Pests can damage your property and transmit diseases. Routine pest control keeps these unwanted creatures at bay.
Accurate identification is the first step in pest management. It allows you to select the best control method and learn the basics about the pest, such as its biology and life cycle. Contact Rodent Retreat now!
Insects are the largest group of animals on Earth and can be found in every climate. They are often considered pests because they damage crops, cause structural damage to buildings and deteriorate wood building materials. In addition, some insects carry disease agents that can impact human and animal health. However, most of the millions of insect species that exist are not considered pests.
In fact, only a small percentage of the world’s insect population causes harm to people, plants or structures. Many are predators that naturally control populations of pest species. For example, the larvae of some beetles eat the insides of aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Similarly, ladybugs and green lacewings devour aphids and caterpillar eggs.
Some insects, such as dragonflies and tiger beetles, actively pursue their prey in the air or on land, while others such as praying mantis and some thrips and true bugs use a combination of camouflage, mimicry and physical barriers to avoid enemies. Insects can also protect themselves from attack by releasing pheromones that disrupt breeding behavior or attract natural predators.
Like humans, insect abundance fluctuates over time. For example, some insect pests, such as the codling moth and canker worm, have dramatic “boom and bust” populations that change over several years. This type of pattern is influenced by weather, especially temperature and rainfall.
Chemicals are often used to suppress pest populations. These can include broad-spectrum (non-selective) insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. However, they can be harmful to non-target organisms such as the pest’s natural enemies or even humans, contaminate soil and water supplies and persist in the environment. In addition, some pesticides have been shown to biomagnify into food chains.
The most effective pest control measures involve prevention and good gardening practices. For example, plant trees and shrubs away from buildings to reduce the risk of insect infestation. Remove weeds and vines that might serve as cover or hiding places for pests. Also, use natural insect repellents and horticultural oils to deter pests. Insect nematodes are an alternative to chemical pesticides and work by infecting and paralyzing insects as they eat them.
Rodents
Rodents are warm-blooded mammals that invade homes and other buildings in search of food, water and shelter. They spread diseases and cause property damage. The most common rodents are mice and rats. Signs of their presence include rodent droppings in and around the home, chewed holes in walls and floors, and gnaw marks on wires.
The pests also consume and contaminate foods with their urine and feces, and they chew on wires that can cause fires, power outages, Internet blackouts, and other problems. Rodents may also transmit pathogens that can cause illness in pets, humans and other animals.
Rats and mice are omnivores and eat seeds, fruit, grain-based foods, and even meat and pet food. They are able to reproduce quickly and produce large litters. They are a major threat to agriculture and forestry. They are known to carry several disease pathogens including fleas, typhus, plague, tularemia, and rabies. They also play host to parasitic insects that can cause diseases in humans, such as mosquitoes and ticks.
In human living spaces, a rodent infestation can cause structural damage and create a health hazard by spreading bacteria and parasitic diseases to people and pets. Some species are reservoirs of serious infections such as cholera, tularemia, leptospirosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and rat-bite fever.
The most important step in preventing rodents is sanitation. Keep food in containers with tight lids and don’t leave garbage out overnight. Clean up spilled food right away and wash dishes and utensils soon after using them. Keep stoves clear of clutter and seal openings in kitchen cabinets, basements, crawl spaces and attics with steel wool or caulk. Turn compost piles regularly. Remove potential rodent nesting sites by removing leaf piles and deep mulch from the home, cleaning up brush and weeds around buildings, and keeping lawns mowed and trimmed. This will make the environment less attractive to rodents and help prevent re-infestations. The University of Florida’s IFAS Extension and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have good information on sanitation and other preventive measures to help keep rodents out.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are one of the most persistent and difficult pests to eradicate, especially in multi-unit housing where infestations may go undetected or unreported by tenants. They are also notoriously mobile and able to spread to neighboring units, as well as into public spaces and offices. Infestations in these settings often result in large numbers of people displaced from their work and residences.
If you suspect you have bed bugs, call a pest control professional to schedule an inspection. They will inspect the infested space and recommend treatment options.
Most common household insecticides, including those advertised for use against bed bugs, are only moderately effective. Aerosol sprays primarily kill bed bugs that are exposed and out in the open, not those hiding in crevices and cracks of headboards and bed frames, behind baseboards, and inside non-washable furniture cushions and stuffed animals.
Regular cleaning is an essential first step for preventing and controlling bed bug problems. Vacuuming all surfaces regularly, including around windows and molding, removes egg sacs and dislodged adults. Washing bedding, curtains, and clothing in hot water on high-heat dryer settings also reduces infestations.
Using specialized traps, such as the ClimbUp Insect Interceptors, can help you to quickly detect and eliminate an infestation before it gets out of hand. These ‘pitfall-style’ traps have a slippery inner surface that wandering bed bugs fall into and can’t escape. The traps emit a pheromone attractant to lure the insects and have sensors to prevent overfilling. These traps should be placed under the legs of beds and seating, as well as in other accessible areas. Periodic inspections of these areas by occupants and/or pest professionals should reveal any hidden infestations in early stages of development.
Cooperation is key in the treatment of bed bug infestations. Occupants of infested rooms and apartments should be willing to clean and declutter their surroundings, as well as assist the pest controller. Excess clutter gives bed bugs many places to hide, which can impede inspection and treatment efforts.
During the inspection and treatment process, it is important to keep records of where the pests are found. Keeping a record will allow you to make sure that all affected areas have been treated. It is also important to continue checking for at least a year after the treatment to ensure that all infestations have been eliminated.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are insects in the family Culicidae. Some species of mosquitoes transmit diseases to humans, including West Nile virus, dengue fever and chikungunya. Others are pests that annoy and bite people. Mosquitoes live in a wide range of habitats, from deserts and forests to mountains and seashores. They are most active at dusk and after dark. They rest during the day in and around vegetation and structures. Most mosquitoes only feed on other insects, but a few species bite humans, transmitting disease organisms in the process.
All mosquitoes start their lives as eggs in standing water, either fresh or salt. These larvae harvest nutrients from the water by a process known as detritus feeding. They also consume bacteria and algae and metabolize organic materials from decaying plant and animal matter. Mosquito eggs are very tough, resistant to drying and capable of remaining viable for months or more. They can even survive if submerged in dry soil. Because of these traits, mosquito control often involves spraying eggs and larvae with insecticides.
Adult mosquitoes are killed by various types of insecticides, depending on their species. The most common mosquito control agents in the United States are organophosphates, which kill mosquitoes by preventing their nerve cells from working properly. Examples include malathion and naled. Another group of chemicals called pyrethroids kills adults by mimicking a natural substance in chrysanthemum flowers. This group includes the synthetic compounds permethrin and d-phenothrin. Mosquito control professionals use these chemicals in ULV (ultra low volume) spraying to kill adult mosquitoes.
In addition to killing adult mosquitoes, certain pyrethroids also kill their offspring. The chemical temefos, for example, is distributed in time-release briquettes to be placed in breeding areas as a larval control agent.
Other chemicals, such as entomopathogenic fungi and the sterile insect technique using Wolbachia bacteria, show promise for controlling mosquito populations without using insecticides. However, the development and implementation of these technologies is complex and requires substantial resources. In the meantime, we must rely on an integrated approach that targets all stages of the mosquito life cycle.