Columbia MO Pest Control includes prevention, suppression, and eradication. Prevention involves avoiding the presence of pests or limiting their damage to an acceptable level. This can be done by scouting and monitoring pests or by accurate identification.
Physical methods include pest-proofing homes and business premises, removing food, water, and shelter from pests, fixing leaky plumbing, and regularly removing garbage. Nematodes, microscopic worms that kill insects, are another biological pest control option.
While pest control might conjure up images of fighting a severe infestation with chemicals after it has taken hold, the best and most effective approach to controlling pests is prevention. This focuses on eliminating all factors that make your property attractive to pests in the first place, including food, water and shelter.
Preventative measures include a variety of tactics, from sanitary building design to regular inspections by trained professionals. Sealing entry points, such as cracks and crevices, is a simple and effective deterrent to many pests. Maintaining a clean facility that is free of clutter and debris, which provides hiding places for pests, is also an important deterrent. Trash receptacles should be tightly covered and emptied regularly, while weeds and grasses around structures should be kept neatly trimmed to eliminate potential pathways into the buildings.
Keeping all of the above in mind, it is also important to consider how weather conditions affect the pest population and its growth rate. Heavy rains and cold temperatures will generally suppress pest populations, while hot, dry weather will usually increase them.
Finally, it is also advisable to utilize natural enemies of pests as part of the control process, such as parasites, predators and pathogens. In addition to reducing the need for chemical intervention, this can be a very cost-effective method of control.
Infestation by disease-carrying cockroaches, rodents or even venomous insects can pose significant health risks to humans and pets, as well as damage property and disrupt the ecological balance of your environment. Likewise, overgrown gardens and yards can be a breeding ground for weeds that compete with your plants for nutrients and water, and may be a source of invasive species that could eventually disrupt native ecosystems.
Suppression
Pests can spread diseases, contaminate food, and damage property. In addition, their droppings can aggravate allergies and respiratory problems. Some pests, such as rats and mice, also gnaw on electrical wires, which can lead to expensive repairs and possible fires. Other pests, such as cockroaches and ants, can cause diarrhea and other illnesses. Pests can be controlled using a variety of methods. These include trapping, baiting, scouting, and spraying.
Monitoring is a key component of pest control. It involves identifying when pests are present and in what numbers so that appropriate action can be taken. This may involve scouting, which means checking the locations of pests or their signs (e.g., smashed ants, discarded rodent nests). It may also mean observing how conditions affect pests, such as monitoring temperature and moisture levels. These factors influence both the success of a pest’s attack on its host and the amount of damage it causes.
Natural enemies of pests, including parasites, predators, and pathogens, often suppress their populations. These natural enemies usually have a specific host that they attack and kill, or they may be introduced into an area to help control a pest. Some of these natural controls use chemicals, such as pheromones and juvenile hormones, to alter the behavior of the pests they attack or inhibit their ability to mature into adults.
Mechanical or physical controls are devices, machines, and methods that physically block or alter a pest’s environment. Examples of these include traps, screens, fences, barriers, and nets. The use of radiation and electricity sometimes can also be used to prevent pests from entering or spreading.
Chemical or synthetic pesticides are the mainstay of modern commercial pest control. These are available in the form of powders, gels, liquids, granules, and sprays. The most widely used type of pesticides are herbicides, which target and kill weeds; insecticides, which target and kill insects; and fungicides, which treat fungal diseases.
The best way to limit the use of these chemicals is to practice preventive techniques. Remove cluttered areas where pests can breed and hide, and caulk cracks and crevices where they might enter. Use pesticides sparingly, and only when needed, as they pose health risks to humans and pets. It is recommended that anyone who uses pesticides to obtain a certificate of training and a license.
Eradication
Eradication is rare in outdoor pest control situations because prevention and suppression methods are more easily implemented. However, eradication can be an important goal in some indoor environments (such as health care, food processing and preparation facilities, and offices), where certain pests are considered unacceptable and are often impossible to tolerate. Examples include cockroaches, rats and mice, and termites.
Chemical
Chemical pest control solutions work faster than natural methods and usually provide instant results once applied. They can include repellents that keep pests away, or insecticides designed to kill specific types of insects. Many of these chemicals can pose health and environmental threats upon exposure, but the effects are typically temporary.
Physical
Traps, netting, and decoys are examples of physical pest control techniques. These can be time-consuming to set and require a level of manual handling that may not be suitable for some individuals. In addition, some traps may be difficult to dispose of properly and can pose a risk to pets or children.
Poison baits are another type of physical pest control, consisting of small containers that contain poisons and attract pests to them by smell or taste. Once a pest is attracted to the bait, it will eat it and carry it back to the nest to cull other members of the population. This method can also be used in conjunction with other forms of physical trapping to improve results.
Pesticides and herbicides are a more conventional form of chemical pest control. They are available in sprays, granules and liquids that are intended to specifically target and kill particular pest species. These should be used with caution and disposed of safely after use, according to instructions on their labels.
While eradication can be a useful and worthwhile goal in some cases, it is important to consider the costs and benefits of achieving this objective. For example, eradication of a disease can yield dividends in the form of avoided infections and vaccination costs that far exceed the cost of eradication itself (as has been the case with poliomyelitis). Conversely, the failure of an eradication program can lead to future outbreaks (as has happened with yellow fever) or vaccine strain reversion (as has occurred with gypsy moth and variolae rhodopsidis). The latter risk is largely mitigated by the fact that eradication programs are typically focused on isolated areas.
Natural Forces
Natural forces – predators, parasites, pathogens, weather and other biotic (living) factors – regulate pest populations. In general, their action reduces them below levels that cause economic injury. Herbivorous insects that destroy weeds, for example, are considered biocontrol agents.
Most pests occur naturally and, without control, have a place in food chains and habitats. However, their numbers can reach intolerable levels in some settings, such as homes and retail or food preparation environments. In these cases, pest controls are needed to protect people and property.
Prevention is the primary goal of any pest control strategy. Generally, this involves keeping pests away by making it difficult for them to get where they are not wanted. Good hygiene and sanitation practices are key here, along with modifying the environment to make it less attractive to the pests.
Physical barriers, such as netting and row covers, keep pests away from crops and can be used in conjunction with other control methods to reduce the need for chemical pesticides. Traps – sticky boards, pheromone traps – and other mechanical devices also can be used to catch and monitor pest populations.
Chemical controls – including organic compounds, plant growth regulators, fungicides and insecticidal oils – can be used to manage pests in the field, greenhouse or garden. Generally, they are not as effective as prevention but can be useful as a supplement to other methods of pest management.
The most important consideration in any use of chemicals for pest control is to ensure that the chemical is targeted to the specific organism and that its effects are limited to that organism. Many chemicals have broad-spectrum effects and kill other beneficial or nontarget organisms as well. In addition, some pests develop resistance to chemicals over time. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) uses prevention and other nonchemical control methods first, with pesticides being used only after monitoring indicates that an action threshold has been reached. It focuses on reducing the need for chemicals and on using those that are least toxic to humans, other organisms and the environment.