Pest Control: Using Technology to Deal with Pest Infestation

Pests pose a lot of problems for homeowners and business owners. Homeowners have to deal with allergens these pests bring into the house. They also have to work on fixing holes rodents make when they live in the house.

Pests can also cause businesses losses due to the damage to the products the business sell. They can also damage equipment in the office and affect the productivity of the employees of the business. While traditional pest control measures can stop these pests from doing more damage, they also have some negative consequences on the environment and people’s health in the home and office.

But technology can reduce this impact while controlling the pest population in a specific area.

Use of Biorational Materials

Integrated Pest Control programs use pest control measures that have little impact on the environment. In the past, the toxicity of pesticides causes a significant impact on ecology. These days, pest control professionals use biorational materials since they have minimal side effects on the environment. Using these materials allows pest control professionals to implement an eco-friendly approach in dealing with pests in the office or home.

These materials are also one way for the pest control industry to move toward sustainability, which has become an important measure in recent years. They may use pheromones to control the pest population. Even as the use of pheromones is not new, combining them with other pest control measures is an innovative approach to pest control.

Use of Pheromone

Studies have shown that pheromones can increase the effectiveness of insecticides. These studies focused on Argentine ants and used the chemical to lure ants away from their nests and trail. When insecticides do not use pheromones, they only affect ants when they pass through the treatment zone. But combining pheromones with insecticides can lure the ants into the insecticide. The study may have focused on Argentine ants, but it may include other species in the future. The use of pheromone-enhanced insecticide can control the pest population while avoiding any negative impact on the environment.

Insect Growth Regulators

Similar to pheromone-assisted pest control techniques, Insect Growth Regulators can also disrupt insects’ growth and reproduction cycles. These insecticides can control many common pests that plagued homes and offices, including mosquitoes and cockroaches. They prevent the eggs of these pests from hatching. They also affect the reproduction system of adult insects and prevent the proper development of larva. IGRs focus on the hormones of insects that are not present in humans.

Use of Green Products

The demand for the use of green products is to ensure the protection of the environment. Before this, people promoted green products to protect public health. The new focus stems from the campaign of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect the environment.

With this, more green products have entered the market. These green products offer better efficacy and fewer drawbacks. They also use better ingredients that have few side effects on the environment. For instance, new generation insecticides may contain the ingredients of the original version but are effective and do not have an unpleasant odor that might affect people’s health.

Use of Baits

Innovations contributed to the increase in the use of baits in pest control. The latest innovation is the use of an insecticide sticker panel designed to control several species of flies, including fruit flies, houseflies, and fungus gnats. The sticker panel contains insect food and insecticide that can kill flies within a minute of contact. Aside from homes, businesses can use this bait to reduce the fly population in their offices. These baits can last up to seven months when used indoors.

Aside from modern fly baits, pest control professionals can also use devices that trap egg-laying mosquitoes. These attract and trap female mosquitoes to eliminate future threats. It also ensures the eggs never reach adulthood.

Controlling the Rodent Population

Mice and rats carry a variety of diseases that can spread directly to humans. Due to this, households and offices have to find ways to eliminate the rodent population in their premises. They can close all holes that allow these pests to enter homes and offices. They can also clean the area to remove potential food sources of rodents.

And since rodents are prolific breeders, it’s essential to control their population in an area. One way for people to do this is to set up traps in areas where the rodents converge or pass. These areas include basements, attics, and crawl spaces. While snap traps are effective, more innovative traps may come in the future.

Controlling pests in a home or office is essential to prevent health and other issues from affecting people who come in contact with these pests.