Many museum materials are susceptible to deterioration by insects, fungi, and rodents. These pests can cause damage ranging from grazing and perforation to destruction.
Various chemicals can be used to kill or inhibit pests. Examples include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and avicides. Contact Seaside Pest Control now!
Practicing preventive measures is the best way to avoid pest infestation. Keeping up with routine inspections ensures that pests don’t findaren’t entryways into your home and can catch problems like mildew and rot in their early stages before they get out of hand. Preventive pest control also helps you save money on costly repairs down the line.
Avoiding pests starts with removing their food sources, water and shelter. Keep trash cans and dumpsters tightly closed, and keep food in sealed containers. Fix leaky pipes and regularly clean surfaces to banish potential breeding sites for pests, like crumbs or spills.
Another preventive measure is to select plants that are less attractive to pests. Some plants have a natural defense mechanism that makes them unattractive to insects, such as strong odors, bitter taste or toxic chemicals. These are called non-preference plants.
A food producer’s preventive steps begin with developing a master sanitation schedule and adhering to it. They should inspect and monitor areas of the facility based on risk and use monitoring and trapping equipment to aid their inspections, Waggoner says. For example, rodents caught in light or pheromone traps should trigger a more thorough inspection of that area. In addition, a food manufacturer should establish thresholds for pests in storage, processing, and distribution areas to protect their products.
Integrated pest management (IPM)
IPM is a method of managing pests that balances environmental, economic and health concerns. It’s an effective approach to controlling all kinds of pests in both urban and agricultural settings.
IPM emerged from dissatisfaction with a purely insecticidal approach to pest control in the 1950s. Overuse of pesticides resulted in the development of resistant pests, and a more holistic approach to pest management was needed.
The first step in IPM is a thorough inspection to identify the pest and the host plant. Once the pest and the plant are identified, steps can be taken to avoid or minimize pest damage, using cultural, physical or biological controls. The goal is to suppress pest populations below the level of economic injury.
For example, a gardener might use mulch to deprive weed seeds of the sunlight they need to germinate. If cultural changes are ineffective, a less risky chemical control might be used, such as pheromones to disrupt mating. If all of the above steps are not possible, a more targeted or broad-spray pesticide might be applied.
In addition to avoiding the need for potentially harmful chemicals, IPM can save money by reducing the cost of pesticides and energy. It also reduces the need for structural repairs and can even offer benefits unrelated to pest control, such as weatherization of buildings that can save on energy costs.
Chemical control
Chemical control involves the use of chemicals to kill or repel pests. These chemicals include herbicides (which kill plants), insecticides (which target insects), fungicides (which kill fungus) and rodenticides. Some of these chemicals are very specific and only affect the target organisms, while others are broad-spectrum and can affect many different kinds of living organisms.
Some of the most commonly used chemical control methods are fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. However, these are not without their drawbacks. They can contaminate water supplies and cause damage to other crops and to the surrounding environment. They also may cause health problems for people, including cancer and other diseases.
Biological control, on the other hand, does not involve any chemicals. It works by encouraging natural enemies of pests to inhabit an area. This can be done by introducing predatory or parasitoid species, or by planting certain types of flowers and shrubs to attract the insects that will be targeted.
Non-chemical methods can take longer to achieve results, but they offer safe and environmentally responsible pest control. It is important to choose the right pest control method for each situation. However, combining both chemical and non-chemical methods is the best way to ensure optimal results. Using both preventive methods and regular monitoring with humane traps, such as those available from Catseye, can help you eliminate pest infestations without the need for harmful chemicals.
Biological control
Biological control is the use of living organisms (parasites, pathogens, and predators) to reduce pest populations or damage. The organisms are often imported and released into a cropping system, usually to supplement or augment indigenous natural enemies. The objective of biological control is to bring the pest population below damaging or intolerable levels.
Unlike chemical pesticides, which affect many or all parts of the plant, biological control agents target specific structures or processes. This is why biological controls are less likely to cause off-target problems. Most parasites and pathogens attack only one or a few closely related pest species, while predators may be effective against a wide range of pests.
Native natural enemies are generally adapted to the cropping environment and local pests, and are usually available in abundance. Conserving these natural enemies is a relatively inexpensive and effective way to manage pests. For example, lactic acid bacteria and other microorganisms in soil can produce and exude substances that inhibit or deter insect pests from utilizing the crops as hosts.
Importing and releasing biological control agents to establish permanent populations requires considerable research, testing and monitoring. This involves determining the appropriate biocontrol agent(s) to be used, selecting suitable natural enemies from other locations, and ensuring that the organisms have the appropriate life history to suppress pests in the cropping system. A careful attention to timing and synchrony of the enemy’s life cycle and pest population is required.