Pest Control Glossary 1 Flashcards
Active ingredient’s
This is the ingredient or ingredients found in a pest control product that produces the toxic effect.
Arthropod
Any insect, crustacean or spider having joints appendages and segmented body.
Action Threshold
This basically refers to the point when a pest becomes a problem that must be dealt with right away, to prevent it becoming an even bigger problem.
Biological Control
Refers to using living organisms to help control pest. These organisms may include pathogens, which are germs, viruses or fungi used to control pest. Biological control may also involve predators, such as having a ‘barn cat’ to help eradicate rats and mice. Another biological control for pest is parasitoids, which act by attaching themselves to the host and ultimately killing it.
BT
This is Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium used in pest control that is an alternative to chemicals. It is often used to prevent corn borer and boll weevils in cotton, for example.
Chemical pest control
Using either synthetic or natural derivative pesticides.
Complete Metamorphosis
Refers to the 4 stages of insect development, which are (1) egg (2) larva (3) pupa, (4) adult. You will probably run across this term most often in mosquito control products.
Contact Poison
Is one that literally kills by contacting the pest. A contact poison is absorbed through the body of the pest, instead of having to be ingested.
Density
Refers to number of pest within a certain, specific area
Dormancy
The recurring time period In the life of an organism when it’s dormant, meaning the development, growth or reproduction are all surprised.
Entomopathogenic
An organism that attack insects.
Exotic
In pest-control terms it’s making reference to a pest that is not native to an area, but was brought in from somewhere else.
A good example of an extinct insect is the Japanese Beetle.
Another is Starlings, which were brought to the U.S. From England back in the 1890s.
Fumigant
A substance used in the killing of pest that work by producing a lethal fume, vapor, gas or smoke
Generalist
This simply refers to any pest or predator that is able to utilize a wide variety of species as either pray or host. Ticks, for example, can do attach themselves to pet, farm animals or people.
Generation
This simply refers to any time frame in the cycle of pest’s life to the identical stage in the life cycle of its progeny. For instance, in the case of mosquitoes; from egg to egg.
Genus
This refers to genera, or group, of species that share one or more characteristics and are close together on evolutionary chain
Host
The host is the organism that a parasite lives on or in.
For example, if a dog has a tick, the dog is host and the tick is the parasite.
Indigenous
The opposite of exotic, meaning it’s native to a certain area.
Insect Growth Regulator
A natural or synthetic substance that controls or somehow modifies the growth of insects.
Integrated pest management
Integrated pest management or IPM, refers to problems of using all controls available biological chemical and physical in a unified pest management solution
Mechanical insecticide
Using bacteria or viruses to suppress insect pest populations, such as mosquitos.
Mite
Tiny, actually minute organisms that belong to the phylum Arthropoda, Arachidna class. May be spiders such as the Grandaddy Longlegs, or Mites such as chicken mites
Overwinter
A period of hibernation in which pest survive the freezing temperatures of winter
Parasite
A parasite lives either on or in its host during a least some part of its life cycle.
Pesticide
Any substance that is used to kill, repel or otherwise debilitate pest.
Pheromone
A natural substance given off by an organism that either attracts or causes a particular reaction in another organism, such as a sex attractant.
Predator
An animal that preys on other animals, normally for food.
Resurgence
This refers to return of pests that were previously controlled. For instance,if you had basically eradicated the mouse and rat population on your farm and then they came back, this would constitute resurgence.
Stomach poison
Un like a contact poison that can kill by being absorbed through the body of a pest, stomach poison must be ingested into the stomach to be effective.
Vector
Is an organism capable of carrying and spreading disease from one host to another. Mosquitos and ticks are a good example of victors.