Category: Pest Control

The most fascinating thing about pests is that they have ways and means of adapting to all the chemicals humanity throws at them, and though there are conspiracies about it, the key to getting rid of them comes in the form of attacking them where they live.

Another fascinating fact is that contrary to popular belief, the word pest does not only define small mammals and insects, plant species known for destroying the habitat of other plants and animals are pests.

When you are in this business or you are a do it yourself enthusiast, there are crucial things you should know before confronting the pest, these are:

• The extent of pest damage – This helps to prevent instances where you might enter an area with extensive damage that can cause bodily harm, for example a floor eaten away by termites might cause nasty falls.

• The type of insect or pest you could be facing – Some pests are generally dangerous, especially when cornered. Another important reason for this information is to know what action you need to take, capture or kill being your two major options.

• Your capabilities – These define how many pests you can face at one time, if the pests in the field are more than you can handle do not be too proud to ask for help.

At the scene, you should first analyze the damage caused by the pests; this helps you to know how many pests you expect and the extent of insect colony in the area. Search the scene for possible habitat and mark the habitat, then you can start with the preventive measures before you get to the curative.

1. Preventive measures

Preventive measures are measures taken to prevent the recurrence of pest infestation. They include the destruction of the pest habitat, in order to force them out and make them relocate. The idea is to make it impossible for them to survive and uncomfortable to live in these former habitats. For insects such as mosquitoes, the idea is to drain all stagnant water and cut down long grass; this forces them to look for new places to stay while at the same the destroying their breeding grounds.

For cockroaches, rats and flies, you could be forced to use other methods of garbage disposal to keep them away. Hygiene is also another way of deterring pests like bed bugs, maggots and other disgusting bugs.

2. Control measures

These measures include elimination of whole colonies and destruction of the pest and its area of infestation. There are several ways of doing this, this are:

• Biological – These measures include the use of other pests to destroy those pests that keep raking havoc in and around your home. These pests are generally friendly to human beings and they eat or kill the pest. For example, for the hyacinth weed that chokes the life of homemade and natural pond, the introduction of a certain species of beetles destroys the weed leaving the pond clear once again. You can destroy mosquito larvae using this method, however it would be unorthodox to introduce a tapir or anteater to solve the termite and ant problem; it calls for a lot of wisdom.

• Trapping – Some small and big pests such as snakes can be trapped and relocated to another area where they can live free of human interactions. Traps are intricate and might require expert setting up to ensure they do not fail because if they do the pest might flee and it might take time to catch again. However, others are simple and easy to set up. You might have to call in special assistance to set up the traps, capture the animal and relocate it.

• Poisoning – Sometimes, the pest needs to die and poisoning is an effective way of doing so. Poisoning is done using bait that attracts the animal towards the poison. It is normally done to control rats or a rat in the house or office area. It can also be used to control some caterpillar species.

The most important thing is to be careful not to poison yourself in the process; if you are using a toxic poison, it is advisable to use gloves or call in the experts.

• Pesticides – The use of pesticides is the most popular way of dealing with pests today, it involves the use of canned aerosols that are specially made to poison the pests and kill them.
• Fumigation – This method of pest control involves making your house airtight and injecting a poisonous gas that targets all sorts of insects and pests; killing them instantly. The gas is left in the house for a maximum of 72 hours.

The field of pest control has continued to produce new technologies and strategies for dealing with insects. Because pests evolve and are driven by the same survival instincts as any other creature, many methods of eliminating them have become less effective over time. Recently, it’s also become more obvious that some of these older approaches have negative side effects. The best example is the use of chemical poisons. Pests develop immunity to pesticides over time. This is even true in the case of genetically altered crops that produce their own insecticides. The pesticides can also kill unintended victims like honey bees or household pets while they accumulate in the environment. Fortunately, new technologies are being implemented that avoid such problems and are still effective.

Updating An Old Idea

The idea of controlling insect populations by introducing sterilized members to a colony of them has been around for several decades. The technique involves sterilizing male and female insects with radiation. Since it only takes a few healthy males to breed with many un-sterilized females, the sterilized females represent wasted effort. The exposure to radiation also leaves the treated males in a sickly state that often causes untreated females to reject them for mating. A new method chemically treats males so that they remain healthy and produce female offspring that quickly die. A further improvement to this approach is to make these altered males preferable as breeding partners. In the future, this could include genetic enhancement, but this selection preference can already be achieved by providing them with the right diet.

Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite

Bedbugs have become a huge problem in recent years. One new technology that can kill, along with other insect pests, is heat. This tactic is very effective and unlike standard fumigation uses no chemicals of any kind. The basic method either places infested items in an enclosure or heats an infested area. The temperature is raised to around 150 degrees Fahrenheit for about eight hours through heated air or infrared lighting. This is enough heat to kill the insects without the risk of causing a fire. In order for this to work the infested spaces need to be accurately located. Insect pests have survived by being elusive. A new technology relies on a detection device that’s more accurate than a human professional. This piece of equipment is called a dog. A trained dog can find insect hiding places far more often than experienced people.

Setting a Trap

Using glue traps to capture both insect and rodent pests is a very effective technique. The problem is getting the pests to the traps. There have been some improvements in the means of luring various pests to traps. This can include pheromones, food scents, temperature, and other signals of an ideal nesting site. On the other hand, completely removing any signals, including unintentional ones, can tell potential pests that a location has nothing to offer. Natural means like bacteria or ozone have shown themselves to be effective odor destroyers. Another potential natural method uses a type of sugar to weaken cockroach and termite immune systems by destroying helpful proteins.

This article was written by Billy Dunham, a home improvement expert who hopes to help you have an even better home. He writes this on behalf of Bain Pest Control, your number one choice when looking for professional pest control services. Check out their website at bainpestcontrol.com for more information!