Pests can be a major nuisance, contaminate food, damage stock and equipment. Some can even pose health threats through their faeces, droppings or disease-transmitting saliva.

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Insects are important players in greenhouse horticulture, providing valuable ecosystem services such as pollination and predation. They also pose a risk to crops when their populations become too high. When insect pests are not properly managed, they can damage or destroy plants and result in costly losses.

Properly identifying pests is an essential first step in effective control. This requires careful observation of the infested crop and surrounding environment. The exact number and type of pests should be determined, as well as the extent of the damage they are causing.

Observe for stippling and yellowing of leaves, mite webbing on the underside of leaves or stems, and insect exoskeletons in or around the fruit. Often, the presence of these insects can be detected by a’spicy’ or’metallic’ smell emanating from plant tissue. Depending on the species, these pests can be controlled by row covers, hand picking or spray treatments with neem oil or pyrethrum.

Consider integrating beneficial insects into your pest management practices as a sustainable alternative to chemical insecticides. These natural predators, parasitoids and pollinators are effective when used as part of an integrated approach that includes cultural controls, physical barriers and targeted pesticide applications. Beneficial insects must be carefully selected, released and monitored to ensure their proper function. Greenhouse growers with adequate knowledge of the biology, behavior and requirements of these organisms can implement them successfully.

Insects play a critical role in sustaining global food supplies and may provide solutions to environmental issues (Prather & Laws 2018). They influence nearly all of our ecosystem’services’ through their interactions with other species. In fact, human impacts on the ecological system of insects may have more significant effects than the impact of any other group of animals or plant species.

Rodents

Rodents are notorious for invading homes. They are always on the hunt for food, water and shelter and will take over any areas that offer them these things. Mice and rats are the most common rodents found in households. They love crawl spaces, attics and wall voids but will invade kitchens, pantries, pet foods, bird seed and other household goods. In addition to causing structural damage, rodents can carry bacteria and viruses that affect human health. Mice droppings are known to spread diseases like bubonic plague and typhus, while rats can infect humans with Hantavirus which causes serious respiratory problems.

These rodents are also known to cause costly property damage. They can chew through nearly anything to get what they need, including electrical wires and pipes. Gnawed wires may result in a fire or can disrupt the flow of electricity, impacting home comfort, plumbing and even the ability to access food, water and transportation services.

The size of your home and the accessibility challenges present on your property will impact the price of your pest control service. Larger properties require more traps and baits to effectively treat for rodents, while hard-to-reach areas will necessitate specialized techniques that add to the overall cost.

Routinely inspecting your property for entry points, such as cracks in foundations and open windows, and sealing them with caulking can help prevent rodent infestations. Proper food storage (in airtight containers) and regular garbage disposal also helps keep rodents away. Keep in mind that vegetation can also provide hiding places for rodents, so keeping bushes and trees trimmed can limit their access to your home. If you are noticing rodent activity, such as gnawed wires or other signs of an infestation, it’s time to call in the experts.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs have been making a comeback in recent years, and their resurgence has given new relevance to the saying “Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.” These tiny pests can be brought home on clothing, luggage, purses, backpacks, and other personal items. They reproduce quickly, and an infestation can spread throughout a household in a very short period of time.

Identifying a bed bug problem is often difficult, as bed bugs are devious and can mimic many other insect bites or skin conditions. Additionally, the bites can cause a wide variety of medical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, numbness in the face and limbs, muscle tremors, and more.

Once an infestation is detected, washing all bedding, curtains, and clothes in hot water and drying on the highest dryer setting may help to eliminate some of the pests. However, this is not a guarantee of success, and it is important to contact an experienced pest control company immediately.

A professional inspection will identify the source of the infestation, as well as provide recommendations for effective treatment. Several less toxic options, including heat treatments and freezing of infested items, are available for controlling an infestation. However, these methods can be expensive and require considerable time to complete. Furthermore, improper use of these methods can result in damage to belongings and can also pose a health risk to your family.

Mosquitoes

Although mosquitoes are infamous for their itchy bites, the pests serve an important role in nature. Only about a hundred of the species spread germs that make people sick. Those include West Nile virus, yellow fever and malaria.

Mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn, and they breed in standing water. Birdbaths, children’s wading pools, wheelbarrows, trash can lids, and the tops of tarps and buckets are popular places for females to lay eggs. Once the larvae hatch, they become adults that feed on humans and other mammals to get protein for their eggs.

As an insect, a mosquito has a thin body and filmy wings, and its three pairs of long delicate legs are designed for jumping. The females use an elongated mouthpiece to pierce the skin of their victims and draw blood, which provides the protein needed for egg production. The actual bite is painless, but the saliva introduced during feeding can trigger an itchy reaction in people.

While all mosquitoes are a nuisance, some carry dangerous diseases like Zika and malaria. Fortunately, there are many proactive steps that can be taken to protect businesses from disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Effective mosquito control requires a combination of eradication and prevention measures. This starts with emptying and treating any water bodies where females can lay their eggs. Other controls include the use of larvicides to kill mosquito larvae, the removal of containers that hold standing water, and insecticide spraying to kill adult mosquitoes. Biological controls, such as the introduction of fish that feed on mosquito larvae, are also available. However, the use of mosquito control chemicals has been found to alter the chemistry of some water bodies, impacting oxygen levels and harming other aquatic life.

Termites

Termites are a destructive pest that can cause major damage to homes and buildings. Each year they cause more than $5 billion in damage. While it’s true that they can be extremely destructive, these eusocial insects are also important parts of certain natural environments, decomposing dead wood and fertilizing the soil.

Unlike ants, which also swarm at times of the year, termites do not fly and are not easily spotted with the naked eye. They are cryptic, hiding in crevices and tunneling through soil. Because they are such a common home invader, it’s imperative that homeowners know how to recognize the signs of a termite infestation and take appropriate action.

While it is true that termites are not as invasive as ants, they should still be treated with the same caution because they can still cause significant and expensive structural damage to your home. The good news is that if you do suspect a termite problem, you can take a few easy steps to prevent an infestation and limit the amount of damage caused.

Checking for mud tubes around the perimeter of your home is one of the best ways to detect a potential termite problem. These tubes are created by the termites when they travel from their nest to the wood they infest. If you see these tubes, call a pest control professional immediately as this is an indication that there is likely a serious termite infestation in the house.

Removing dead trees and stumps and ensuring that water drains away from your home is another way to help prevent an infestation. Additionally, ensuring that air conditioner drip lines are not creating moisture in the wood around windows and that leaky pipes are promptly repaired can help as well.