A crop duster applies low-insecticide bait that is targeted against Western corn rootworms

Pest control refers to the regulation or management of another species defined as a pest, usually because it is believed to be detrimental to a person's health, the ecology or the economy Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1602x1225, 1428 KB) From http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1602x1225, 1428 KB) From http://www. ... The Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera, is a beetle. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... Larval form of some beetle is damaging specimen of Sceliphron destillatorius in entomogical collection. ... For the journal, see Ecology (journal). ...

Pest control is at least as old as agriculture. In order to maximize food production, it can be economically advantageous to protect crops from competing species of plants, as well as from herbivores competing with humans. A deer and two fawns feeding on some foliage A herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants[1]. By that definition, many fungi, some bacteria, many animals, about 1% of flowering plants and some protists can be considered herbivores. ...

The conventional approach was probably the first to be employed, since it is comparatively easy to destroy weeds by burning them or plowing them under, and to kill larger competing herbivores, such as crows and other birds eating seeds. Techniques such as crop rotation, companion planting, also known as intercropping or mixed cropping, and the selective breeding of pest-resistant cultivars also have a long history. For other uses, see Crow (disambiguation). ... Seed predation includes any process inflicted on a plant’s seeds by an animal that results in the inviability of the seed. ... Satellite image of circular crop fields in Haskell County, Kansas in late June 2001. ... Companion planting in gardening and agriculture is planting of different crops in close physical proximity. ... Selective breeding in domesticated animals is the process of developing a cultivated breed over time. ... This Osteospermum Pink Whirls is a successful cultivar. ...

Many pests have only become a problem because of the direct actions of humans. Modifying these actions can often substantially reduce the pest problem. In the USA, raccoons caused a nuisance by tearing open refuse sacks. Many householders introduced bins with locking lids, which deterred the raccoons from visiting. House flies tend to accumulate wherever there is human activity and is virtually a global phenomenon, especially where food or food waste is exposed. Similarly, seagulls have become a pest at many seaside resorts. Tourists would often feed the birds with scraps of fish and chips, and before long, the birds would become dependent on this food source and act aggressively towards humans. Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Common Raccoon native range in red, feral range in blue. ... Seagull or Seagulls may refer to: Gull, a family of seabird, members of which are often called seagulls. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Fish and chips in modern packaging Fish and chips or fish n chips, a popular take-away food with British origins, consists of deep-fried fish in batter or breadcrumbs with deep-fried potatoes. ...

In the UK, following concern about animal welfare, humane pest control and deterrence is gaining ground through the use of animal psychology rather than destruction. For instance, with the urban Red Fox which territorial behaviour is used against the animal, usually in conjunction with non-injurious chemical repellents. For other uses, see Red Fox (disambiguation). ...

Chemical pest control dates back 4,500 years, when the Sumerians used sulfur compounds as insecticides. The Rig Veda, which is about 4,000 years old, also mentions the use of poisonous plants for pest control. And the ancient Chinese and Egyptians are also known to have used chemical pest control. But it was only with the industrialization and mechanization of agriculture in the 18th and 19th century, and the introduction of the insecticides pyrethrum and derris that chemical pest control became the method of choice. In the 20th century, the discovery of several synthetic insecticides, such as DDT, and herbicides boosted this development. Chemical pest control is still the predominant type of pest control today, although its long-term effects led to a renewed interest in traditional and biological pest control towards the end of the 20th century. Sumer (or Å umer; Sumerian: KI-EN-GIR [1]) was the earliest known civilization of the ancient Near East, located in lower Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), from the time of the earliest records in the mid 4th millennium BC until the rise of Babylonia in the late 3rd millennium BC. The term... This article is about the chemical element. ... It has been suggested that ovicide be merged into this article or section. ... The Rig Veda ऋग्वेद (Sanskrit ṛc praise + veda knowledge) is the earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas. ... Mechanization is the use of machines to replace manual labour or animals and can also refer to the use of powered machinery to help a human operator in some task. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pyrethrum refers to several Old World plants of the genus Chrysanthemum (e. ... Derris is a climbing leguminous plant of Southeast Asia and the southwest Pacific islands, including New Guinea. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... DDT or Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane is the first modern pesticide and is one of the best known synthetic pesticides. ... An herbicide is used to kill unwanted plants. ... Predatory Polistes wasp looking for bollworms or other caterpillars on a cotton plant Biological control of pests and diseases is a method of controlling pests (including weeds and diseases) in agriculture that relies on natural predation, parasitism or other natural mechanism, rather than introduced chemicals. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

Sign in Ilfracombe, England designed to help control Seagull presence

Download high resolution version (458x668, 51 KB)Do not feed the Seagulls Cropped selection from an original photograph by Amos Wolfe taken 4th February 2001. ... Download high resolution version (458x668, 51 KB)Do not feed the Seagulls Cropped selection from an original photograph by Amos Wolfe taken 4th February 2001. ...

Choosing a Pest Professional

The American National Pest Management Association offers the following tips for selecting a qualified pest professional:

• Ask friends and neighbors to recommend pest control companies they have used successfully and how satisfied they were with the service.
• Be wary of the operator who comes to your home uninvited and offers to give your house a free inspection for pests. He or she may try to scare you into authorizing immediate and costly treatments.
• If a sizeable amount of money is involved, get bids from several pest control firms.
• Don’t rush a decision. Since you are paying for professional knowledge, look for someone whose judgement you can trust.
• Before signing a contract, be sure to fully understand the nature of the pest to be exterminated, the extent of the infestation, and the work necessary to solve the problem.
• Find out if the pest control company has liability insurance to cover any damages to your house
• Choose a pest professional that is a part of an established pest management association. Such pest professionals should have taken steps in education and training.
• If a guarantee is given, know what it covers, how long it lasts, what you must do to keep it in force, and what kind of continuing control, prevention and management are necessary.
• Buy value, not price. Beware of bargains that sound too good to be true.
• United States federal law requires commercial applicators of “restricted use” pest control products to be certified. The certification program is left up to the state. American homeowners can call the certifying state agencies for information. (In Nebraska and Colorado, they call the Environmental Protection Agency).

Organic pest and insect control

It is known that chemical pesticides kill insects effectively but are also toxic to human beings and lead to sever environmental degradations if the use of the chemicals are not properly managed. This makes natural pesticides, which are usually eco-friendly, more promoting to the environmental sustainaility and hence appealing to the public wellness. There are many botanic species which are of anti insect properties but non-toxic to humans, among which Arisaema jacquemontii has been demonstrated to even have an anti-cancer potency ^[1].

Notes

1. ^ Kaur, Manpreet et al.. A Tuber Lectin from Arisaema jacquemontii Blume with Anti-insect and Anti-proliferative Properties. Retrieved on 21 November 2007.

is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

See also

• Biological pest control, for the control of one species through the control of its predators
  • Hedgehog, animal used as pest control against insects
• Insect repellent
• Crop rotation
• Invasive species
• List of common household pests
• Mosquito control
• Pesticide
• Sterile insect technique
• Weed control
• Rat-catcher
• Varminter
• Wildlife management
• Insectary plants
• List of politically endorsed exterminations of animals

Predatory Polistes wasp looking for bollworms or other caterpillars on a cotton plant Biological control of pests and diseases is a method of controlling pests (including weeds and diseases) in agriculture that relies on natural predation, parasitism or other natural mechanism, rather than introduced chemicals. ... This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ... Genera Atelerix Erinaceus Hemiechinus Mesechinus Paraechinus A hedgehog is any of the small spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. ... Mosquito on a bottle of herbal mosquito repellent. ... Satellite image of circular crop fields in Haskell County, Kansas in late June 2001. ... Lantana invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel The term invasive species refers to a subset of introduced species or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. ... ants carpenter ant pharaoh ant bats bed bug cockroaches german cockroach oriental cockroach carpet beetles fur beetle varied carpet beetle woolly bear flea flies blue bottle green bottle house fly hornet Jews mealworm beetle rodents mice rats silverfish termite wasp woodworms death watch beetle furniture beetle weevil See also List... Mosquito control is the task of managing the population of mosquitoes to reduce their damage to human health, economies, and enjoyment of mosquito-ridden areas. ... A cropduster spreading pesticide. ... El Salvador successfully demonstrated the sterile insect technique by eliminating a malaria-causing mosquito from a region for a period of time. ... Weed control, a botanical component of pest control, stops weeds from reaching a mature stage of growth when they could be harmful to domesticated plants, sometimes livestocks, by using manual techniques including soil cultivation, mulching and herbicides. ... Cover of the 1889 publication Full Revelations of a Professional Rat-Catcher by Ike Matthews The rat-catcher is a profession centered around catching rats as a form of pest control. ... Varmint hunting is the practice of hunting vermin, generally small mammals targeted as a means of pest control, rather than for food. ... Wildlife management is the process of keeping certain wildlife populations at desirable levels determined by wildlife managers. ... Elderberry in Bloom Hover Fly Insectary plants is a term used by the organics farming movement to describe plants that attract insects. ... Historically, there have been cases where the extermination of animal species has been politically endorsed because the animals have been considered harmful. ...

External links

• National Pest Management Association
• History of Pest Management
• Pest control tactics
• Bed Bug infestations
• Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers - trade association of the biological control industry
• Pest management information from Preservation Department of Stanford University Libraries
• National Pest Technicians Association,England U.K