There are many methods that can be used to eliminate pests from your home. Some methods are organic or natural. Other methods involve using chemicals or pesticides. Use caution whenever you use chemicals to remove pests. Avoid breathing harmful fumes and wear protective clothing, gloves, and eyewear. Keep children and pets away from harmful chemicals.

  • Biological pest control: This method of pest control uses other organisms to control pests like insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases. It relies upon natural control methods such as predation, parasitism, and herbivory to eradicate pests. This control method involves human interaction and management.

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  • Cultural control: This pest control method is associated with large-scale agricultural farming. The smaller scale uses include home gardening, landscape, and tree and shrub care. It is used to prevent weeds from spreading between different land areas and crops. Crop rotation controls pests by depriving them of host plants. This cultural control tactic is used to destroy corn rootworm. Tillage, using mechanical equipment, is an old method used to control weeds. It controls wireworms and click beetle larvae. Such pests are very destructive to grassland. Tillage exposes the bugs to predators such as birds that eat them.

  • Trap cropping: This method of pest control uses plants to lure pests away from nearby crops. It avoids using chemicals. Instead, this method uses other crops to trap insects and keep them away from the main crop. The success rate, approximately 10 to 20%, is low for this method used by large industrial and commercial growers. Generally, the trap crop is used during the lifecycle of the invading pest. Once the pest dies, the trap crop is destroyed before the pest can invade and destroy the main crop.

  • Pesticides: Large commercial growers as well smaller-scale farmers and gardeners use pesticides. Often, large commercial growers use aircraft for crop dusting and chemical sprays to eliminate pests. There are detrimental effects on other non-target insects.

  • Physical pest control: Trapping or baiting to attract and kill pests or rodents is a physical control method.Hanging sticky flypapers will trap flying insects. Ultraviolet light bug zappers kill flying insects. Some bug zappers include a sticky residue to aid with killing the flying insects. Baited with poison, mouse and rat receptacles kill rodents. Sticky glue boards will trap mice. Baited and spring-loaded mouse and rat traps kill rodents.

  • Poisoned bait: Another form of physical pest control uses poisoned bait stations. This method is commonly used to kill rats, ants, mice, snails, slugs, and cockroaches.

  • Fumigation: Fumigating a building involves using an airtight tent to cover the building. Then inside the building, fogging chemicals are used to kill pests. This process takes 24 to 72 hour.
  • Electronic pest control: This method of pest control uses electrically charged devices to repel and kill pests which are usually insects and rodents. Such devices include using ultrasonic or radio waves. Electric bug zappers are commonly sold and used to attract, trap, and kill flying insects.