Different methods of pest control

1. PEST MANAGEMENT
Uttama Tungkhang
B.Sc. In Zoology
D.H.S.K college, Dibrugarh

2. Introduction
• A pest is an organism which has characteristics that are
regarded as harmful by human. This is because it causes damage
to agriculture through feeding on crops or parasiting livestocks,
such as codling moth on Apple and ball weevil on cotton.
• These pests can be controlled by using the control methods
• Control methods are grouped from least to highest impact:
• A) cultural and mechanical method
• B) biological control c) physical control
• D) chemical control

3. A- cultural and mechanical control
• This is a agricultural modified practice.
• In this double benefit can be achieved.
• It is the cheapest form of insect control upon which nothing extra has been
spent.
• This method is preventive in nature as it can be applied before the attack of
the pest.

4. 1) Hand removal:
• Suitable for larger insects.
• Shake pest into a pan having small amount of water.
• Scrape off and crush the eggs.

5. 2) screen and barriers-
• Can keep out large insects.
• Cutworm are prevented from reaching young transplants by using cardboard
and metal collars.
• Sticky bands placed on tree trunk to trap cankerworns and elm leaf beetle.
• Copper strips also are offered as a control.

6. • 3) modification of process of cultivation-
a) clean cultivation:
• Best control method against pale western cutworm, as they lie underground
and is difficult to bring them outto a definite control operation. So in a clean
crop field when young ones hatches it will not find good and will die.
• b) cleaning of bands:
• Repeat throughout the period of growth and also before and after the
harvest of crop from weeds and other vegetables is highly recommend
against rice grasshopper and gandhibugs.

7. • C) deep ploughing:
• It is one of the most important cultural method and is highly recommend
against red pumpkin beetles , grasshopper , fruit flies and cut worm
• The grasshopper lay their eggs in the soil , fruit flies pupate in soil , cutworm
passes it’s larvae in the soil , therefore by this practice the important stages
of the pest can be exposed to birds and other natural Predator
• D) time sowing:
• These practice against hessien fly of wheat is found to be an effective
operation because the emergence of pest generally takes place at the same
time of wheat sowing , so late sowing of the crop will kill the pest

8. • E) time harvesting
• immediate and clean harvesting of crop aafter the maturation can control many
insects pest , after the harvest , the stables should be decomposed or burned and
deep ploughing should be undertaken to reduce pest population.

9. B) Biological control
Almost all species of plant feeding insect has another insect that is its predator or parasite.
Biological control utilizes the natural enemies of pest insect to keep their populations under
control.
Biological control involves –
A- predator and parasite:
• Predatpry and parasite insect are often termed as ‘beneficials’. Beneficials’ include predators
such as lady beetle , lacewing , wasps and praying mantis as well as parasite include certain
wasps And flies.
• Cultivator should learn to recognise beneficial insects. The use non selective insecticide kills
these helpful insects. Avoid the Killing of those insect is a good prescription.

10. 2) microbes-
• bacteria ,fungi , viruses , protozoa and parasitic nematodes are organism
that attack insects. These microbial insecticide are generally effective against
very specific pests.
• Example , BT or Bacillus Thuringiensis bacteria which produces a toxin that
kills specific caterpillars. The larval pest usually d ies Within 4 to 10days.
• It is a commercially available product used to control many kinds of moth
and butterfly larvae.
• There are many strains of Bt each type controlling specific pest.

11. C) Physical control method
• In this process of insect control light , heat and radiant energy are mostly used
1) light :
• Insect are either attracted towards the light or repel toward light. According to the
response of the light , the insects are called +vely or _vely phototrophic
• -ve phototrophes: this method has been successfully used in rice swarming
caterpillar , gram cutworm, and palm carculionidea. At a definite intensity of light
the insect fly away from the source of light
• Then these insects are collected and killed

12. • +be phototrophes: the nocternal insects which are attracted towards the light
are trapped by this proces.
• If the intensity of light is not more than ¼ of the day light , the insect
attracted towards the light source.
• Besides intensity , wavelength of the light are also important.

13. • 2) heat energy
• It is evident from experiment that both high and low temperature are
harmful for insects
• From the point of control operation purpose high temperature is preferred
than low temperature. Ths is because the pest are damaged at high
temperatures.
• Temperature of 150degree celcius kills almost all insects.

14. • 3-radient energy,-
• A) electrical energy,,: the static Electrical energy with dynamic potential has
been found to be successful in controlling insects . In this method an
electrical field is applied near the pest resident. This willk The pest.
• B) sound wave energy-high potential vibration of sound wave help in pest
control . Ultra super sonic sound are used for this control method.

15. Chemical control-
• Controlling pest by chemical substances is called Chemical control and the
chemical is called ‘pesticide’.
• On the basis of working principle , pesticide are categorised as-
• A) contact pesticide-
• These pesticide kill by touching the insect.
• These are used for soft bodied insect like aphids.
• E.g, phosphamidon, endosulphsn, methyl parathion etc.

16. • B,) stomach pesticide:
• They are used for the control of insects that eat foliage.
• E.g, Aldrin , heptachlor , BHC ETC.
• C), fumigants;
• Fumigantssre gases that are sorted over the field , which are inhaled or
absorbed by the pest,;
• E.g, calcium cyanide , methyl bromide , carbon tetrachlorid etc
• D) protectant :
• These are barrier on the plnts.

17. Integrated pest management (IPM)
• Integrated pest management is a process consisting of balanced use of
cultural, biological and chemical procedure that are environmentally
compatible , economically feasible , and socially acceptable to reduce pest
populations to tolerable level.
• It is a combination of many strategies that are used to avoid or solve any
pest problems.these strategies come from many disciplines , such as disease
information from a plant pathologist , weed information from a agronomist
and insect information from a. Entomologist.

18. • The basic steps of IPM,-
1. Preventive measures,: -
• Many IPM practice are used before a pest problem develops to prevent the
build-up of pest.
• Cultural control are used to disrupt the environment of the pest. Ploughing
, clean cultivation, removal of deseased plants ect , are all cultural control
methods that deprives the pest from a comfortable habitat.
• Construction site sanitation – Removing of tree stumps and lumber scraps
from construction site , which are prime food source of pest.
• Biological control by using natural enemies to keep pest in check can be
put into place before a pest problem increase .

19. Physical barriers such as netting over small fruits and screening in greenhouse can
prevent crop loss. Physical barriers are used to control termites, housefly and rodent.
Pest resistant varieties of cultivable plants are those , which are less susceptible
than other varieties to certain insects and diseases. Use of resistant varieties often
means that growers do not need to apply as many pesticide as it with susceptible
varieties.
2) monitoring-
Monitoring pest involves:
Regular checking of warehouse , bakery , restaurant , field , greenhouse , or other
areas and early detection of pest can function together like an early warning system
for pest .

20. • Proper identification of pest is very important. For example the brown
banded cockroach and German cockroach can be easily confused with each
other. Correct identification enables to manage the real source of problem
and avoid merely treating the symptoms.
• Identifying the effect of biological control means knowing which
creature are helpful and determining if pest are affected by the beneficial
organism.

21. ,3) Assessment-
It is the process of determining the potential for the pest to reach an
economic threshold or an intolerable level .
Forecasting can help to determine weather conditions will be favorable for the
development of deseases and pest.
For example , by plugging in values (such as the no. Of rainy days and the
temperature for those days ), growers can predict outbreak and spray only
when conditions are favorable for disease.

22. • 4), action-
• Once pest has reached the economic threshold , action should be taken . In
some situations , cultural controls can destroy pests. One example is early
harvesting to avoid pest problem , which prevents the crop loss and
sometimes be more economical than a pesticide application.
• Chemical pesticide are used as a control measures are used as a control
measure when no other strategies will bring the pest populations under the
threshold usually hinges on a availablity of a pesticide that will bring the pest
populations down quickly.