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Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. [1] It relies on predation , parasitism , herbivory , or other natural mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role.
Human disturbance of ecology ecological systems, particularly the development of monoculture and the movement of species tends to stimulate pest problems by reducing biodiversity which usually has natural controls that keep pest populations in line. Biological pest control does not seek to eradicate pests, but to keep them to economically ...
The use of DDT in the United States was banned in 1972, except for a limited exemption for public health uses. Public concern about the usage of DDT was largely influenced by the book, Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson. [9] The ban on DDT is cited by scientists as a major factor in the comeback of the bald eagle in the continental United ...
Residues can travel up the food chain; for example, birds can be harmed when they eat insects and worms that have consumed pesticides. [50] Earthworms digest organic matter and increase nutrient content in the top layer of soil. They protect human health by ingesting decomposing litter and serving as bioindicators of soil activity.
By the 1960s, problems of resistance to chemicals and damage to the environment began to emerge, and biological control had a renaissance. Chemical pest control is still the predominant type of pest control today, although a renewed interest in traditional and biological pest control developed towards the end of the 20th century and continues ...
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. [83] It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role.
Mosquito control is a vital public-health practice throughout the world and especially in the tropics because mosquitoes spread many diseases, such as malaria and the Zika virus. Mosquito-control operations are targeted to multiple problems: Nuisance mosquitoes bother people around homes or in parks and recreational areas;
One example of a biocontrol program that resulted in ecological damage occurred in North America, where a parasitoid of butterflies was introduced to control gypsy moth and browntail moth. This parasitoid is capable of utilizing many butterfly host species, and likely resulted in the decline and extirpation of several native silk moth species.