pest management

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Bird-Killing Ants Ravage Hawaii

Jones, Caleb. “’Crazy’ Ants That Kill Birds Eradicated from PACIFIC ATOLL.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 23 June 2021, apnews.com/article/hi-state-wire-ants-birds-29990f306c96a43fa1051b14c0275b6b. 

 

Earlier this summer, an invasive ant species known as yellow crazy ants were eradicated from Johnston atoll national wildlife refuge near Honolulu, Hawaii. The ants posed a serious threat to wildlife in the area, especially seabirds, which were a common victim. The ants were known to spray acids that could seriously injure prey and even blind them if the encounter didn’t result in death. Yellow crazy ants, native to Southern Asia, have accidentally made their way to regions in the pacific through various methods including boats or excess debris. This event marks the first time an invasive ant species has been eradicated over such a large area (120+ miles). While the island’s closest neighbor is Honolulu, it is the only area to house tropical birds in a nearly 1.5 million square kilometer radius. 

 

This article shows how invasive species, even something as small as ants, can pose a serious threat to wildlife. In this case, even animals as large as seabirds were victims of yellow crazy ants. This trend relates to the US considering how passive people can be towards invasive bugs because of their small stature and size. In reality, insects can pose a serious threat to areas due to their ability to quickly reproduce and incredibly voracious diet. Moreover, this article details how drastically different environments are around the world, and what can happen when a dangerous species enters a helpless ecosystem. The US tends to house less dangerous environments, leaving it incredibly susceptible to invasive species from other parts of the world. 

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New Zealand’s Battle Against Invasive Species

Arnold, Naomi. “An Island Nation’s Audacious Effort to Save Its Unique Wildlife.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 4 Jan. 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/12/31/island-nation-unique-wildlife/. 

 

New Zealand plans to completely eradicate all mammalian predators, specifically invasive species, in its ongoing multimillion dollar plan “Predator Free 2050”. As one could have guessed, the plan is supposed to end in 2050, which shows New Zealand’s degree of ambition. One island of the New Zealand Coast, Coal island, has faced the implementations of the plan first-hand. Around the 1800’s, a mammal called a stoat was introduced to the region. The original intention of introducing stoats to Coal Island was to kill off the overrun rabbit population, and naturally the mammal soon became a top predator in the region. After the rabbit population died out, Stouts began targeting animals like seabirds, and even the famous Kakapo Parrot. Despite this setback, New Zealand isn’t new to eradicating invasive species. New Zealanders originally eradicate mice from the region by dropping poison cereal across the island. While the plan is still working out, this hasn’t stopped a persistent population of stouts to survive. Climate change has also  introduced a new, warmer climate into areas previously unreachable by stouts, causing them to expand their existing habitats. A project is also going on to introduce haast tokoeka kiwis, a “nationally critical” near-extinct species into the area. While the birds should be able to fend off stoats and populate, this will take a while to happen. 

 

Perhaps the most significant aspect of this article is how hard it can be to extract invasive species from a region. Stoats populated the region incredibly quickly since they were an alpha predator in the region, due to their ability to hunt the overpopulated rabbits of Coal Island. One may also highlight the fact that Stoats are only one of tons of other species introduced to non-native areas, especially in the past. Many people of the past accidentally introduced invasive species through international trade or didn’t consider the effects they would have on the future, resulting in tons of near-extinct animals and destroyed ecosystems.

 

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Small Farms Conducting Sustainable Agriculture

Bharucha, Zareen. How small farms are leading the way towards sustainable agriculture. Retrieved February 21, 2019, from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/small-farms-sustainable-agriculture-climate-change-africa-farming-a8786216.html

In the realm of sustainable farming includes the reduction of traditional methods such as the overuse of synthetic pesticides and fertilizer. Currently many farmers are switching to other methods which include using less resources to achieve the same results, substituting current products with products which are more sustainable, and changing the whole farm. Such reformations include push-pull integrated pest management, which includes using certain plants to repel and attract insects. For example, in east Africa, desmodium (pest repelling plant) is used to repel stemborers (pests) and napier grass is used to attract pests. Substitution includes switching old crops with new crops which can withstand sudden changes. Other scenarios may involve farmers adding new varieties such as plants with greater roots to help sequester carbon while also profiting from the plant’s produce.

This article relates to environmental science because small farms do not necessarily need to use pesticides or methods alike to rid or resist pests. The reason for why small farms are able to implement such sustainable methods is due to the maintainability and the size of the farm. Small farms are able to easily implement agroforestry, or using trees in agriculture, which reduces pests, uses less energy and synthetic products, and are climate resistant. Large farms, generally need to use pesticides to cover large areas, as agroforestry would be too hard to implement. Hence the reason for why small farms are more preferred than large farms extends beyond their effects on climate change, but as well as their various approaches to pest management, beyond praying and spraying.

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Pesticide Innovation Changing Industry

Minigh, Howard. Pesticide Innovation Indicates Changing Industry. Retrieved January 28, 2019, from https://www.agribusinessglobal.com/agrichemicals/pesticide-innovation-indicates-changing-industry/

Industries are investing in more efficient tools which reduce pests using less pesticides. Furthermore, according to the classification of the World Health Organization (WHO) of toxicity from Class 1 to Class U, there has been a 40% reduction in toxicity levels in pesticides since the 1960s. Despite technological advances, some countries are still unable to gain access to them. Take for instance, fall armyworm (FAW), a destructive pest in Nigeria, which is unable to be controlled because the government lacks the capacity to approve the necessary products or campaigners advocating for alternatives argue against such use. Thereby the cause is that FAW is widespread and unmaintainable for farmers in Nigeria. There are many other countries such as Nigeria whom have been restricted in the use of efficient pesticides integral in maintaining pest populations.

This article relates to environmental science because not only are countries like Nigeria suffering from the lack of technology, but other areas around the world are also facing similar restrictions in combating pests and increasing agricultural productivity. The world has already created new technology, although some countries, mainly in Europe, are hesitant in the implementation of pesticides, insecticides, or genetically modified foods, because of certain side effects. In the future, countries may be more supportive of agricultural controls because of technology advances in protecting crops or altering crops. The industry of agricultural protection seems to still be expanding. As a result, this may help some countries by using safer products to meet the harsh impacts of climate change, increasing population, and protection of biodiversity.

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Integrated Pest Management Pheromones

Yogesh. Demand for Integrated Pest Management Pheromones Market to be Fueled by Rapid Shift in Consumer Perception and Increasing Awareness. Retrieved February 5, 2019, from https://honestversion.com/demand-for-integrated-pest-management-pheromones-market-to-be-fuelled-by-rapid-shift-in-consumer-perception-and-increasing-awareness/

There is new innovation in preventing pests and promoting beneficial populations into farmland by using pheromones. Pheromones are chemical molecules naturally secreted by insects in the environment used as a communication device to other insects. The new technology named integrated pest management (IPM) pheromones are synthetically manufactured and used to either attract insects or to repel them. Take for example the use of IPM pheromones to repel, which can be manufactured and tailored to a specific insect, hence used to deter their further growth in an area. The environmental benefits of using IPM pheromones includes its biodegradability, non-toxins to humans, and long-term effects.

This article relates to environmental science because considering the multitude of benefits and the easy application of IPM pheromones in the environment, this innovation is most likely the start of a new industry related to science, perhaps in the pesticide sector. There are currently many markets around the world that produce IPM pheromones. These include North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Western Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Currently, Europe and Asia Pacific have the largest markets and use IPM pheromones the most. Meanwhile it is expected that the pheromones market in Middle East and Africa are to grow moderately as invasive species continues to infect certain areas.

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Ways to Reduce Insect Deaths

Carrington, Damian. Buy organic food to help curb global insect collapse, say scientists. Retrieved February 13, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/13/buy-organic-food-to-help-curb-global-insect-collapse-say-scientists

There are many ways to reduce the demise of global insect populations. The importance of doing so is to avoid their extinction, thus maintaining a healthy ecosystem where native insect populations can continue their productive duties in pollinating crops, sustaining healthy soil, etc. Some ways people can aid in this process are buying organic foods, mowing their lawns, planting plants which are native to the area, not using fertilizers in garden or pesticides, and reducing other processes which could harm insect collapse. However, the greatest issue in the decline of insects was due to the operations of large-scale farmers. It is the subsidies from governments that promote the development of land from farmers whom harm the environment through large scale degradation of land or the extensive use of pesticides.

This article relates to environmental science because albeit the farmer’s impact on insect populations, the use of pesticides also had major and unintended effects. Using pesticides can guarantee that crops are safe from harm, but the ramifications, not obvious, such as the impact on native insects may cause more harm than benefit. In addition, with the reforms of subsidies given out to farmers as financial incentives, governments, advocated in the article, have implemented restrictions on the use of pesticides. By shutting down the use of pesticides, farmers will adapt and find solutions to deal with pests by using methods such as integrated farming or using pheromones. Just like how flora and fauna subtlety adapt to changing environments, farmers are subtly adapting as well.

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Lack of Biodiversity Causes Food Supply Shortage

Griffiths, James. ‘Extinction Crisis’ Threatening Global Food Supply, UN Report Warns.
Retrieved February 23, 2019, from https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/22/health/food-
biodiversity-report-intl/index.html

As a result of global biodiversity reduction, the ability to produce food is at risk. Because
biodiversity levels have declined, many ecosystems around the world lack the ability to adapt
quickly to environmental changes. When biodiversity is high, there are many plants and animals,
hence the likelihood of their total extinction caused by environmental factors is low. Compared
to a lower biodiversity, which increases the likelihood of plants and animals to be extinct if a
massive environmental change were to occur. Therefore, as threats to biodiversity are increasing
caused by climate change, international markets, and demography, diversity of crops and insects
present in farmers’ fields has declined.

This article relates to environmental science because while the issue of declination in
biodiversity may not be similar to pest management, it is correlated. As biodiversity decreases,
so do species whose vital purpose is to manage pests. As more native insects become extinct, the
chances of invasive species entering and harming native populations whom are adept to the
environment will most likely increase. By this process not only will crops be impacted but larger
animals such as cattle will also too. Although we may not feel the impacts of the reduction of
biodiversity locally or even nationally, throughout the global, severe issues have already risen.
Hence, it is only a matter of time now for when issues may be widespread and their effects be
felt throughout the world.

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Paradise Regained: How the Palmyra Atoll Got Rid of Invasive Mosquitoes.

Ruth Williams (2018). Paradise Regained: How the Palmyra Atoll Got Rid of Invasive Mosquitoes. Retrieved from https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/paradise-regained-how-the-palmyra-atoll-got-rid-of-invasive-mosquitoes-30063 on 2018-11-17

On strings of islands considered to be paradise there exists invasive mosquitoes and rodent rats. The article describes that the rats and different types of mosquitoes have thrived in the conditions, given plenty of food and minimal predators. The victim are the seabirds which the rats and mosquitoes have feasted on to thrive. Mosquitoes also feast on rat populations, allowing for their sustainability. After a maintenance run in 2011 eradicating rat populations, mosquito populations have also diminished because of a lack of rats to extract blood from.

The interactions that rats, mosquitoes, and seabirds have with one another symbolize the complexity in the food chain, an idea heavily linked to environmental science. Learning how two pests survive off each other and other species such as seabirds is an idea fundamental in the symbiosis in any two species coexistence. The author mentions at the end that the two species arrived at the island in serendipity, however any two species could have arrived invasively: a flower and its pollinator for one. I think understanding species and their interactions with the environment allows for benefits to be maximized and exploitations to be minimized.

 

 

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How to get rid bedbugs.

Sarah Bracy Penn (2018). How to get rid bedbugs. Retrieved from https://www.today.com/home/home-bed-bug-treatment-what-you-need-know-t128031 on 2018-11-17

Bed bugs infest areas in a seemingly unpredicted and persistent way. Treating bedbugs requires lots of patience, rounds of products, and a change of habits. In fact, some bedbugs have become immune to popular chemical sprays, adapting themselves to become harder to exterminate. For humans, bed bugs can be eliminated using a fungal-based biopesticide, a chemical application developed by researchers at Penn State to solve the issue entirely. The new technology can also be used in agricultural regions throughout the world, impacting crop growth.

Treating bedbugs relates to environmental science because bedbugs primarily rely on animals to survive. They interact with the environment by sucking blood from living things. An issue that bed bugs pose is its lack of beneficial contribution in the environment, while affecting others. For humans, maintaining an orderly house, free of pests, is the first start to productivity and solving problems in the world. Maintaining the level of bed bugs in a house is vital to maintaining a healthy mind and a productive routine.

 

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How to get rid of termites: Termite treatments, signs to know.

Chrissy Callahan (2018). How to get rid of termites: Termite treatments, signs to know. Retrieved from https://www.today.com/home/how-get-rid-termites-termite-treatments-signs-know-t140889 on 2018-11-17

Termites may seem to cause no signs of harm to humans or any other living creatures, however may wreak havoc on housing structures. In short terms, termites love wood; in fact, they thrive because of their invisibility through walls and easy reproduction strategies. A problem posed to humans by termites is their economic damages. Every year termite infestations can cause more than $5 billion in property damage, which in the worst-case scenario can collapse homes.

A small creature created from nature needs wood to survive. A seemingly small idea relates to environmental science because termites depend on the environment and interact with a community in order to survive. In the article, the interaction describes termites as a pest and humans the victim. In my opinion, although termites may be considered pests, their survival is fundamental in nature. They do not just destroy houses, they also decompose fallen dead trees, hastening nature’s duties. All in all, termites are beautifully destructive.