Pest infestations can be a major nuisance and can also pose risks for household members. If a pest problem goes unchecked, it may cause food contamination or aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions.

Homeowners can find more natural pest eradication options through integrated pest management techniques. These rely on formulas such as essential oils, borax, ammonia, diatomaceous earth and spicy sprays to eradicate household pests without compromising family health.

Biological Control

Biological control uses living organisms (predators, parasitoids, pathogens, or diseases) to suppress pest populations, making them less damaging than they would be without the intervention. The ultimate goal is to manage pests without the use of pesticides. In nature, pest populations suffer frequent attacks and high mortality rates that naturally keep them from reaching damaging densities. Biological management seeks to replicate these natural forces in the controlled environment of crop production.

Identifying and timing the best time to apply biological controls can be difficult. The organism that can be used against a particular pest may not be commercially available until the pest is present in sufficient numbers to make control economical. For example, predators that target specific insects, such as thrips, spider mites, flies, or caterpillars, are usually released in the spring to coincide with the first appearance of the insect. This early application makes it critical to have a good understanding of the pest population and its cycle.

Preparation of the growing medium and other components for the introduction of a biological control organism is also crucial. The organism must be placed in a suitable location to ensure it is close enough to the crop to be effective but not so close that the beneficial insect that has been introduced will be killed. This could be in the form of a drench, spray, spot application via sachets or cards, or even a direct injection.

Biological pest control is often more expensive than chemical alternatives but can offer environmental, social and economic benefits. Its success depends on the ability to understand the natural and societal functions it serves, its long-term economic impacts, and the tradeoffs between those functions. Biological control is an option that can be used in conjunction with other agronomic, regulatory, genetic, physical and mechanical pest management strategies. For this reason, it is important to incorporate biocontrol into integrated pest management programmes. It also requires a great deal of patience and careful planning before it can be successful in commercial crops. This is especially true for classic biological control where it can take between six and ten generations for the organism to bring pest populations below an acceptable level.

Integrated Pest Management

Integrated pest management is an ecosystem-based approach to controlling unwanted organisms that damage plants in our fields, orchards, landscapes, or wildlands or harm humans. Pests can be any organism that interferes with the productive capacity of our landscape or crops, disrupts animal life, impacts water quality or negatively affects human health. Pests may be weeds, vertebrates (birds, rodents, and other mammals), invertebrates (insects, mites, nematodes, and snails), fungi that cause disease, or pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Effective pest control involves many steps, but prevention is the first step. This might include frequent cleaning, removing food sources, denying access to hiding places, fixing leaks, and other non-chemical measures. IPM programs also include identifying the pests to be controlled, setting action thresholds or levels of pest numbers at which remedial control is needed, and monitoring pest populations to identify when those thresholds are reached.

Once the problem is identified, site or pest inspections are conducted to identify factors that contribute to the pest problems and determine how those can be addressed to reduce pest population levels. Non-chemical methods of control are used to the extent possible, including cultural practices, habitat manipulation, biological controls, and mechanical and physical controls such as traps and barriers. If non-chemical options are not feasible, then the use of chemical controls is considered. Only the least toxic pesticides should be used, as outlined on this website, and always with caution to protect the environment, wildlife, and people.

Overuse of pesticides has caused the emergence of pests that are resistant to these chemicals. To avoid this, IPM programs focus on integrating all types of control methods to achieve the desired result. In IPM, plant varieties and environmental conditions are selected to favor desirable species over pests and the use of non-chemical control methods is prioritized. If the action threshold is breached and other methods of control are not successful, then the use of pesticides is a last resort. Pesticides are then carefully selected and applied to remove the targeted organism, while minimizing risks to humans, beneficial or non-target species, and the environment.

Pesticides

Pesticides are chemicals that kill or harm pests such as flies, cockroaches, mosquitoes and rodents. Household pesticides are usually available at supermarkets or hardware stores and may be used for indoor or outdoor pest control. These include insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.

Using a pesticide for pest control is always a last resort, unless other management strategies have been ruled out. Pesticides can be toxic to people and animals, and can also damage the environment. They can contaminate soil, water and air. Some have even caused cancer in humans.

Chemicals used as pesticides come in liquid, solid and gaseous forms. They are often grouped into chemical families and the family members have similar properties. The toxicity of a pesticide is determined by subjecting test animals to varying dosages. It is important to select the lowest toxicity pesticide that will control the pest.

Before applying a pesticide, read the label to ensure that it is suitable for the problem and the area to be treated. Always follow the instructions on the label including safety precautions and application rates. Applying more pesticide than what is recommended will not control the pest faster and could result in plant injury or environmental contamination. It is also important to wash your hands and arms after handling any pesticide solution. Always remove children and pets from the treatment area before spraying or pouring a pesticide. Always store excess diluted pesticide in a safe location.

If you have a serious infestation, or pesticides are not working, contact a licensed pest controller. They are trained to assess and mitigating the problem safely, swiftly and effectively. A pest control specialist can recommend non-chemical pest control techniques that will not damage your home or environment.

It is important to remember that even the most environmentally friendly pest control methods can leave behind traces of toxic chemicals. It is possible to clean these traces, but it takes a great deal of time and effort, and may not be completely successful. Porous or semi-porous surfaces, such as carpets and linoleum, may need to be replaced. The same applies to clothing that has been soaked in pesticides. If pesticide residues are found on the skin, seek medical attention immediately.

Repellents

Many pests such as mosquitoes, ticks and gnats are more active at certain times of the day and in certain locations. Repellents are a good way to minimize the risk of exposure to these pests and the diseases they carry while performing outdoor activities such as gardening, hiking or camping.

Some repellent products block the receptors that mosquitoes, gnats, punkies and no-see-ums use to find hosts for their bites. Other repellents, such as MGK’s Onslaught FastCap and Sumari Insecticide, work by slowing down the insect’s metabolism, leading to a loss of energy. Some repellents have a longer residual than others, such as Onslaught FastCap, which contains a microencapsulated insect growth regulator (IGR) that offers both fast knockdown and long-lasting control.

Non-repellent materials, such as baits and IGRs, are undetectable by most pests and allow them to consume or be killed while not being harmed by the product. They are particularly effective for social pests like ants and yellowjackets and communal pests such as cockroaches.