The History That Lead To Advancements In Pest Control Methods
Pests and insects can be very intolerant sometimes. Besides causing harm in multiple ways, they tend to destroy things of importance. It is why pest control is a basic need for people. People must pest control their homes and workplaces regularly to avoid the discrepancies they cause. All they need to do is search for a pest control organization nearby, for example, the best pest control service provider in Sacramento, and do nothing. The pest control service providers will employ advanced eco-friendly techniques to rid one of the pests. Before one looks forward to hiring pest control services, one must go through a brief history of pest control methods responsible for remarkable advancements in the field.
Historical methods to eradicate pests
Pests, insects, and rodents are not new creatures on earth. They have been thriving and causing nuisance over the years in many ways than one could ever imagine. However, as the troublesome tactics of insects kept advancing, new and effective methods began rising to eliminate their existence. History says that people have been using diverse techniques to stay one step ahead of pests and save their life and properties from the threats they carry. Let us discuss a few historical methods that have shown the best results in the past against these troublesome creatures called pests.
- Plant extracts
the use of plant extracts is a natural way to fight pests. Many plant extracts work against pest growth and sever their existence. Lemon oil and wormwood are two effective plant extracts to strike a fair deal against insects that historians used for ages.
- Chemicals
chemical compounds such as arsenic and sulfur are some of the best antidotes against insects. The use of these chemical compounds dates back to ancient Sumerians, who used them as a pest control method. It helped to repel insects and pests a great deal, and it is why it remains an effective way to eliminate insects.
- Fire
fire aided as a pest control method since ancient Greek civilization. The Greeks used it to drive insects such as locusts far away from their residence towards the sea. The smoke fire also kills many insects and chases away most of them. Hence, people adopted fire as an efficient pest control solution.
- Predators
as they say, diamond cuts diamond, insect predators aid greatly in eradicating pests. They either threaten or feed on the target pest and offer a clean environment to people. The predatory pest control method began when the Chinese used ants to drive away beetles and caterpillars in 1200 BC. This method came out to be an intelligent way to kill pests.
- Seasonal crops
Apart from predatory ants, Chinese people also discovered that insects attached to the crops only in particular seasons, leaving the rest of the year clear and healthy. Hence, to avoid pests from spoiling their crops, they began cultivating at the right time of the season when insects had no control.
- Mechanical devices
As the technology progressed, historians invented mechanical devices to trap insects and pests by employing newer and advanced techniques. It showed a remarkable decrease in the pest population over time. People still use numerous mechanical and electrical methods to kill pests following this discovery long back.
- Pesticides
Pesticides and fertilizers are other parts of chemical compounds that show profound action against insects and pests, especially for crops. DDT and herbicides prove to be very efficient among the long list of pesticides.
Artificial method of controlling pests
Numerous methods are in motion to control the growth of pests and insects, considering their hazardous effects on health and property. While the historical methods still serve as effective pest control methods, they can pose threats to human health. It can be due to such as the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers. Similarly, the burning of fuels is undoubtedly a great way to get rid of mosquitoes and flies. However, it produces excessive amounts of smoke which prove to be very dangerous for humans. Hence, it is necessary to think of advanced methods to kill pests besides conserving health. Genetic engineering is one such artificial method that alters the biological structure of insects at the gene level to prevent their reproduction. It is also effective for rendering insects less troublesome by changing their behavioral patterns.
These methods prove to be the best modern ways to eradicate pests. However, it can be expensive and rare.
