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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.
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.
[21] [5] In classical biological control, there are two demonstrated examples of potential use of entomopathogenic fungi against exotic insect species affecting agriculture. The oldest example is the use of Entomophthora maimaiga against the Spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) in the United States during early 1900s. The spongy moth was introduced ...
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 ...
Animal agriculture is a cause of harmful particulate matter pollution in the atmosphere. This type of production chain produces byproducts; endotoxin, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and particulate matter (PM), such as dust, [60] [61] all of which can negatively impact human respiratory health. [62]
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;
The merits of introducing non-native biocontrol agents have been widely debated, however. Once released, the introduction of a biocontrol agent can be irreversible. Potential ecological issues could include the dispersal from agricultural habitats into natural environments, and host-switching or adapting to utilize a native species.
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.