Whether you have a commercial or residential property, you know that pest control is an essential aspect of improving your general wellbeing. Pests affect your physical and mental health. They are also associated with economic losses, especially in commercial properties. Commercial pest control services in London have changed over the years. It is no longer enough or acceptable to just spray a commercial building with chemicals to kill pests. Today, people are placing more emphasis on the sustainability of pest control methods and the effects of the methods on humans and the environment. Further, communication and data analysis technologies have improved, and pest control companies are taking advantage of the benefits that technology brings. With that said, below are the latest trends in commercial pest management.
New integrated pest management (IPM) paradigms
Integrated pest management systems were initially used in agricultural pest control in the 1960s to address the shortcomings of pesticide-only approaches. IPM entails the application of multiple pest control techniques and putting in place preventive measures to discourage re-emergence of pest populations. Minimizing human and environmental impact is a central principle of IPM.
While IPM was predominantly used in agriculture in the earlier days, it is slowly becoming mainstream in commercial and residential pest control. For example, rather than use traditional pesticides only to kill cockroaches, some companies combine insect growth regulators (IGRs), food and harborages removal, and exclusion. Traditional IPM paradigms are not sufficient — they tend to focus too much on the evolutionary and environmental aspects of pest control. Pest control experts are developing new models that take into account the social, communication, and business aspects of pest management.
Biological pest control
Most biological pest control methods are not new— they have been in use for centuries. What is new is that people increasingly appreciate their importance in the wake of climate change and the rise of lifestyle-related infections. Seeing as some chemicals used in pesticides affect humans, pest control experts are using natural methods more and more. Biological pest control methods are non-toxic and have minimal effect on the environment.
Natural predators and microorganisms and are the main methods of biological pest control, though the use of pheromones is becoming popular. Pheromones are chemicals that insects use to communicate with each other. In pest control, pheromones are used to attracts pests to traps and monitor their population. Manufacturers are also using pheromones to increase the effectiveness of chemical insecticides— they are adding phonemes to insecticides to attract more pests.
Use of communication tools
This century has witnessed unprecedented communication expansion, judging by the number of people with access to mobile devices and the internet. The pest control industry is leveraging communication tools to increase speed and effectiveness. For instance, today, a pest control expert doesn’t have to visit your property to eliminate pests; you can send them photos and videos of the pest infestation and receive do-it-yourself instructions over the internet.
Fly baits
These are panels that contain sticky insecticide and insect food. When insects make contact with the panel for the food, the insecticide kills them within minutes. These baits are perfect for use in the commercial setting.
Sustainability, effectiveness, and minimizing environmental damage are the main goals of modern pest control. Seeing as pests have numerous physical and mental health effects of humans, we can expect the pest control industry to continue developing innovative methods of eliminating pests.
