Often, pests thrive in moist environments, so clean up spills and keep garbage cans tightly closed. Keep clogged gutters, twigs and branches cleared from your home’s roofline.
Clutter gives rodents and insects places to hide and breed, so remove trash regularly and store food in sealed containers. Make sure all doors and windows are closed and have working screens. Visit https://pestcontrolkansascitypros.com/ to learn more.
Pests are organisms (microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi and viruses; invertebrates such as insects, mites, snails, slugs and earthworms; weeds; or vertebrates such as rabbits and deer) that interfere with human economic activities, quality of life or damage the environment. Some pests bite or sting; others destroy crops, erode soil, displace native plants and affect terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Insects are the most troublesome of all pests and cause significant damage to agriculture, residential lawns and gardens, food stores, and homes. Insects also can carry and spread disease. Cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects are vectors of diseases, such as cholera, leptospirosis, murine typhus, trichinosis and salmonellosis.
A well-planned and implemented Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan can reduce the need for chemical control methods. When pesticides are used, they should be applied according to the label and with caution, to avoid unnecessary exposure of people or pets.
The first step in pest control is identification of the pest. Walk around your property, looking for evidence of pests such as damaged or dying plants, droppings, egg masses and other signs. Use reference books from the library or garden center to learn more about the pests, such as their life cycles and biology. Then, determine whether the pest is a serious problem and identify preventive nonchemical control methods to eliminate or reduce the population.
Eliminating the pests’ food, water and shelter sources is a simple but effective way to control them. Store food in containers with tight lids, remove garbage regularly, and keep grass, brush, weeds and other debris from collecting in areas where pests can hide. Also, keep doors and windows closed, especially at night, and fix leaky pipes.
Rodents
Rats (Rattus rattus) are a significant pest that damage structures, crops and stored food products. They are also a serious health hazard to humans through their role in the transmission of various diseases and parasites. In addition rats destroy gardens and urban landscapes and can cause fires in unsecured garbage bins.
Rat control requires a combination of methods including sanitation, trapping and baiting. The first step is to remove sources of food, water and shelter. This can be done by storing food in sealed containers, removing trash on a regular basis and using tightly covered garbage cans. Also, block access points to buildings by caulking holes, putting in quality sealant, and blocking openings through walls, floors and ceilings with wire mesh or quality insulation.
The second step is to identify signs of rodent infestation such as droppings, pilfered food and grease marks (dark oil stains from rats rubbing against surfaces) in and around buildings. These signs are usually more evident at night when rats and mice are active.
Gnaw marks and gnawed twigs or wood are often signs of rodent activity along with high-pitched squeaks heard at night. Rats are agile climbers and nest above ground in shrubs, ivy or other dense vegetation or in wall voids, false ceilings and cabinets. They are primarily nocturnal but may become more active during the day when population sizes increase.
Traps and baits are effective controls of rodent populations but must be placed in locations where they can be safely used and retrieved. Since rats are suspicious of new objects it is important to place traps and baits in areas where they will not be seen by people. Also, when using chemical sprays it is a good idea to leave the room while the application is taking effect.
Birds
Birds are an important part of our ecosystems and help keep insect populations in balance. However, pest birds can cause property damage, health hazards and act aggressively if their numbers are too high. The good news is that most bird problems can be solved with preventative measures.
The first step in any control program is sanitation. This can include closing dumpster lids, covering compost bins and keeping trash bins closed. It can also mean making food and water inaccessible to the birds, which can be as simple as eliminating stale bread crusts or as complex as addressing situations where people regularly feed birds.
Eliminating roosting sites is another critical step to bird control. For example, pigeons will nest in any open space, including rain gutters, attic vents and eaves. Likewise, sparrows and starlings will often nest in window sills and under roof shingles.
In addition to reducing the number of birds, removing any roosting and nesting sites will reduce the risk of disease. Certain birds, such as pigeons and sparrows, carry bacteria that can cause ornithosis and campylobacter, a type of food poisoning.
Most of the pest bird species that commonly invade buildings and other structures are protected by federal and state wildlife laws, so it’s critical to know what type of bird you are dealing with and how to legally deal with them. Proper identification is essential before taking any action, and pest control professionals should always check local humane and environmental laws to determine if they can trap or kill these birds without a permit. Even if they can, the best approach is to try reasonable non-lethal methods of control before resorting to suppression or killing.
Weeds
A weed is any unwanted or damaging plant that interferes with the desired growth of crop plants. Weeds are undesirable because they negatively impact human activities, agricultural production, natural phenomena and the national economy. They also compete with crops for water, light and nutrients. They may be aesthetically unappetizing, such as the sticky tarweeds (Madia species) that cause horses to lodge in their mouths, or poisonous, like foxtails (Alopecurus species) and cockleburs (Xanthium species).
Weeds are often difficult to control because of their deep roots that hold soil tightly, and their rapid growth rate. Farmers have developed methods of weed management through which they use herbicides, cultivation and cultural practices to control them.
Chemical herbicides are used in agriculture to destroy large populations of weeds and control perennial weeds such as thistles, quackgrass, field bindweed and common lambsquarters. They are sprayed on the surface of the plants or in the soil, and may be absorbed through the leaves or the stems. Glyphosate, a non-selective systemic herbicide, is currently the most widely used.
Organic weed control is used by gardeners and farmers who wish to avoid the negative effects of chemical herbicides. It is important for the health of soil and plants to not spray on windy days or when it will rain soon afterward (the herbicide will wash off good plants as well). Mixing table salt with water and applying it directly to weeds kills them but does not damage healthy crop plants.
Cultivation and tillage are effective weed management methods, but can damage or break up soil structure and cause erosion on sloped land. In addition, these methods do not prevent weeds from resurfacing after the crop is harvested. Thermal weed control, using flame or steam, is another effective weed control method but is only useful on young broadleaf weeds.
Fungi
Fungi are a diverse group of organisms with both beneficial and detrimental impacts. They play a major role in recycling dead organic matter, providing food (mushrooms), and acting as parasites on living organisms including humans (athlete’s foot is a fungal disease).
The Kingdom Fungi includes more than 144,000 species of yeasts, rusts, mildews, molds, smuts, and other fungi that grow free-living in the soil or in symbiotic relationships with plants. The fungi are also important decomposers, which break down complex chemicals into simpler substances that can be recycled for use by other organisms.
The fungi that form symbiotic relationships with plants are called mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi form a give-and-take relationship with the plant roots, helping them acquire water and nutrients from the soil. These fungi are an essential part of every healthy ecosystem.
Fungal diseases can be devastating to crops, leaving them vulnerable to insect pests and more fungal pathogens. Savvy culture practices and effective fungal treatment are vital to maintaining a productive garden.
Fungicides are used to kill fungi that have invaded the plant or crop. These are most commonly chemical compounds that kill the fungus by interfering with the fungal cell wall or other cellular processes. Some fungicides are also used as soil amendments to suppress disease and increase the health of the soil.
Alternatives to fungicides include biological control of phytopathogenic fungi, microbial fungicides, botanical fungicides, agronanotechnology, fungal cell deactivation and evacuation using ghost techniques, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, homeopathy and herbal teas, mycoviruses, and nematodes. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sustainable, ecosystem-based approach that emphasizes prevention of pests and damage through careful monitoring, cultural practices, and the use of resistant varieties. Pest control materials are only applied after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines and with a focus on removing only the target organism.