Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mechanical Pest Control

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mechanical Pest Control

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mechanical Pest Control, Pest control is getting rid of pests or stopping their movement, development, or growth. The control of pests has a significant impact on the entire economy. Even with the finest pest control methods, agricultural pests kill millions of acres of crops each year.

A farmer may occasionally need to use pesticides to get rid of an infestation, but there are also lots of natural alternatives. These alternatives, however, include a few that are classified as mechanical (or physical) controls. The use of mechanical controls—either employed singly or in combination—is typically more practical for small gardens.

Mechanical Method Of Pest Control

The mechanical method of pest control is the management and control of pests by the use of physical barriers like fences, barriers, or electronic wires. In order to control pests, it also involves weeding and temperature changes.

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Many farmers are currently looking for environmentally friendly strategies to eradicate pests without hurting the ecology. As a result, the mechanical method is one of the best strategies to go for.

Mechanical Method Of Pest Control, Their Advantages And Disadvantages

Below are some of the mechanical methods of pest control agriculturists make use of:

1. Handpicking

The best way to control pests is through handpicking, especially if the affected plants are just a few. It is the quickest and most straightforward technique to get rid of pests that are readily visible and moving slowly. To stop the pests from gathering and causing harm, handpick the adults before they have a chance to lay their eggs and destroy the eggs before they develop.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mechanical Pest Control

Advantage

  • It is less expensive.

Disadvantage

  • It needs to be done at a crucial point in the insect’s development, long before any obvious damage takes place. An effective Integrated Pest Management technique in this situation is scouting. Farmers need to keep a close eye on their crops and check for any early warning signs of damage before pest populations get out of control.
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2. Use of Traps

In the farm, there are two reasons we make use of mechanical traps. They are: to capture enough insects to minimize crop damage and to keep track of the quantity and variety of insects present.

One type of mechanical trap is a sticky barrier that when applied to the trunks of trees and other woody plants stops crawling insects from causing harm. Another kind of a mechanical trap is the “shingle trap,”. It involves placing shingles beneath plants to draw squash bugs. By regularly raising the tiles, the gardener gets rid of and kills the pests. It is in the form of sticky paper fastened to stakes.

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Advantage

  • The sticky substance draws insects due to its color or a sex pheromone included in the paper. Yellow sticky traps seem to attract more insects than other colours.

Disadvantage

  • Traps may eventually capture helpful insects.
  • Some traps are more expensive and require frequent cleaning and updating.

3. Use of Water Spray

Insects like aphids and spider mites can occasionally be removed from plant stems and foliage by a powerful stream of water.

Advantage

  • It is a very efficient technique that may help to get rid of pests like aphids and spider mites. Only use high water pressure on robust plants to prevent plant damage.

Disadvantages

  • This process needs to be repeated because it’s possible that many of the insects will come back.
  • This tactic becomes a problem if the soil is already overly wet, as frequent watering can encourage diseases like rose black spot or lead to root problems. Hence, carrying out such action in the morning ensures that the plants will dry out throughout the day.
  • This method is not applicable to young, tender and growing plants.
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4. Use of Insect Vacuum Machine

Commercial growers are using vacuums more frequently to get rid of specific kinds of insects from their plants. These gadgets could include a disposable cartridge with a non-toxic, sticky gel inside to capture insects the machine has sucked up. In industrial manufacturing, tractors are used to power big vacuum equipment.

On a smaller scale, there are battery-operated hand-held vacuums available, some of which feature a small hose adapter for squeezing across a row. Shaking a plant can disperse aphids that are in the flight stage of development as well as flying insects like thrips and whiteflies. As the plant is shook and the insects take to the air, the insects can be sucked into the vacuum hose that is kept in place.

Advantage

  • This method is an effective way of removing of insect eggs and crawling insects.

Disadvantage

  • It is not applicable to plants with delicate foliage. This is to prevent crop damage.

5. Use of Rows

Row covers are flexible, translucent, or semi-transparent woven or plastic materials used to cover one or more rows of plants. In addition to increasing soil and air temperatures and reducing wind damage, they also act as a physical barrier to ward off insect pests, promoting crop growth and early output.

Advantages

  • They are non-toxic.
  • All row covers, including those made of woven, porous, or perforated plastic, allow light to pass through, as do water and air.

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Disadvantages

  • It is time consuming.
  • It may prevent insects from pollinating certain fruits and vegetables. In order to allow for pollination, gardeners must install the barriers throughout the flowering season.
  • The use of rows may be ineffective against pests that attack plants by surfacing from the soil beneath row covers. Hence, gardeners should exercise caution when burying plant debris under planting rows or beds.
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Conclusion

Pests are bothersome, regardless of whether they are weeds, insects, or something else. More than that, they have the ability to devastate global ecosystems and agriculture by disturbing the delicate balance that natural species variety (or purposeful lack thereof) keeps in place.

Mechanical pest control therefore, is a cost-effective way to control pests that are less damaging to humans and beneficial insects, with simplicity and low cost.

References

https://usfinancemarkets.com

Frequently Asked Questions About Mechanical Pest Control

How are mechanical and physical pest control methods different from one another?

Thermal and electromagnetic techniques are examples of physical procedures. Mechanical methods are those that include the use of machinery or performing manual tasks, like hand-picking insects from plants.

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