Pests are organisms that damage or destroy property or cause disease in people, animals, and plants. Pest control is necessary when their numbers build up to unacceptable levels. Contact Coquitlam Pest Control now!

Knowing more about the pests and their biology helps to decide whether action is needed and what management methods to use. Monitoring helps determine the need for treatment and identifies infestation hot spots.

Pests present many potential health risks: they can transmit disease, cause allergies, contaminate food, or affect human comfort and well-being. They can also damage textiles, books, and wooden goods, causing the loss of valuable possessions. Preventive measures, such as routine inspections and promptly applying appropriate treatment techniques, can protect people, property, and a business’s reputation.

Prevention begins by identifying and understanding the problem pest. This includes knowing its habits, where it lives, what it eats, and what it does in the environment. Detailed knowledge about the pest allows you to assess whether it can be tolerated or not. It also allows you to select control tactics that are appropriate to the situation and minimize risks to humans, pets and other animals.

Regular inspections by an experienced pest management professional will help identify signs of a pest infestation and take appropriate action before the problem becomes severe. This approach reduces the need for expensive pesticide treatments and can also save time, money and stress.

The goal of pest control is to reduce the numbers of pests below a level where they are causing unacceptable harm. Suppression is achieved through the use of control tactics that destroy or repel pests, such as traps and baits. Chemical controls, such as weed killers and insecticides, are generally considered last resorts. These products should always be used according to the label and with proper training, minimizing risk of exposure.

Prevention also encompasses non-chemical methods of controlling pests, such as cultural, physical and mechanical means. Cultural and physical controls kill a pest directly or block its access to resources. Examples include putting out bird feeders to prevent bird pests, repairing or erecting barriers such as screens to keep rodents out, and cleaning up litter or debris that could attract insects and other pests.

Practicing good hygiene can also be a powerful preventive measure against pests, especially in food processing environments. This can include washing and sanitizing produce to eliminate pathogens, storing food in containers that prevent pests from entering, and inspecting food storage areas regularly for signs of infestation.

Identification

Identifying pests accurately is one of the most important steps in any pest control program. It allows for the selection of appropriate treatment methods such as insecticide applications, crop thinning, cultural practices and physical exclusion. Accurate identification can also help prevent the unnecessary use of pesticides, which reduces costs and environmental risks.

Some pest species have distinct morphological characteristics that can be used to identify them. Others are identifiable by their behavior or damage they cause to plants. Careful scouting (regular searching for, identifying and assessing numbers of pests) is often necessary to determine the precise identity of a pest infestation. Species identification is especially critical for the selection of management tactics, because different pests require different treatments.

Incorrect pest identification can result in the selection of inappropriate management strategies, which may be cost prohibitive, ineffective or harmful to non-target organisms (such as beneficial insects and other crops) or people. In the case of invasive or nuisance pests, misidentification can contribute to their continued spread and increase the risk of exposure to human health hazards.

Different pests have different feeding habits and attack specific parts of a plant. For example, caterpillars of many butterflies and moths, and the larval and adult stages of some beetles feed on leaves, stems, flowers or fruit. Others injure crops by spreading diseases from infected to healthy plants or by sucking sap from leaves, buds or roots. In addition, different pests are present at different times of the year and have varying reproductive characteristics. Taking these factors into account can be important in the development of a pest control strategy.

Identifying pests can be challenging, even for experienced growers. A pest’s physical appearance can change significantly over the course of its life cycle or season, making it difficult to distinguish between different forms. In addition, some pest species undergo a number of changes in color and odor. Detailed knowledge of the pest biology and life cycle is essential for proper identification. Biological pest control uses natural enemies to reduce the population of unwanted pests. It can be accomplished through predation, parasitism, or herbivory or by introducing other living organisms that will compete with or replace the pest.

Monitoring

Pests cause significant damage to crops worldwide, impacting crop health and yield, food security, the global economy and environmental sustainability. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies provide the necessary tools to manage insect populations and limit damage to our crops and the environment. IPM includes monitoring, identification and suppression tactics.

Monitoring involves inspecting fields for the presence of insects and the injury they cause. Field scouting should be regularly scheduled, depending on the crop and the pest(s). Insect monitoring provides early detection of an increase in pest population levels that can be addressed with preventive pest control methods before they reach damaging thresholds. Insect populations are dynamic and often fluctuate seasonally, requiring regular inspections to detect these fluctuations and make timely decisions about control tactics.

Insect identification is essential, as each species of insect plays an important role in the ecosystem. It is important to understand what each insect is doing in your crop and how it fits into the natural ecology of your field. For example, insects that feed on weeds and other crops should not be considered pests; they may be doing what nature intended.

Sampling methods for scouting include sticky traps, sweep nets and other hand-held or push rod sampling devices. More precise, less labor intensive, and cost-effective sampling tools are also available. For example, digital insect monitoring systems and pheromone lures can more accurately sample target pests than traditional sticky traps, and they are much easier to clean and replace.

When monitoring, identification and action thresholds indicate that pest control is warranted, IPM programs evaluate the proper control method for effectiveness and risk. Less risky, preventive methods are usually used first, such as releasing beneficial insects, using pheromones to disrupt mating, or physical control techniques like trapping and weeding. Chemical control options are employed only when preventive tactics are ineffective or too risky to pursue.

Effective insect monitoring can lead to reduced reliance on chemical pesticides, which is good for the environment and our economy. This reduces the occurrence of resistant pests and supports sustainable agriculture practices. In addition, it can be an excellent tool for determining if current suppression tactics are working or need to be modified.

Treatment

Pests are undesirable organisms like insects, fungi, rodents, nematodes, weeds or vertebrates that harm people or their property. Their presence devalues or destroys crops, food stores, lawns and gardens; damages homes, buildings and their contents; and introduces disease-causing microorganisms that can threaten human health.

Pest control is an important part of public health, allowing us to enjoy the clean, safe quality of life that we take for granted. Pests like cockroaches, flies and mosquitoes can spread dangerous bacteria that cause sickness, while other pests such as rodents, ticks and fleas transmit deadly viruses and worms.

Professional pest control services target infestations early, before they escalate into a costly problem. By detecting subtle signs of pests such as droppings and gnaw marks, pest control professionals can often stop the problem before it gets out of hand.

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to pest management, integrated pest management (IPM) aims for long-term prevention through a combination of physical and biological methods, including habitat manipulation, plant selection and modification of cultural practices. Chemical treatments are used only when monitoring indicates they are needed, according to established guidelines, and with the aim of minimizing risks to humans, beneficial organisms and the environment.

In order to minimize the use of chemicals, homeowners can help by storing food in tightly sealed containers and removing garbage frequently from outdoor areas. They can also install screens on windows and doors, keep branches and shrubs trimmed back, and regularly clean up leaves, bird droppings and other debris that may attract pests to their property.

When necessary, chemical treatments can include pheromones and juvenile hormones, which mimic natural insect hormones to keep the earlier stages of an insect from maturing into the normal adult form, and biological controls such as parasites and predators that can reduce pest populations. Pest control experts are trained to use these and other techniques that minimize or eliminate the need for pesticides, where possible.

If the need for treatment does arise, pest control specialists can use a variety of targeted baits and traps that require little or no chemical spraying. Surface sprays are only used when absolutely necessary and in out-of-the-way places where they will not come into contact with people.