Key Questions in Urban Pest Management

A Study and Revision Guide

Partho Dhang, Philip Koehler, Roberto Pereira, Daniel Dye II

• Publisher: CAB International
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781800620179
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Entomology
• Index: Biological Sciences

Urban pests are common all over the world. These include cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, bed bugs, ticks, fleas, ants, termites, rodents and others. These pests thrive in human structures, where there is food, warmth and places to hide. Urban pests are one of the leading causes of illnesses in humans due to allergies, bites, food contamination and phobias. They can also cause significant damage to property and structures. Knowledge and training in this field is vital for professional and trainee pest managers. This book is specifically intended to provide an aid to such candidates. The book contains 500 multiple-choice questions (and answers) grouped into the following major topic areas: · The history of urban entomology · Household pests · Cockroaches· Flies· Mosquitoes· Bed bugs· Termites· Sporadic pests· Stored product pests· Vertebrate pests· Pesticides and pesticide formulations· Handling pesticides · Integrated Pest Control Produced in a convenient format that can be used at any time in any place, the book allows the reader to learn and revise the subject and much more. Its structure allows the study of one topic area at a time, progressing through a simple introduction followed by key revision questions, many of which require students to use their practical knowledge. The answers to each of the questions are provided at the end with short explanations wherever appropriate.

1 Introduction to Urban Pest Management

As little as 1% of the earth’s total land mass has been transformed into urban centers called cities, and these cities astoundingly carry 50% of the world’s population. It is estimated that by 2050, almost 70% of all people will live in cities. Consequent to this development, urbanization is now growing vertically into high rise buildings as well as horizontally into the natural habitats surrounding cities. Such development brings concentrations of people and activities, producing enormous waste. This waste creates countless man-made niches and micro-habitats which together make urban areas susceptible to pest invasion and long-term harborage.

Urban centers are extremely well suited for a group of invertebrate and vertebrate organisms that have associated their lives with humans and their activities. These organisms cause pain, annoyance, emotional distress, disability and loss to humans as a result of bites, stings and physical reactions, in addition to a plethora of diseases and significant damage to buildings. All of these organisms collectively are called urban pests. Urban pests include household, structural and public pests and this distinguishes them from agricultural and forest pests.

Need for Pest Management

Pest control is becoming a necessity for humans. Apart from diseases, the sight of pests triggers various types of negative behavior: anger, disgust and, almost inevitably, the use of a toxic chemical spray. This human behavior has made pest management an easily tradeable business. However, the degree of the trade is dependent on the nature of the service the practitioner is offering and the environment where the service is required. An occasional trail of ants in the home may be a mere nuisance; in contrast, a single ant in a hospital can have serious consequences. The tolerance to pest infestations varies from situation to situation. In comparison to a home or shopping center, institutional kitchens, healthcare facilities and critical manufacturing complexes demand detailed and careful design and planning to exclude pests.

Types of Urban Pests

Urban pests are categorized in various ways, and one method is by the nature of their interaction with humans. This is a useful and convenient approach, as by far the ideal definition of a pest is, “any organism that appears in a place where it is unwelcome to humans”. This definition further clarifies that pest status does not adhere to any taxonomic line, such as orders or families, nor a location.

Following are the most notable pest categories:

Pests associated with human blood

Insects representing half a dozen orders use humans as a source of food. Direct blood feeders such as mosquitoes and bed bugs rank top in the group of insects causing intentional injury. The next group are the ecto-parasites such as lice, fleas and ticks which cause injury and diseases. Ticks are known to transmit Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis and also tick paralysis. Similarly, fleas are associated with plague, and lice with typhus.

Pests inflicting injury

Envenomation by bees, ants and wasps is another source of injury to humans which at times could be fatal. Insect venom is considered a leading cause of human mortality through direct injury by arthropods.

Pests associated with allergens, contamination and phobia

A number of pests have gained significance by becoming known as sources of allergens, food contamination and entomophobia.

Pests of stored products

These are a relatively inconspicuous group which humans encounter in stored products. Stored items such as food, clothing, furnishings, artifacts and books are continuously attacked by these groups of pests. They include insects, rodents and birds.

Pests of buildings and structures

Insect pests of structures and buildings have made themselves notable by using parts of human dwellings as food and shelter. Termites and powderpost beetles regard wood used in construction as well as furnishing as potential food. Ants living in soil too have become a major structural pest in recent times. Rodents, bats and birds are also significant pests of structures as they cause damage, defacement and disease.

The History of Urban Pest Management

The history of human interaction with pests goes back to the beginning of civilization. Both insects and rodents have been responsible for disease and death in humans, and ever since efforts to minimize their interaction with humans have grown to be an important public and private undertaking. ...