Holistic Pest Management : The Mystery Revealed!

Here is an article on holistic pest management with an emphasis on biological source reduction from our friends at Pest West.  Don’t miss Pest West’s  Dr. Stuart Mitchell’s presentation on “Advanced Flying Insect Control” at the New York Pest Expo on November 8, 2012.

 

 

Holistic environmental pest management is a process based on the acquisition and analysis of data to formulate a treatment regimen specific for an individual facility. Pest treatments in the past few decades have been chemical based, through an application of material to specific targets. This approach works in general, for a short duration and is dependent on a number of factors, many beyond the control of the applicator.

While pest control by material has its place, the decision of when, where, how, and most important why, is often not taken into consideration.

Holistic environmental pest management seeks to take into account the whole building and the environment, monitoring the pest activity by data collection and by reducing pest attractants and harborage areas. A strategy is then developed using the information acquired in the inspection process.

In the past it was considered to be cost prohibitive to employ the methods used to provide this service to facilities, but research and the merging of science with technology has brought us Bio-remediation materials. Bio-remediation is able to reduce all carbohydrates, protein, fats and greases, conditions which allow pest harborage. It is then followed up with specific recommendations, based on the pests and their needs, to further reduce the attraction of pest’s to the building.

Bio-remediation, using what we call Biological Source Reduction (BSR), will eliminate food sources and attractants, and go a long way toward eliminating pests. Preferably a product with a high sheer cling, or centipoises rating will be used, since this gives the active bacteria the greatest opportunity to begin digesting the attractant (the greases, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins associated with the pest development) such as the Bio-Gel products. Bio-Gel has proven, when used according to the label to remove the attractants, and help reduce food competition in a structure. This will increase uptake of bait materials, and boost the foraging activity of insects.

BSR should be performed throughout, especially:

• Under immovable equipment

• Equipment attachments and supports

• Thresholds going into doorways and freezers

• Food carts

• Trash cans

• Along any cracks in grout lines

• Drains

• Cove molding

The conditions conducive to pests must be carefully documented and remedied. Consideration must be given to the following issues and concerns:

• Do you have the full information on the pest, such as who saw the pest, where did they see it, when

did they see it, how often has this occurred?

• What is the proper chemical formulation for this application? What chemistry should be used? What chemicals have been used in the past?

• Is the pest an adult or an immature stage? Will it continue its life cycle indoors?

• What other methods are available?

• How quickly does the pest need to be removed?

• Are special arrangements needed for treatment?

Communication is a key factor in a continual relationship between the pest manager and the people who live or work in an area.

Without a good understanding of the process of this type of pest management, frustration and concern develop in the mind of the people involved. This could cause them to question your programs validity and ability to resolve issues.

Essentially holistic environmental pest management is a process based on the acquisition and analysis of data to formulate a treatment regime specific for an individual facility, it is sometimes a difficult but far more rewarding method for controlling pests, both for the facility and the environment.

To recieve further information on BSR contact PestWest here or call: 866.476.7378