Pest Control

The classical biological control means the introduction of natural enemies to a new location where they do not occur naturally. They originate from other place and introduced to new locales. It is usually done by the government authorities. In many examples, the complex of natural enemies related with an insect pest is not sufficient. It is especially evident when there is an accidental introduction of an insect pest into a new geographic area in absence of its associated natural enemies. These introduced pests are called as exotic pests.

Scientists refer to the classical biological control for obtaining the required natural enemies. It includes the practice of importing, and releasing natural enemies for establishment so as to control an introduced (exotic) pest. This is practiced against native insect pests also. The first step in the process is the determination of the origin of the introduced pest followed by collection of proper natural enemies that are linked to the pest or closely related species. Then, a natural enemy is passed through a meticulous quarantine process for ensuring no unwanted organisms got introduced. They are produced on mass scale and released. It is followed by various follow-up studies to ensure the successful establishment of natural enemy at the site of release, and to measure its long-term benefits

There have been numerous successful examples of classical biological control programs. In 1800, the cottony cushion scale known as Icerya purchase, was controlled by using classical biological control programs. A predatory insect Rodolia cardinalis (the Vedalia Beetle) and a parasitoid fly were introduced by Charles Valentine Riley from Australia. The cottony cushion scale was completely controlled within a few years by these introduced natural enemies. The classical biological control is inexpensive and long lasting. Once, a natural enemy is established successfully, it rarely needs an additional input and continues to kill the pest without any human help.

The predators are also used for the biological control of pests. The bio-control dealers have the lacewings. The ladybugs and their larvae are usually active between May and July in the northern hemisphere and act as an insatiable predator of aphids like greenfly and black fly. They consume mites, scale insects as well as small caterpillars. The ladybug is a beetle with coloured markings and its larvae are initially small and spidery that grows up to 17 mm long. The larvae usually have a tapering segmented grey or black body. They have orange and yellow markings along with ferocious mouthparts. By cultivating a patch of nettles in the garden and leaving hollow stems as well as some plant debris allows them to hibernate.

The hoverflies looks like darker bees or wasps with a characteristic hovering and darting flight patterns. There are more than 100 species of hoverfly whose larvae chiefly feed upon greenfly with larva devouring up 1000 in its lifetime. They also eat small caterpillars and fruit tree spider mites. The adults feed on nectar and pollen required for egg production. The larvae are usually 8–17 mm long that are disguised to look like bird droppings. They do not have distinct head and are legless. They are semi-transparent in a various range of colours such as green, white, brown, and black.

The hoverflies are encouraged by cultivating attractant flowers like the poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii) and marigolds or phacelia across the growing season. The dragonflies are major predators of mosquitoes in the water where the dragonfly naiads consume mosquito larvae, and in the air where adult dragonflies eat adult mosquitoes. The community-wide mosquito control programs focuses on spraying adult mosquitoes, however it kill dragonflies and thereby eradicating the major bio-control agent. It eventually leads to increase in mosquito populations in the long term.

Apart from these, the other useful garden predators are lacewings, aphid midge, centipedes, predatory mites, pirate bugs, rove and ground beetles. The larger fauna like toads, lizards, frogs, hedgehogs, and birds.

The pest control is a service provided by the operator to both residential as well as commercial consumers. It is important to learn about the function and requirements of a pest control operator, if you want to develop career related to pest control. The pest control operator is basically a full time employee that receives all job orders from one company directly. He may be a subcontractor that is freelancer who receives job orders from different companies. The pay rates will change as per the experience level of the employer and the operators. The job does not have any specific pay scale and also there is no union associated with it. The operators may be specialist in one area like termite control or rodent control as per their specific licensing.

The primary tasks of the operator is to analyze a pest problem, and develop and execute a plan for the elimination of the pests through the use of various products like gels, powders, traps, sprays, aerosols and other products. In case, the reason for a pest infestation is because of poor sanitation level then a limited use of chemicals is sufficient to clean the environment. By sealing off an entry point into a building, the rodents can be prevented from entering the building. A good operator should be able to give suggestions regarding the various preventive measures and also explain the pest treatment to the customers so that they understand the situation well.

The pest control operator is required to complete the reports for each job by highlighting the steps, products and techniques employed by them. There is a constant introduction of new product and procedures in the industry and the operator is required to attend seminars regularly to stay informed. Also, the operator may be required to work during the odd hours like late evenings.

This Organic Ant Control is way for pest management that focuses on controlling the ant population in your house or garden. You can do the Organic Ant Control by using Companion Planting. It helps the gardeners deal effectively against the pests for centuries. The fragrance of certain herbs has been considered suitable for repelling certain insects such as ants. One of the positives about companion planting is that, even if you failed, you may end up with some additional plants in your garden that increases the ornamental value. There are various herbs used in Organic Ant Control such as Lavender, Sage, Catnip and Tansy.

During the experimentation with herbs for organic ant control, you have some freedom in terms of using the plants. It is of important consideration while using tansy as it is among the worst invasive plants. Therefore, you need to take precautions so that you do not necessarily plant the herbs for ant control near to your specimen plants. Instead, you need to harvest the leaves from the herbs and then simply litter the leaves around a specimen plant. In case a plant is overly aggressive, then you should plant it in a raised bed where you exert more control. While employing this ant control method, you should target only specimen plants that are susceptible to aphids, scale and whitefly.

There are organic products sold in the market for the removal of the ants. One of the ant control products is the Tree Tangle foot Pest Barrier which is an organic paste composed chiefly of sticky substances like waxes and resins. It acts as a type of "fly paper" for ants. Another such ant control product is Orange Guard that functions repellent as well as insecticide for the removal of ants. The active ingredient (d-Limonene) is orange peel extract which is organic. In addition to it, the other organic insecticide for ant control is Eco Exempt IC-2 that is composed of mineral, rosemary oils and wintergreen oils.

Diatomaceous Earth – The diatomaceous earth comprises of minutely ground skeletons of fossil diatoms. The sharp edges of the ground diatoms rub the waxy or oily exterior layer of soft-bodied insects that die eventually by dehydration. The diatomaceous earth is categorized as a mechanical pest control because its task is to scratch the outer body covering of insects.

Handpicking – The hand removal of insects and egg masses leads to fast and positive control. It is especially effective with foliage-feeding insects like hornworms, squash bugs, and bean beetles. Apart from the labour, handpicking is the cheapest of all organic or natural control practices. However, handpicking has certain drawbacks like it should be performed long before insect damage gets noticed. It should be used at the key stage of insect development. An Integrated Pest Management technique called as scouting is important. Gardeners need to monitor their crops actively for watching the first sign of damage prior to rising of insect populations.

Traps and Attractants – There are two ways of using the mechanical traps and attractants. One of them is to trap enough insects for lowering crop damage and other is to monitor the number and species of insects in the garden. By using the traps and attractants, gardener appeal to an insect’s needs for food, reproduction and shelter.

Horticulture Oils – The horticulture oils are basically the petroleum-based products that contains certain fatty acids that made layers on plant parts for smothering insects or providing a mechanical barrier for preventing damage. It includes two kinds of oils such as growing season (summer) and dormant. There are few rules using oils like wearing a mask, spraying at the right time, treating test plants first and look for damage, using low rates, coating the leaves, stems, and ground. One should take care to not mix chemicals and avoid temperature above 90°F.

The gardener may use various pesticides for controlling a pest invasion; however they may choose various non-chemical alternatives. Some of these alternatives come in the category of mechanical controls that are more practical for small gardens and effectively used as single or in combinations. The mechanical controls include the usage of hands-on techniques, simple equipment, and natural ingredients that offer a shielding barrier between plants and insects. Integrated Pest Management is basically a combination of pest management techniques for reducing the need for pesticides and relying on monitoring pests and pest damage.

There are various ways of mechanical control of pest management as mentioned below.

Insecticidal Soaps –There are various insecticidal soaps which are distributed for control of insects and mites. It is available under a varied trade names and its active ingredient is potassium salt of fatty acids. These soaps have the same chemical composition as liquid hand soaps. There are many features of commercial insecticidal soap products that differentiate them from the dishwashing liquids or soaps. The application of the Insecticidal soaps is controlling of insects. They are selected for minimizing plant injury and are consistent in their manufacture.

Water Pressure Sprays – This method uses a forceful stream of water for dislodging insects like aphids and spider mites from the foliage as well as plant stems. This practice should be repeated as many of the insects may return. In order to avoid the plant damage, the water pressure should be used only on sturdy plants.

Insect Vacuums – The use of vacuums for removing specific kinds of insects from plants is gaining popularity among commercial producers especially. These tools may have a disposable cartridge lined with sticky non toxic gel for trapping the insects sucked up by the machine. The commercial producers come with large vacuum equipment that is attached to and powered by tractors.

A majority of the biological controls depends on providing incentives for ‘naturally’ attracting beneficial insects to the garden. It is also possible to directly introduce biological controls. The

common biocontrol agents comprise of parasitoids, pathogens, predators, or weed feeders. It is particularly appropriate in cases like the greenhouse comprising of a largely artificial environment.

Some of the biocontrol agents that can be directly introduced are mentioned below:

Encarsia Formosa – It is a small predatory chalcid wasp that is parasitical on whitefly and a sap-feeding insect that can cause wilting and black sooty moulds. It is very effective while dealing with low level infestations and offering protection for longer periods of time. The wasp lays its eggs in young whitefly ‘scales’, and as the parasite larvae pupates, it turns them black. It should be introduced immediately after the first adult whitefly is seen and it is recommended to use it in conjunction with insecticidal soap.

Red spider mite – It is another pest that is found in the greenhouse and is controlled with the predatory mite Phytoseilus persimilis. It is little larger than its prey and possess an orange body. It is developed from egg to adult with double speed as the red spider mite and it quickly overcomes infestation, once it gets established.

‘Nemaslug’ – It is a latest development in the slug control and is a microscopic nematode (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita) that will find out and parasitize slugs by reproducing inside and killing them. The nematode is applied by using water on to the moist soil, and offers protection for up to six weeks in optimal conditions. These Nemaslug nematodes are chiefly effective with small as well as young slugs under the surface of the soil.

Bacillus thuringiensis. – It is a type of bacterial biological control that is introduced for controlling butterfly caterpillars. It is available in sachets of dried spores that is mixed with water and sprayed onto vulnerable plants like brassicas and fruit trees. Here, the bacterial disease will leave other insects unharmed and kill the caterpillars.

In order to avoid common houseplant pests, you need to check the plant carefully prior to

transplant an outdoor plant into your garden. In case, the plant is pest, do not include it in your garden because these pests move on to other plants and greatly increase in numbers. The plants bought at garden centres and nurseries should be quarantine for at least 2-3 weeks prior to introduce them into the existing garden because nurseries are prone to pests as well as diseases.

There are few common methods for controlling the household pests as mentioned below.

(1) Environmental/cultural changes – It is possible to control the pests by changing the growing environment. For example, extremely moist environment is perfect for fungus while very hot and dry areas are usually favoured by mites. You should learn about the ideal growing conditions for your pest and make it less hospitable.

(2) Spraying plants – One way of getting rid of pests like mites and aphids is to spray the plants with a strong blast of water. The water will easily dislodge these pests however it is not a perfect method. The water pressure may result in death of plants by snapping stems, removing leaves or snapping the plant itself. It is recommended to always spray around the perimeter of the garden area because the pests will survive the treatment probably and left them hanging around the garden.

(3) Handpicked – The larger pests like scale insects and mealy bugs are easy to remove by picking them off. You can use a pair of tweezers for picking the pests. Even a small handheld vacuum is helpful in removal of the whiteflies.

(4) Trapping – Flying insects are easy to control by using yellow sticky traps. In general, this method is used only for trapping the flying insects. It is recommended to make your own trap from yellow cardboard or thick paper by shielding the surface with sticky substance or petroleum jelly.

(5) Biological controls – You can apply the biological controls by using the bugs and insects which are beneficial for your garden and which keeps the pest population under control.

The Chemical Pest Control Methods includes the application of various type of insecticides such as Contact insecticide, Residual insecticide, Volatile insecticide and others insecticides. The criteria for selecting an insecticide are way of entry into the insect body, Respiration, Ingestion and Direct contact. There are various commercial insecticide formulations available in the market like Dustable powders (DP), Emulsifiable concentrates (EC), Flowable concentrates (SC), Wettable powders (WP),

Hot fogging concentrates (HN) or FOG formulations, ULV formulations and Aerosoles / Evaporation strips. Before using the pesticides, it is advised to use the information available on insecticides from

Technical data sheet, Manufacturers instructions and Registration document.

One should be careful in selecting the appropriate pesticides for killing the pests. The basic criteria for choosing the right insecticide are Insect species (sensitivity, resistance), Climatic conditions, availability and price Product registration, and Method of storage (surface or air treatment). The application techniques for using these chemical pesticides are surface treatment (floor, walls) and Spraying. The surface has to be clean before applying the pesticides. The spraying can be done in many ways like by using a Hand-held mechanical pump, Manually operated knapsack sprayer, Mobile pump sprayer and Motor driven knapsack sprayer.

Prior to the treatment one should check the proper concentration of mixture, the right nozzle, and personal safety equipment. One needs to calculate the insecticide quantity precisely and should avoid left-overs. Fogging is commonly used way of applying the chemical pest control measures. It is used in the treatment of room areas against flying insects like moths, however it is not effective against hidden insect stages such as larvae, eggs, and pupae. The dusting involves the treatment of cracks and crevices with dusters comprising of insecticidal or Inert Dust Formulations. The safety Precautions and Cleaning-up needs precise knowledge on active ingredients and formulations, Safe storage, well educated applicators, and Proper handling and application.

The biological control of pests can also be done by Parasitoid insects such as wasps or flies. The parasitiods comprise a wide range of insects which lay their egg on or in the insect host body and then used it as a food for the development of larvae. Parasitic wasps takes long time than predators for consuming their victims so if case the larvae needs to eat too fast they would run out of food before becoming adults. These parasites are useful in the organic garden as they are efficient hunters and searches for pest invaders. They require high energy fuel as adults because they fly from place to place and feed upon nectar, sap and pollen. Eventually, it leads to pollination of many flowering plants such as buckwheat, composites and umbellifers.

The parasitoid insects can be classified in to four groups as mentioned below:

Chalcid wasps: They are among the smallest of insects that measures less than 3 mm. It parasitizes eggs/larvae of greenfly, scale insects, whitefly, cabbage caterpillars, and Strawberry Tortrix Moth.

Tachinid flies: They are parasitize a broad range of insects that includes caterpillars, true bugs, adult and larval beetles, etc.

Ichneumonid wasps: It is 5–10 mm in size and prey mainly on caterpillars of moths and butterflies. Braconid wasps: They are tiny wasps that measure up to 5 mm and attack caterpillars and a large range of other insects such as greenfly. It is a common parasite of the cabbage that is seen as clusters of sulphur yellow cocoons bursting out of collapsed caterpillar skin.

Examples of parasitoids: Phytoseiulus persimilis (against spider mites, Stethorus punctillum (against spider mites), Typhlodromips swirskii (against spider mites, thrips, and white flies), Feltiella acarisuga (against spider mites), Amblyseius californicus (against spider mites), Amblyseius cucumeris (against spider mites), and Macrolophus caluginosus (against spider mites)