Pest control Controlling Pests By Prevention
How to control pests in the least toxic way
One of the best ways to think about pest control is through a process known as Integrated Pest Management, or IPM. It is a common sense system of pest management based on the use of all pest management tools, in their proper place, and at the proper time.Integrated pest management is a theory of pest control that starts with one simple idea:
It is always best to control pests with the least toxic means possible.
- New pesticides are being formulated which help to meet this criteria. Lower doses, being needed less frequently, going out at lower rates help to control both the pests, and the amount of pesticide being used.
- Botanical pest control products using essential plant oils, and soaps have been developed which also work very well to control pests.
- Biological pest control products and systems are developing, with varying degrees of success.
More than at any time in the history of pest control, entomologists are considering the habits of pests, and the role humans play in the interaction between people and pests, and pest control products are being developed to maximize the effectiveness of the products used to control pests through proper timing and placement.
Pest control products are becoming less toxic to human beings, and more friendly to the environment. Green pest control products are the order of the day, and they are working. This is good, but as good as it is, this is only a start, and it is starting at the wrong end.
This is the back end of pest control, the place where we have to react in order to control pests that we already have, and while advances are being made, our thinking about pest control has become skewed.
The main component of Integrated Pest Management
The front end of the pest control issue needs more attention. What is that front end, and how will it improve our pest control efforts and our quality of life? To put it simply, it is pest prevention, and it will improve our quality of life by:
- Lowering insect populations.
- Lowering our exposure to pesticides.
- Reducing our carbon footprint.
- Lowering the cost of controlling pests.
Why pest prevention works
Most entomologists readily admit that when it comes to pest problems, we create our own. Something that we have changed in our environment invites the pests to join us. This can be anything from low spots in our lawns which collect and hold water for mosquitoes to use for reproduction, to overfeeding our pets to the extent that neighboring insects, rodents and predators come to see our backyards as being a new restaurant. It can also be something as simple as the number of times we mow our lawns, to something as complex as the plants and lighting we use in landscaping. The lesson is this:
Since our behavior can produce insects and other pest problems, changing our behavior can change the behavior of insects and other pests.
When we choose to avoid these problems by producing a habitat that does not invite bugs, weeds, rodents, and predators into our living space, we are practicing the most effective form of pest control, pest prevention.
