail of droppings as they move through a home.
Rodent urine is a serious health concern because it can lead to hantavirus, which infects the lungs and kidneys. It also contains ammonia, which is a respiratory irritant. If left untreated, a rodent infestation can spread to other parts of the house, contaminating air and posing health risks for family members.
The presence of rodents can trigger allergies and asthma because of the shedding of their fur, dander, and waste. It can also increase indoor humidity and contribute to musty odors. Rodents are also known to chew through wires, which can be a fire hazard and prevent access to utilities and other vital services.
A professional pest control service will inspect the property for signs of rodent activity and recommend treatment options based on the severity of the problem. Preventive measures that can reduce the likelihood of a rodent infestation include regularly cleaning trash containers and keeping them closed, disposing of pet waste in metal bins with tight-fitting lids, and trimming trees and shrubs to eliminate hiding places.
The size of the property and the type of rodent that infests it are significant factors that determine how much an extermination will cost. Larger properties require more traps and baits than smaller ones. A Greenix pest control specialist will consider these factors when providing a pricing estimate for your rodent extermination.
Birds
Birds are a crucial part of our natural ecosystem, contributing to pollination, seed dispersal and providing important pest control. They also serve as indicator species, their presence reflecting environmental health. But birds are in decline, largely because of habitat loss and climate change. They’re also harmed by pesticides, illegal trade and the like. According to the WWF, 49% of all bird species are currently endangered.
Scientists are beginning to understand the role birds play in controlling pest populations. They’re finding that when a plant is attacked by insects it releases scents the birds can detect. That triggers a feeding response. And the insects are usually killed in the process, making them less likely to reproduce and reducing their numbers.
There’s been some concern of late that farms are losing their flocks, which means they aren’t getting the pest control they need. And that’s a big problem. Crop-destroying bugs are a farmer’s worst nightmare, and without birds hunting them down they’re able to feast on our food crops. And that increases the need for pesticides, which creates its own set of problems.
The good news is that there are things farmers can do to increase the number of birds in their fields. Creating and maintaining hedgerows, open spaces and grasslands that provide food for the birds is one. Providing nest boxes for woodpeckers and other cavity-nesting species is another. And planting insect-attracting flowers can bring in more birds that are helpful to pest control.
Lastly, limiting pesticide use is important. Pesticides can harm the environment and humans, and they can be toxic to birds. Pesticides can even kill birds that don’t eat the poison, and they can make people sick through their droppings and urine.
Ultimately, it’s up to each person to decide how much pest control is necessary for their situation. If a pest is known to carry diseases or cause damage, it’s important to take action. But if a pest isn’t damaging your property or posing any other danger, you can choose to tolerate it. And it may be that there are ways you can prevent the pests from doing any damage in the first place.
Other Animals
In general, humans consider any organism that reduces the availability, quality, or value of a human-produced food or natural resource to be a pest. A pest species may be a plant, animal, or microorganism.
There are a wide variety of methods that can be used to control animal pests. The selection of appropriate control techniques is dependent on the situation and the expected outcomes. All techniques, however, are subject to a number of animal welfare considerations and must be considered carefully.
A key question is how to achieve a balance between controlling pests and minimising any adverse effects on the welfare of other animals. From a welfare perspective, it is important that pest control programs only affect a minimum number of individuals and are sustained so that pest densities never reach damaging levels.
Biological: Many potential pest organisms rise to pest status because they escape normal control by natural regulating agents. This can happen due to direct or indirect importation into a new region, or through actions that reduce the effectiveness of natural enemies (e.g., importing predators to control non-native pests).
Using the best available knowledge and accumulated experience, it is possible to identify a range of options for controlling pest animals. These may include manual or mechanical removal, e.g., trapping and sticky cards, or physical barriers such as fences and nets that exclude pests or block their access to a resource.