PEST MANAGEMENT
Selva Türkölmez
Cevza Esin Tunç
Deniz Çerik
Kemal Alper Önsü
http://www.business-directory.org.uk/pest-control.html
OUTLINE
What is pest?
 Causes of pests
 What is pest management?
 Why is the pest control important?
 Types of pest management:

Biological
 Mechanical
 Physical

What is Integrated Pest Managemet (IPM)?
 What are the positive and negative effects of pest
management?

WHAT IS PEST?
Any animal, plant or microorganism that:
 cause harm or damage to people or their
animals,
 destroy their crops or possessions(houses, yards,
lands...etc).
WHICH SPECIES ARE
CONSIDERED AS PEST?
insects, mites, ticks (and
other arthropods),
 mice, rats, and other
rodents,
 slugs, snails, nematodes,
 cestodes (and other
parasites),
 weeds
 fungi, bacteria, viruses
(and other pathogens)

http://www.pestcontroluae.com/pestlibrary.html
AGRICULTURAL PESTS:


o
o
species that are harmful for agriculture by feeding on
crops or parasitising livestock.
For example:
Codling mothapples
Boll weevilcotton
http://tar-gel.com/index.php?tema=11&s=1&id=183
http://www.etkinlik.com.tr/elmakurdu-kirtik-1894
PESTS:
Deteriorate a wild ecosystem
 Harmful for humans

https://extension.umd.edu/CucurbitPe
stManagement
For example:
 Rats &fleas: plaque
 Mosquitoes: malaria
 Ticks : Lyme disease
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2012/08/the-case-foropen-access/
CAUSES OF PESTS
1) Environmental Change
changes in climate, habitat, or community structure
insect population with a reproductive opportunity
insects become epidemic from endemic
http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.edu/landingpage.cfm?article=ca.v063n02p73&fulltext=y
es
2) Introduction of Pests
expansion of international travel and trade 
accidentially transportation (through air or sea
transportation)
 introduction of pests to new environment without their
natural enemies  pests become problematic in new
area due to:
lack of resistance of native crops & lack of natural
enemies

3) Destruction of Natural Enemies
excess use of insecticides and pesticides natural
enemies are killed
natural control mechanism is deteriorated pest
outbreak
http://www.whistler2020.ca/whistler/site/otgStory.acds?instan
ceid=9579775&context=1974407
4) Development of Resistance& Genetic
Diversity
stress by single factor parasites evolve
change of genetics & adaptation to new
conditions  resistance
RESURGENCE:

the sudden increase of pests due to resistance in
spite of good initial reduction.
1)Excessive use of pesticides
2)pests:adopt&become resistant &
natural enemies: cannot survive and become
resistant 
3)pest pop. tremendously increases but natural
enemy pop. cannot
4)natural enemy pop. cannot catch up pest pop. and
control their amount 
5)increase of pests
5) Extensive and Intensive Cultivation


Monoculture pests
Extensive cultivation  No need for competition
for food multiplication & diversity of pests
6) Introduction of New Crops and
Varieties
Most of new introduced crops lack of resistance
feeding more on introduced crop pest
multiplication
7) Breeding Crops
Occured first in 1940-1970
 Main aim was to increase crop yields by changing
their genetics
 When changing the genetics of crops,little attention
was paid to the resistance of plants to pests
 Changing genetics  changed resistance increase
in pests

8) Improved Agronomic Practices
Increased N fertilizer
 Closer planting
 Granular insecticides

increase
of
pests
WHAT IS PEST
MANAGEMENT?
http://pestcontrolservers.blogspot.co.uk/




Regulations or managements about pests (which are
harmful to ecology, health and economy) to get rid of them
or control their amount.
Excluding or eradicating pests, creating environments
where pests cannot survive and reproduce.
Agricultural and urban/industrial pest control.
In agricultural pest management: coexistence rather than
eradiction
LOGIC(STEPS) OF PEST MANAGEMENT:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identification -- Exactly which species is causing
damage?
Quantification -- What is the density and/or
distribution of the population?
Specification -- What is the most reasonable and
effective course of action?
Application -- Implementation of the appropriate
management tactic.
Evaluation -- How effective was the control operation?
http://entoguard.com/
TYPES OF PEST
MANAGEMENT
BIOLOGICAL PEST
MANAGEMENT
(NATURAL PEST CONTROL)



Eduction of pest populations by favoring natural
enemies
Relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other
natural mechanisms.
Typically also involves an active human management
role.
NATURAL ENEMIES: BIOLOGICAL
CONTROL AGENTS THAT REDUCES
THE HOSTS(PESTS)
https://www.pioneer.com/home/site/us/agronomy/cropmanagement/soybean-insect-disease/soybean-aphid
http://ocw.tufts.edu/Content/40/imagegallery/434509/434516
3 TYPES OF NATURAL ENEMIES:
Predators : free-living species that consume a prey
Ex: birds  monarch butterflies (feeding on milkweed)
http://www.monarchlab.org/Lab/Research/topics/Enemies/Default.aspx
Parasitoids: species whose immature stage develops
on or within a single insect host (pest)
Ex: wasp & most of flies  monarch larvaes
http://www.monarchlab.org/Lab/Research/topics/Enemies/Default.aspx
Pathogens: bacteria, fungi, and viruses. They kill or
weaken their host (pest)
Ex: pathogenic fungi and viruses caterpillars
http://kathrynanddavid.com/2010/02/a-vegetable-garden-checklist/
TYPES OF BIOLOGICAL PEST CONTROL:
CONSERVATION, CLASSICAL
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL (IMPORTATION),
AUGMENTATION
CONSERVATION
 Protecting natural enemies
 Most pests are attacked by several different types and
species of natural enemies

their conservation is the primary way to successfully
use biological control
ANT CONTROL, HABITAT MANIPULATION,
AND SELECTIVE PESTICIDE USE ARE KEY
CONSERVATION STRATEGIES
selective use of pesticides:
 pesticides are toxic to natural enemies
 they kill natural enemies or reduce their reproduction
ability
They should be applied in a selective manner.
http://www.ozarkpestsolutions.com/pest_control.asp
o ANT CONTROL:
Ants:
 beneficial as consumers of weed seeds
 predators of many insect pests
 soil builders, and nutrient cyclers.
 control methods include: cultivating soil around ant
nests, encircling trunks with ant barriers, and
applying insecticide baits near plants.
 if ants are controlled, populations of many pests:

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/happy_red_ant_cart
oon_postcards-239660145106359388
oHABITAT MANIPULATION:
http://ncs1-organicfarming.blogspot.co.uk/p/normal-0-falsefalse-false-en-us-x-none.html
providing a suitable habitat to favor living &
reproduction of natural enemies
 gardens and landscapes should be managed
 excess fertilization and irrigation should be avoided
 sequentially flowering species should be planted to
provide natural enemies with nectar, pollen, and
shelter
 low populations of plant-feeding insects and mites
should be toleratedsome food is always available
to retain predators and parasites

IMPORTATION(CLASSICAL
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL)
practice of importing(introducing) natural
enemies to control an exotic pests
 exotic pests: the ones that inadvertently been
introduced from elsewhere without their natural
controls
 Steps:
i.
determine the origin of the introduced pest
ii.
collect appropriate natural enemies
iii. quarantine process
iv.
growing&multiplication of natural enemies
v.
release

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological
_pest_control
AUGMENTATION
supplemental release of natural enemies when their
amount is insufficient
 Only a few natural enemies can be effectively
augmented in gardens and landscapes
 Habitat or environmental manipulation: altering the
cropping system to augment or enhance the
effectiveness of a natural enemy

Question: Is there a negative effect of biological pest
control ? what can be the negative effect(s) of biological
pest control?
Answer: Problems can occur as a result of:
predation, parasitism, pathogenicity, competition, or
other attacks on non-target species.  deterioration of
native ecosystem
FOR EXAMPLE:
“The mongoose was
introduced to Hawaii in
order to control
the rat population. However
it preyed on the endemic
birds of Hawaii, especially
their eggs, more often than it
ate the rats”.
http://www.zoochat.com/198/yellow-mongoose-215788/
MECHANICAL & PHYSICAL
PEST MANAGEMENT
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_
HXiJKCYAASeNw.jpg
Mechanical Control

To provide a protective barrier between plants
and insects.
Physical Control

Getting rid of insects to protect crops
Row Covers
http://imgsrv.gardening.ktsa.com/image/ktsag/UserFiles/Image/F-Images/floating%20row%20cover.jpg
MERIT
increasing soil and air temperature
 reducing wind damage
 providing a physical barrier against pests.
 non-toxic with no residues

DRAWBACK
Labor intensive in windy air
 Cannot prevent pests from soil
 Prevent pollunation


Handpicking

Traps and Attrachtants

Insect vacuum
INSECTICIDAL SOAPS
http://addins.kwwl.com/blogs/thedirt/wpcontent/uploads/2010/03/insecticidalsoap1.jpg
MERIT
Control insects
 Minimize plant injury
 Consistent manufacture
 Not fatal for benefical insects

DRAWBACK
Increased risk of plant injury
 Not effective against big bugs
 Spider mites

TO PREVENT PLANT INJURY
Dilute the solution
 Wash leaves after usage

OTHER METHODS

Water pressure system

Diatomaceous Earth

Horticulture Oils
HARVEST PRACTICES
Strip harvesting
 Early swathing
 Mowing
 Hand pulling

TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Fire

Cold Storage
http://capepestcontrol.co.za
/wpcontent/uploads/2012/06/pe
st-control_services.jpg
QUESTION

Is it clever to kill pests in order to save our crops?
Answers: Since there are beneficial insects reliant
on some of these pests total destruction of them
would eventually harm our selective
environment, maintaining the numbers in a scale
will be much more efficient.
WHAT IS INTEGRATED
PEST MANAGEMENT
(IPM) ?
Many pests are not controlled
effectively with a single
technique; rather, a combination
of control methods is often more
effective.
 Integrated pest management
(IPM) combines a variety of
biological, cultivation, and
pesticide controls tailored to the
conditions and crops of an
individual farm, campus, city, or
greenhouse.



IPM focusses on controlling, rather than
eradication of pests.
Using pesticides is seen as the last option for
IPM
PRINCIPLES OF IPM
1) Acceptable Pest Levels
First, establish acceptable pest level, (action threshold)
then if it is exceeded, we can now use control methods.
Not using pesticides lead more vulnerable pest
generations.
2) Preventive Cultural Practice
Selecting best techniques for local growing conditions
and maintaining healthy crops is the first line of
defense.
 Plant Quarantine
 Cultural Techniques
-removal of diseased plants
-cutting leafs to prevent spread of infections
-crop sanitation
3) Monitoring
Regular observation is critically important.
Observation of target insects-pests may provide crucial
information about their life-cycle or reproduction.
Since insects are cold-blooded, their physical
development is dependent on area temperatures.
4) Mechanical Controls
It includes traps containing female pest pheronomes
attract and capture the males.
5) Biological and Genetic Controls
Main approach is to promote beneficial insects
that eat or parasitize target pests.
e.g. Entomopathogenic fungi ,
Entomopathogenic nematodes
Genetic control includes pest-resistant GM crop
6) Responsible Use of Pesticides
Synthetic pesticides are used as required and
often only at specific times in a pest’s life cycle.
Many newer pesticides are derived from plants or
naturally occurring substances (e.g.—
nicotine, pyrethrum and insect juvenile
hormone analogues)
Farmers need to be educated
so that they know what
strategies will work best in
their particular situations.
IPM requires a lot of
knowledge and observations,
but it is cheaper, efficient,
sustainable and more
beneficial for environment
than pesticides(eradication).
IPM has been most successful
in controlling insect pests.
IPM AT HOME FOR MICE
Remove the incentive for mice to live in your
home by keeping foods sealed and stored
 Reduce potential habitats for mice by closing up
holes in walls and carefully but thoroughly
cleaning out any place where mice have built
nest
 Add a cat your household
 Set mousetraps in places where mice are known
to travel
 Use poisons selectively—and only in place where
children and petst cannot get to them

QUESTION:WHAT
ARE ADVANTAGES
AND DISADVANTAGES OF
IPM?
ANSWER:
Advanteges
 There is no escape for pests, somehow they are
controlled by farmers by various techniques.
 Cheap, efficient, sustainable and beneficial for
environment.
Disadvantages
 It requires lots of knowledge,therefore it is not
common amongst farmers.
 It is still in developing proccess(biologic and
genetic pest control) and it is not widely used.
WHY IS PEST CONTROL
IMPORTANT?
MAIN PURPOSES OF PEST CONTROL
Protect our food
 Protect our health
 Convenience

HUMAN HEALTH
Pests carry harmful bacteria that contaminate
food and cause illnesses.
 Quality of life depends on: better
pharmaceuticals, better vaccines, better pest
control
 Allergy (e.g. cockroaches)
 Increased life expectancy

CROP PROTECTION
Consumption and Contamination of the 20% of
our food supply
 Lost profits in business

PESTS DO DAMAGES
Pests destroy houses and buildings and their
contents.
 Rats can cause fire by chewing the wires.

PESTICIDES

‘’any substance or mixture of substances intended
for preventing, destroying, or controlling any pest,
including vectors of human or animal disease,
unwanted species of plants or animals, causing
harm during or otherwise interfering with the
production, processing, storage, transport, or
marketing of food, agricultural commodities,
wood and wood products or animal feedstuffs, or
substances that may be administered to animals
for the control of insects, arachnids, or other pests
in or on their bodies’’ – Food and Agriculture
Organization
THE DDT STORY
First-generation pesticides vs. Second-generation
pesticides
 Paul Müller, -1938
 Toxic to insects and nontoxic to humans
 World War II
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE
AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS
OF PEST MANAGEMENT?
PESTICIDE USE
Benefits



Disease Control
Crop Protection





Problems
Evolution of genetic
Resistance
Imbalances in the
Ecosystem
Persistence,
Bioaccumulation, Biological
magnification
Mobility in the Environment
Adverse Environmental and
Human Health Effects
Resurgances & SecondaryPest Outbreaks
EVOLUTION OF GENETIC RESISTANCE
The prolonged use of a particular pesticide can
cause a pest population to develop genetic
resistance to the pesticide.
 Associated with secondary-pest outbreaks
 Pesticide Treadmill
 Resistance Management: Strategies for
managing genetic resistance to maximize the
period in which a pesticide is useful.

DEVELOPED GENETIC RESISTANCE
PESITICIDE TREADMILL
IMBALANCES IN THE ECOSYSTEM
Beneficial insects are also killed as effectively as
pest insects.
 Dieldrin – kills animals such as birds, rabbits,
beneficial insects, cats and squirells besides
Japanese beetles
 Reduction in the population of natural enemies of
target pest insects
 Creation of new Pests

PERSISTENCE, BIOACCUMULATION,
BIOLOGICAL MAGNIFICATION
Bioaccumulation: The buildup of a persistent
pesticide or other toxic substance in an
organism’s body
 Biological Magnification: The increased
concentration of toxic chemicals such as certain
pesticides in the tissues of organisms at higher
trophic levels in food webs.

MOBILITY IN THE ENVIRONMENT
Pesticides do not stay where they are applied
 The pesticide level in an aquatic ecosystem may
harm the fishes.
 Water and Air pollunation

INTENDED AND ACTUAL PATHWAYS FOR
PESTICIDE
RISKS ON HUMAN HEALTH
Short-term Effects such as Pesticide Poisioning:
more than 4 million people suffer from pesticide
poisoning and 300,000 people die each year
 Use of dangerous pesticides in developing
countries
 Safety regulations

RISKS ON HUMAN HEALTH
Long-term Effects such as cancer and sterility
 Increase the risk of Parkinson’s Disease
 Miscarriages and birth defects
 Pesticides are Endocrine disrupters

WHY ARE PESTICIDES SO WIDELY
USED?
Use of pesticides -> The amount of food
 The economic value of pesticides
 Many health problems are impossible to control
without insecticides.

CHANGES IN PESTICIDE USE
AROUND THE WORLD
Question: Explain how the use of pesticides can
disrupt the nature of an ecosystem.
Answer: The pesticides also have effects on non-target
organisms. Along the target organisms, some other
species can also be harmed and killed by the applied
pesticide. In addition, the use of pesticides can also
cause a species to become a serious pest, although it was
not previously a problem.
REFERENCES:
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D. S. Hill, Agricultural Insect Pests of the Tropics and their Control, 2nd ed., London, 1983.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pest_(organism)
http://www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/c10/e5-24-10-00.pdf
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/text18/management.html
http://tnau.ac.in/eagri/eagri50/ENTO232/lec11.pdf
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Discuss:What_is_pest_resurgence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pest_control
Hoffmann, M.P. and Frodsham, A.C. (1993) Natural Enemies of Vegetable Insect Pests.
Cooperative Extension, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 63 pp.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_pest_control
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74140.html
Hillock, D., & Bolin, P. (n.d.). Earth-Kind Gardening Series Mechanical Pest Controls. .
Retrieved April 19, 2014, from
http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2291/HLA-6432web.pdf
Physical Control of Pests. (n.d.). Physical Control of Pests. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm2366
SMITH F. B., ENGER E. D., 2010, Environmental Science, McGraw Hill Higher
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WRIGHT R. T., BOORSE D. F., 2011, Environmental Science, Pearson, Eleventh Edition
RAVEN P. H., BERG L. R., HASSENZAHL D. M., 2010, Environment, Wiley, Seventh
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