Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 3
PESTS AND
PEST CONTROL
A pest is anything that:
•
competes with humans, domestic animals, or crops for food. feed, or
water
•
injures humans, animals, crops, structures, or possessions
•
spreads disease to humans, domestic animals, or crops
•
annoys humans or domestic animals
Pests can be placed into five main categories:
•
insects (and related animals)
•
plant disease agents
•
weeds
•
mollusks
•
vertebrates.
As a person that uses pesticides, you must be familiar with the pests you
will be likely to encounter on the job, at home, or at recreation. To be able
to identify and control the pests, you need to know about some aspects of:
•
the common features of pest organisms
•
characteristics of the damage they cause
•
pest development and biology
You can get identification aids, publications, and pictures from your Co-
operative Extension Service agent or ask university, regulatory agency per-
sonnel or other experts for advice.
To solve pest problems, the applicator must:
•
identify the pest
•
know what control methods are available
