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===Methods for specific pests=== {{See also|Bedbug}} ====Rodent control==== =====Urban rodent control===== Rodent control is vital in cities.<ref name="Buckle-Smith-2015">{{cite book | last1=Buckle | first1=A. P. | last2=Smith | first2=Robert H. | title=Rodent pests and their control | publication-place=[[Wallingford, Oxfordshire]], UK | date=2015 | isbn=978-1-78064-129-4 | oclc=909425458 | page=x+422}} {{isbn|9781845938178}}.</ref>{{rp|page=133}} [[New York City]] and cities across [[New York (state)|the state]] dramatically reduced their rodent populations in the early 1970s.<ref name="Buckle-Smith-2015" />{{rp|page=133}} [[Rio de Janeiro]] claims a reduction of 80% over only 2 years shortly thereafter.<ref name="Buckle-Smith-2015" />{{rp|page=133}} To better target efforts, [[London]] began scientifically surveying populations in 1972 and this was so useful that all Local Authorities in [[England and Wales]] soon followed.<ref name="Buckle-Smith-2015" />{{rp|page=133}} =====Natural rodent control===== [[File:Rat pest control underground.png|thumb|left|[[Brown rat]] infestation]] Several [[wildlife rehabilitation]] organizations encourage natural form of rodent control through exclusion and predator support and preventing secondary poisoning altogether.<ref>{{cite web |title=Help WildCare Pursue Stricter Rodenticide Controls in California |url=http://www.wildcarebayarea.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TakeAction_Rodenticide |work=wildcarebayarea.org/ |publisher=Wild Care |access-date=28 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305130340/http://www.wildcarebayarea.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TakeAction_Rodenticide |archive-date=5 March 2014 }}</ref> The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] notes in its Proposed Risk Mitigation Decision for Nine Rodenticides that "without habitat modification to make areas less attractive to commensal rodents, even eradication will not prevent new populations from recolonizing the habitat."<ref>{{cite web|title=Safer Rodenticide Products|url=http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/reregistration/rodenticides/|work=epa.gov|publisher=USA Environment Protection Agency|access-date=23 February 2014|date=March 2013}}</ref> The United States Environmental Protection Agency has prescribed guidelines for natural rodent control<ref>{{cite web|title=Pest Control and Pesticide Safety for Consumers|url=https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol|access-date=23 July 2017|date=2013-02-21}}</ref> and for safe trapping in residential areas with subsequent release to the wild.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Craft|first1=Stephanie|title=5 Reasons Why a DIY Approach to Pest Control Fails|url=https://medium.com/@stephaniecrft/5-reasons-why-a-diy-approach-to-pest-control-fails-c0fdf5228070|access-date=23 July 2017|date=2017-05-10}}</ref> People sometimes attempt to limit rodent damage using repellents. Balsam fir oil from the tree ''[[Abies balsamea]]'' is an EPA approved non-toxic rodent repellent.<ref>[https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/registration/fs_PC-129035_26-Apr-07.pdf Balsam fir oil (129035) Fact Sheet | Pesticides | US EPA]</ref> [[Acacia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha|''Acacia polyacantha'' subsp. ''campylacantha'']] root emits [[chemical compound]]s that repel animals including [[rat]]s.<ref name="plantz">{{Cite web |url=http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/acaciapoly.htm |title=PlantZAfrica.com |access-date=17 January 2009 |archive-date=14 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514033609/http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/acaciapoly.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="world">[http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/Products/AFDbases/af/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=99 World AgroForestry Centre] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928042556/http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/Products/AFDbases/af/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=99 |date=28 September 2007 }}</ref> ====Pantry pests==== [[File:Tribolium castaneum.jpg|thumb|The red flour beetle, ''[[Tribolium castaneum]]'', attacks stored grain products worldwide.]] Insect pests including the [[Mediterranean flour moth]], the [[Indian mealmoth]], the [[cigarette beetle]], the [[drugstore beetle]], the [[confused flour beetle]], the [[red flour beetle]], the [[merchant grain beetle]], the [[sawtoothed grain beetle]], the [[wheat weevil]], the [[maize weevil]] and the [[rice weevil]] infest stored dry foods such as flour, cereals and pasta.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/mediterranean-flour-moth |title=Mediterranean Flour Moth (Department of Entomology) |website=Department of Entomology (Penn State University) |access-date=14 November 2017}}</ref><ref name=Jacobs/> In the home, foodstuffs found to be infested are usually discarded, and storing such products in sealed containers should prevent the problem from reoccurring. The eggs of these insects are likely to go unnoticed, with the larvae being the destructive life stage, and the adult the most noticeable stage.<ref name=Jacobs>{{cite web |url=http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/cereal-and-pantry-pests |title=Cereal and Pantry Pests |author=Jacobs, Steve |date=1 January 2013 |publisher=Penn State: Department of Entomology |access-date=30 August 2017}}</ref> Since pesticides are not safe to use near food, alternative treatments such as freezing for four days at {{convert|0|Β°F}} or baking for half an hour at {{convert|130|Β°F}} should kill any insects present.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/insect-pests-of-stored-food/ |title=Insect pests of stored foods |author1=Hahn, Jeffrey |author2=Jesse, Laura |author3=Pellitteri, Phil |publisher=University of Minnesota Extension |access-date=30 August 2017}}</ref> ====Clothes moths==== [[File:MiteTineola 1233096.jpg|thumb|Larva, pupa and adult clothes moth ''[[Tineola bisselliella]]'' with characteristic damage to fabric]] The larvae of clothes moths (mainly ''[[Tineola bisselliella]]'' and ''[[Tinea pellionella]]'') feed on fabrics and carpets, particularly those that are stored or soiled. The adult females lay batches of eggs on natural fibres, including wool, silk, and fur, as well as cotton and linen in blends. The developing larvae spin protective webbing and chew into the fabric, creating holes and specks of excrement. Damage is often concentrated in concealed locations, under collars and near seams of clothing, in folds and crevices in upholstery and round the edges of carpets as well as under furniture.<ref name=UCIPM>{{cite web|last=Choe| first=D.-H.|title=Clothes moths|url=http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7435.html |date=1 March 2013 |publisher=Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> Methods of control include using airtight containers for storage, periodic laundering of garments, trapping, freezing, heating and the use of chemicals; mothballs contain volatile insect repellents such as [[1,4-Dichlorobenzene]] which deter adults, but to kill the larvae, [[permethrin]], [[pyrethroid]]s or other insecticides may need to be used.<ref name=UCIPM/> ====Carpet beetles==== Carpet beetles are members of the family [[Dermestidae]], and while the adult beetles feed on [[nectar]] and [[pollen]], the larvae are destructive pests in homes, warehouses, and museums. They feed on animal products including wool, silk, leather, fur, the bristles of hair brushes, pet hair, feathers, and museum specimens. They tend to infest hidden locations and may feed on larger areas of fabrics than do clothes moths, leaving behind specks of excrement and brown, hollow, bristly-looking cast skins.<ref name=Carpet>{{cite web|last=Choe| first=D.-H.|title=Carpet beetles |url=http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7436.html |date=1 December 2012 |publisher=Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> Management of infestations is difficult and is based on exclusion and sanitation where possible, resorting to pesticides when necessary. The beetles can fly in from outdoors and the larvae can survive on lint fragments, dust, and inside the bags of [[vacuum cleaner]]s. In warehouses and museums, sticky traps baited with suitable [[pheromone]]s can be used to identify problems, and heating, freezing, spraying the surface with insecticide, and fumigation will kill the insects when suitably applied. Susceptible items can be protected from attack by keeping them in clean airtight containers.<ref name=Carpet/> ====Bookworms==== Books are sometimes attacked by cockroaches, silverfish,<ref name=Ransom/> book mites, [[booklice]],<ref name=Greenfield>{{cite book|author=Greenfield, Jane|title=The Care of Fine Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KR3nBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA67 |year=2014 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |isbn=978-1-62914-048-3 |page=67}}</ref> and various beetles which feed on the covers, paper, bindings and glue. They leave behind physical damage in the form of tiny holes as well as staining from their faeces.<ref name=Ransom>{{cite web |url=http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/conservation/resources/insects/ |title=Conservation: Approaches to Insect Problems in Paper and Books |publisher=Harry Ransom Center |access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref> Book pests include the [[Dermestes lardarius|larder beetle]], and the larvae of the [[black carpet beetle]] and the [[drugstore beetle]] which attack leather-bound books, while the [[Tineola bisselliella|common clothes moth]] and the [[Hofmannophila pseudospretella|brown house moth]] attack cloth bindings. These attacks are largely a problem with historic books, because modern bookbinding materials are less susceptible to this type of damage.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murray |first=Stuart |title=The Library: An Illustrated History |year=2009 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |page=198}}</ref> Evidence of attack may be found in the form of tiny piles of book-dust and specks of [[frass]]. Damage may be concentrated in the spine, the projecting edges of pages and the cover. Prevention of attack relies on keeping books in cool, clean, dry positions with low humidity, and occasional inspections should be made. Treatment can be by freezing for lengthy periods, but some insect eggs are very resistant and can survive for long periods at low temperatures.<ref name=Ransom/> ====Beetles==== [[File:130312 Tesarik krovovy Hylotrupes bajulus (7).JPG|thumb|upright|House timber split open to reveal larvae of the [[house longhorn beetle]], ''Hylotrupes bajulus'', in their burrows, which are partially filled with [[frass]]]] Various beetles in the [[Bostrichoidea]] superfamily attack the dry, seasoned wood used as structural timber in houses and to make furniture. In most cases, it is the larvae that do the damage; these are invisible from the outside of the timber but are chewing away at the wood in the interior of the item. Examples of these are the [[powderpost beetle]]s, which attack the sapwood of hardwoods, and the [[furniture beetle]]s, which attacks softwoods, including plywood. The damage has already been done by the time the adult beetles bore their way out, leaving neat round holes behind them. The first that a householder knows about the beetle damage is often when a chair leg breaks off or a piece of structural timber caves in. Prevention is possible through chemical treatment of the timber prior to its use in construction or in furniture manufacturing.<ref name=Gerozisis>{{cite book|author1=Gerozisis, John|author2=Hadlington, Phillip |author3=Staunton, Ion|title=Urban Pest Management in Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yyFqiIG_aacC&pg=PA131 |year=2008 |publisher=UNSW Press |isbn=978-0-86840-894-1 |pages=131β135}}</ref> ====Termites==== [[Termite#As pests|Termites]] with [[Colony (biology)|colonies]] in close proximity to houses can extend their galleries underground and make mud tubes to enter homes. The insects keep out of sight and chew their way through structural and decorative timbers, leaving the surface layers intact, as well as through cardboard, plastic and insulation materials. Their presence may become apparent when winged insects appear and swarm in the home in spring. Regular inspection of structures by a trained professional may help detect termite activity before the damage becomes substantial.;<ref>{{cite book|last=Thorne, Ph.D|first=Barbara L. |date=1999 |title=NPMA Research Report On Subterranean Termites |location=Dunn Loring, VA |publisher=NPMA|page=41|url=https://entomology.umd.edu/thorne-barbara-l.html}}</ref> Inspection and monitoring of termites is important because termite alates (winged reproductives) may not always swarm inside a structure. Control and extermination is a professional job involving trying to exclude the insects from the building and trying to kill those already present. Soil-applied liquid [[termiticide]]s provide a chemical barrier that prevents termites from entering buildings, and lethal baits can be used; these are eaten by foraging insects, and carried back to the nest and shared with other members of the colony, which goes into slow decline.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef604 |title=Termite Control: Answers for Homeowners |date=1 March 2004 |work=Termite control |publisher=University of Kentucky: Entomology |access-date=3 September 2017}}</ref> ====Mosquitoes==== [[File:Aedes aegypti biting human.jpg|thumb|upright|Mosquito ''([[Aedes aegypti]])'' biting a human]] Mosquitoes are midge-like flies in the family [[Culicidae]]. Females of most species feed on blood and some act as vectors for [[malaria]] and other diseases. Historically they have been controlled by use of [[DDT]] and other chemical means, but since the adverse environmental effects of these insecticides have been realized, other means of control have been attempted. The insects rely on water in which to breed and the first line of control is to reduce possible breeding locations by draining marshes and reducing accumulations of standing water. Other approaches include biological control of larvae by the use of fish or other [[Predation|predators]], genetic control, the introduction of pathogens, growth-regulating hormones, the release of [[pheromone]]s and mosquito trapping.<ref>{{cite book|author=National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Panel on Perspectives in Mosquito-Control Methods Suitable for Developing Countries|title=Mosquito Control: Some Perspectives for Developing Countries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wl8rAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA2 |year=1973 |publisher=National Academies |pages=2β6}}</ref>
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