Pest Control Vancouver BC is the process of managing pests by using preventive, nonchemical methods. These include good sanitation, removing food and water sources, blocking plant pest access, and encouraging natural enemies.
Identifying and correctly assessing a pest helps determine whether it can be tolerated, if suppression is needed, or if eradication is required. Understanding a pest’s biology and life cycle also helps select the most effective management strategies.
Taking measures to prevent pests from invading buildings can save money and time on repairs and reduce potential health problems. Getting to know the pests commonly encountered in homes and businesses can help you anticipate their presence and take preventive measures.
Rodents, insects, birds, and other pests can introduce diseases, spoil food, cause property damage, and create a nuisance. In addition to structural damage, some pests carry disease-causing agents that can be ingested or inhaled. These include:
Preventive pest control involves removing sources of food, water, and shelter. This includes storing food in airtight containers, removing garbage regularly, and reducing indoor and outdoor clutter where pests may hide. Sealing cracks and gaps can also reduce the entry of pests into buildings. Listening to scurrying, scratching, and chirping noises can alert you to the presence of pests.
Many pests have natural enemies that can help control their numbers. These include parasites, predators, and pathogens. Adding more of these natural controls, such as releasing more predators or parasites, can increase the effectiveness of preventive pest control methods.
The climate, including temperature and day length, influences pest activity. For example, the population of plant-eating pests depends on the growth rate of their host plants. Unusual weather conditions can alter this relationship and lead to increased or decreased pest populations.
Pests also require access to light, warmth, and moisture. Providing these can be accomplished by keeping doors and windows shut, using screens on windows, repairing leaky pipes and faucets, and preventing moisture buildup in crawl spaces or basements. Keeping vegetation away from the building and eliminating weeds, vines, and shrubbery where pests might climb or nest can provide additional deterrents to pests.
Regular property inspections can detect pests early, allowing quick action to prevent infestation and reduce damage. During these inspections, look for droppings, gnaw marks, and nesting sites. Also pay attention to any signs of moisture or water intrusion, such as puddles or mold.
Suppression
Pests are undesirable organisms (insects, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, weeds, viruses, vertebrates) that harm or devalue crops, flowers, landscape plants, trees, lawns, and homes. They also adversely affect soil health, nutrient content, water quality, and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Suppression tactics aim to make life as difficult as possible for the pest by limiting resources and creating unfavorable conditions. These tactics work best when combined with preventive tactics, as the greatest reduction in pest problems is achieved when prevention and avoidance methods limit populations at the same time.
Natural enemies, which are predators, parasites, or competitors of the pest species, are often effective in suppressing pest populations. However, they require knowledge of the biology of the pest to effectively use them for control. Predator and parasitoid species that attack a variety of pests in the same geographic area are called “guilds.” The additive effect of multiple enemies attacking the same pest during different periods of the pest’s life cycle improves biological control.
The classical approach to biological control involves collecting natural enemies from the wild or purchasing them commercially and releasing them in the field. This requires thorough research on the biology of the target pest and other species, habitat suitability, and possible negative effects on non-pests or other natural enemies in the field.
Chemical controls, such as insecticides or herbicides, are often used to supplement or replace other management approaches. Careful application can reduce the impact of these products on natural enemies and the environment. Spot applications, alternating strips of fields, or applying chemicals to only a portion of the field minimizes contact between the pesticide and natural enemies.
Regulatory control is typically reserved for severe or widespread pest problems that threaten human health or safety, damage agricultural crops or wildlife, or displace native species. Pesticides are regulated to ensure that they are not damaging or toxic to humans and the environment. NMSU has extensive educational programs to train professionals in the proper and safe use of pesticides. In addition, every pesticide product has a label with specific instructions that must be read and followed before each use. These instructions include proper application methods, equipment requirements, special safety considerations, environmental concerns, and first aid.
Eradication
Pests can cause a variety of problems for homeowners, businesses and public places. They can contaminate food, damage property, and even spread disease. Many people do not take a proactive approach to pest control, and they do not address infestations before the problem becomes severe. The best way to avoid a pest problem is to prevent them from entering a building or site in the first place. This can be done by keeping the area around the structure as clean as possible and removing any sources of food or water.
For example, a restaurant should keep trash containers away from the building and seal them tightly. They should also clean up any debris or piles near the foundation of the structure. In addition, restaurants should regularly wash the interior of their kitchens to remove any traces of food and to sanitize equipment.
Another preventive measure involves getting rid of any cracks or holes in the walls or foundation of the building. These can be sealed with caulk or insulation to make it harder for pests to get inside the home. This can be a simple DIY project for most homes, and it is an effective way to avoid infestations of pests such as mice or insects.
A third and final method of preventing pests is to use parasitic organisms that attack the pests directly. One common example of this is nematodes, microscopic worms that live in the soil and attack pests by injecting them with a toxic bacteria that destroys their cells. These organisms can be sprayed by the millions and are often more effective than pesticides at controlling a wide range of insect and plant pests.
Eradication of a pest is not an easy task. Several criteria must be met before a disease can be considered eradicated. The most important factor is that the reproduction rate of the microbe must be reduced below 1.0. This requires a fundamental understanding of the biological systems that govern the ecology of microbes and their hosts. This understanding must be complemented by the ability to implement intervention strategies that are optimized for the local biological conditions.
Monitoring
Monitoring of pest control programs consists of regular and ongoing inspections for pests, their locations, and the damage they cause. It also involves the identification of pests and the determination of their numbers. Usually, pests are identified by their physical appearance, droppings or parts, and damage to plants.
Monitoring may include scouting and/or trapping methods. For example, a pest manager might use insect light or pheromone traps to monitor the presence of insects and other pests. These traps are typically glue covered cardboard surfaces that capture and hold pests that are attracted to the odor of certain chemicals, such as pheromones. They can be arranged throughout the building and are generally dated and marked with location indicators to allow for trend analysis.
Other monitoring techniques involve using sweep nets to monitor horticultural or agricultural pests. These nets are made to make a pre-determined number of passes over a crop, and then the number of pests caught on each pass is counted. Other monitoring devices include pheromone jars and sticky traps that are used to monitor a variety of different insects, mites and rodents. In addition, a pest management program might consist of a series of visual inspections that are conducted regularly and documented in a logbook. These logs typically include general information (pest company details, qualification certificates or licenses for the pest control technician and the name of daily contact person); inspection dates and areas; general observations, trap placements and records; pest activity charts; pest identifications; photographic documentation, including damage, baits, feces or eggs; treatment records and reports.
Once monitoring and/or trapping reveals the presence of a particular pest, an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy should be implemented to manage its population at or below the action threshold. IPM strategies focus on long-term prevention or suppression of pests with minimal impact to people, property and the environment. They combine cultural, physical, biological, and chemical means to reduce pest populations to acceptable levels. This prevents the overuse or misuse of pesticides, which can have adverse effects on human health and the environment. It also removes the possibility that a pesticide will be applied when it is not needed or that the wrong kind of pesticide will be used.
