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Pest Management Methods

30 June 2018 by Jimmy Carr

Pests refer to insects or animals that attack human food, crops or animals. They are considered quite a nuisance, as they not only damage human property, but they may also cause diseases. Pest management is the use of cultural, biological, chemical and physical methods to minimize or eliminate pests. It is crucial that the method used is safe for the environment and human health. Before commencing pest management, you will have to determine the extent of the damage done by the pest. Sometimes you can either chose to tolerate the pest or deter it, as opposed to eliminating it.

Below are methods of pest management.

Biological Pest Management

Biological pest control aims to suppress the pest population by introducing or conserving natural enemies of the pest. If you choose to introduce the enemy, it has to have colonizing abilities for it to be effective. For example, in Queensland, the spread of prickly pear cacti was controlled by the use of scale insects. You may also choose to conserve naturally occurring enemies. For instance in rice fields, to control the planthopper pest, farmers plant nectar-producing plants to support the existence of planthopper-feeding insects.

Cultural Pest Management

In the past, people relied on indigenous knowledge to control pests in their farms and homes. Cultural pest management practices emerge from traditional methods of pest control. The main disadvantage of these methods is that they are considered preventive rather than curative. Cultural methods include crop rotation, row spacing, carefully choosing planting dates and soil management practice.

Chemical Pest Management

Chemical pest management involves the use of chemical pesticides to prevent or eliminate pests. The chemical method is the most preferred method among many farmers, as it is effective and immediate. However, there is growing concern over the effect of chemical pesticides on the environment and human health. The application of fungicides, insecticides and rodenticides are common chemical pest management methods.

Physical Pest Management

Physical methods involve removing pests or setting barriers to prevent petss from entering your home or farm. Some of the techniques applied here include trapping the pests. Rodents, for instance, can be easily trapped. You may also burn pest breeding grounds. Temperature control can also be used. Here produce is placed in either hot or cold temperatures to kill or inhibit pests. An example is the placing of mangoes in hot water to kill larvae.

Pest management methods differ depending on what pests you are dealing with, the environment and your desired result. Physical, chemical, biological and cultural pest management methods can be applied.

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