Pests can be one of the harmful things for your trees and properties. From causing damage to trees to just being a nuisance, pests are a problem you want to take care of as soon as possible. With the help of Hunting Valley tree service companies, like Vancuren Tree Service, you can ensure the health and safety of your trees if they experience damage due to pests.
So what is a pest? A pest is any creature that is considered “undesirable” to humans. This would be any organism that reduces the quality, availability, or value of a resource, in this case trees.. While it doesn’t reflect their importance in natural ecosystems, it expresses that they are at conflict with humans.
Pests can be organisms like insects, invasive species, or even weeds, which are considered to be plant pests. An organism becomes a pest when its population is no longer contained by natural regulators, like predators.
Pest management is used to reduce pest numbers to an acceptable amount. This usually means steps are taken to reduce the amount of pests while still being profitable, rather than complete eradication. There are many forms of pest management. Pest eradication refers to the complete removal of pests, although other methods are more viable.
Chemical pest management includes the use of insecticides, herbicides, and rodenticides. These chemicals are usually toxins and are used to affect the number of pests through indirect means, like releasing pheromones to disrupt breeding and mating behaviors. The downside to chemical pest management is the chemicals are often toxic to the pests’ natural enemies as well. It can also impact water supply, soil productivity, air quality, and the food chain.
Biological pest management means using a pest’s natural enemies for control. This is usually done when non-native species are no longer containable. Natural predators from the species origin are then brought in to help control the pest population. However, it is important to make sure this new species does not create additional threats in the environment.
Cultural pest management refers to any harvesting practices that prevent natural enemies from damaging crops every year. Intercropping can make it more difficult for pests to find a host plant. Sometimes, farmers may plant crops that attract pests away from the harvest crops. They may also delay planting times to coincide with times where pests have already died off for the season.
Physical pest management means manually or mechanically removing pests. This could also include installing barriers to keep pests out of crops and trees. Other examples are animal traps, sticky cards, handpicking, or spraying plants.
Genetic pest management is not as widely known or accessible. This usually means genetically modifying the plant so that it repels pests instead of attracting them.
Most of the time, integrated pest management is used. This mixes techniques from the different forms of pest management to create the most effective and affordable option for pest management. The use of chemicals is typically a last resort.
Protecting your trees from pests is a top priority. With the help of Hunting Valley tree pest management companies, like Vancuren Tree Service, you can control pest populations and ensure the health and safety of all the trees in your yard.
