Pest Control Activities Research Articles

Integrated pest management: a global reality?

The expression "Integrated Pest Management" (IPM or MIP in Portuguese) is completing 28 years since it first appeared in press. Since then integrated pest management or integrated pest control has become the paradigm of choice for activities that aim at attenuating the impact of all pests - plant diseases, weeds, and invertebrate or vertebrate animals - in agricultural production, in human and animal health, and in urban or rural structures. Despite the nearly universal acceptance of the concept, its practical application still is rather restricted, varying considerably among geopolitical regions, the nature of the crop, and, mainly, with the commitment and support of responsible governmental entities for programs dedicated to promote adoption of IPM. An objective assessment of the successful incorporation of IPM in agricultural practices is difficult because: a) lack of rigorous criteria to distinguish an IPM program from other traditional pest control activities, b) absence of a broadly based consensus on a definition of IPM, and c) paucity of reliable quantitative surveys of the agricultural area under IPM. Some have used the percentage of pesticide use reduction as a measure of the success of IPM. This measure, however, in the absence of other criteria, may not be appropriate for in some parts of the world introduction of IPM may lead to an increase in pesticide use, not a reduction. In our search to assess the expansion of IPM programs in the world, we concluded that it is essential to first achieve a consensus on the criteria to measure the nature of the program. In general these criteria depend on the level of IPM integration, the nature of the pests, the value of the crop, the availability of alternative control technologies, and the associated economic, environmental, and social risks. In view of the small volume of available data and in the absence of objective measurements of performance criteria, we opted to use as title for this paper an assertion to be questioned: is indeed IPM a global reality?

Spatial and Temporal Genetic Variation in Populations of the Whitefly Bemisia Tabaci (Genn.) in Israel and Colombia: an Interim Report

Intensive investigations of genetic variation within and among populations of the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci , are under way in Israel and in Colombia. A polymorphic esterase (EST), which seems to be controlled by a Mendelian locus, has two alleles in sufficiently high frequencies to be useful as a genetic marker. The analysis of more than 10,000 individual adult whiteflies shows genetic differences among localities in the frequencies of the fast ( F ) and slow ( S ) alleles. These differences seem to be related to the intensity of insecticide use against the whitefly. The frequency of F is high in unsprayed areas and in control laboratory populations, but is close to zero in heavily-sprayed agricultural areas. The frequency of Fon cotton in agricultural areas is high in winter and spring, but decreases dramatically in the summer (coincidental with the onset of pest-control activities on cotton). A similar temporal pattern on untreated Lantana may be due to migration of adults from agricultural fields. There was no indication of differentiation of populations on different host plants. In Colombia, the difference in EST patterns in different States are very pronounced, suggestive of geographical races. Small samples from Florida, California and Kenya indicate that B. tabaci in different countries may be genetically distinct.

Safe uses of pesticides within the WHO programme.

Introduction Chemicals continue to play a significant role in a variety of pest control activities around the world, both in agriculture and in public health, and this trend will be sustained for many years to come. Although by definition, and in reality, pesticides are poisons, the majority of people recognize the advantage of their use in view of the benefits derived, such as the control of disease vectors and an increase in food and fibre production. Unfortunately, pesticides are frequently misused and this gives rise to considerable, and growing, public concern. In general pesticides, like drugs, are among the most carefully studied chemicals, and this makes the toxicological evaluation of active material possible and meaningful. In many countries registration procedures are elaborated upon in great detail, offering possibilities for preparing precise precautionary measures for their production, transport, storage and use. Unfortunately, in many areas, the implementation of carefully prescribed safety measures is lacking and pesticides are greatly misused. Among various activities of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the area of safe use of pesticides, special attention is paid to identifying sources related to increases in health hazards. Pest resistance to certain types of pesticides (e.g. DDT or anticoagulants) or a significant increase of pesticide costs, require a search for alternative compounds which may be more effective or cheaper, but only occasionally safer. One of WHO's priorities is to encourage the development of new, safer and more effective compounds, specifically suited to the needs of integrated pest management. By publishing data sheets on pesticides, preparing specifications, classifying pesticides by hazard or evaluating new compounds through the pesticide evaluation scheme, WHO is assisting all those concerned to reduce pesticide users' risk to an acceptable level. At the initial stage of use, pesticides were regarded as a highly advantageous means of abolishing famine and eradicating vector-borne diseases. However, with gradual development of resistance to virtually all classes of compounds, with undesirable effects on non-target species and proven or alleged adverse effects on humans, particularly following misuse, greater and greater public concern has resulted. Being poisonous by their nature, pesticides may cause harm to humans and to the environment. However, a terminological distinction should be made between

Value of Sample Information in Pest Control Decision Making

Pest control specialists construct and use decision rules to guide pest control actions. These decision rules usually consist of a sampling protocol for use in estimating or classifying pest densities and guidelines for actions based on these estimates. The bases for these guidelines are economic or action thresholds. The behavior of a pest control decision rule is rarely appraised in any formal manner. Decision theory is an avenue for appraising and comparing decision rules and a method whereby sampling intensity and guidelines for taking pest control actions can be considered jointly. The value of sample information, from the perspective of improved pest management, is calculated using decision theory. This value is used as an objective function for decision rule formulation and appraisal. Methods for calculating the value of sample information are presented and illustrations are provided.

Evaluating Extension Integrated Pest Management Programs with Factor Analysis Indices

Integrated pest management (IPM) is the intelligent use of pest control actions that will ensure favorable economic, ecological, and sociological consequences (Metcalf and Luckmann 1975). IPM is not an entity by itself; rather, it is part of an overall crop production system. With this in mind, we set out to design an evaluation system (process) that put IPM in this crop production perspective.

The Problem with Insects is People

In recent years the general public, public attitudes, special interest groups, and a flurry of pesticide legislation have had a major impact on shade tree entomology and arboriculture. People outside of those professions are increasingly involved in more rapid spread of insects, the decisionmaking process in insect control programs and regulations of pest control activities. Area-wide insect control programs must be thoroughly planned and adequately publicized to be successful. Arborists have the opportunity to develop improved tree protection services, rather than spraying services, and develop Integrated Pest Management techniques toward an overall shade tree management system. Now and in the future arborists need to be concerned and involved with "people" problems as well as insect problems.

Rat ectoparasite surveys in relation to murine typhus fever in Puerto Rico.

SummaryA rat ectoparasite survey of the City of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was made from 7 December 1956 to 31 December 1960. Data obtained from 964 rats collected from 15 April 1957 to 4 May 1958, 747 rats collected in 1958–59, and 573 in 1959–60 were compared with similar data obtained in 1946–47 and 1954–55. In 1946–47 54% of the rats were infested with Xenopsylla cheopis; in 1954–55, 16%; in 1957–58, 6.0%; in 1958–59, 3.3%; and 1959–60, 2.6%. Other common rat ectoparasites, Laelaps nuttalli, Ornithonyssus bacoti, Listrophoroides expansus, and Polyplax spinulosa increased in abundance. In particular, L. nuttalli showed marked increases. Ornithodoros puertoricensis which affected 26.8% of the rats in 1946–47 infested only 5.4% in 1959–60. Designed rat flea insecticidal control measures have never been applied in Puerto Rico. The rat population has always been high. Fleas were uncommon in poorly sanitated areas and more often found in well sanitated places subject to other pest control activities. Weather Bureau records indicated that precipitation, humidity or temperature could not account for the rat flea reduction. Of 998 rat sera subjected to the complement fixation test with U. S. Army group specific typhus antigen at 1:10 dilution, 804 were negative and 194 were anticomplementary. In 1954 and succeeding years including 1960 there were no cases of murine typhus fever reported from the City of San Juan and in 1958, 1959, and 1960 none in Puerto Rico as a whole. Since a great reduction in rat flea population occurred and no infection in rats was found, there is no reason to doubt the reported morbidity or to postulate that the use of antibiotics had anything to do with the rate. It was concluded that investigations on the ecological circumstances of the association of arthropods, particularly mites, with rat fleas are necessary, if the question of why the rat flea population was decimated is to be answered.