PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL METHOD OF PEST CONTROL

Introduction

The past lesson discuses about the on Biological Control, Types of Biological Control, Historical
Development of Biological Control and Qualities of a Good Biological Control Agent. Further, this course
packet is also one component strategies to pest management which is the Physical and Mechanical Method of
Pest Control. This lesson will differentiate the physical and mechanical pest control and their specific
application.

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Objectives

At the end of the course, the students are expected to be:

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 Knowledgeable with mechanical and physical pest control method. Specifically, identify and explain
the different mechanical and physical method of pest control.

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 Determine the importance of mechanical and physical method of pest control and apply the different
mechanical and physical methods in controlling pest.

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Physical control

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Physical control involves the use of sound waves, humidity, electricity, infra-red, x rays or light to kill pests,
reduce their reproductive capacity or attract pest activity (e.g. hot and cold treatments to eliminate pest
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activity and damage (e.g. vapor heat treatment (VHT) or hot water treatment (HWT) against fruit flies of
mango. Unfortunately, this type of control needs costly equipment, usually beyond the reach of small farmers
in developing countries. It may also involve changing the physical conditions in a given area, for example,
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changing the temperature to make an area unfavorable for pests.
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It includes:
a. Hand picking -is the easiest and direct way to kill the visible and slowly moving pests and effective
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when only a few plants are infested. Removing the adults before they lay their eggs and by crashing
the eggs before they hatch could prevent the pests' build-up and the resulting damage. Basically, it
limits the attack when the first few insects are detected on time.
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b. Bagging - prevents the fruit fly adult from finding and damaging the fruits. The bag provides physical
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protection from mechanical injuries (scars and scratches) and prevents female flies to lay their eggs,
latex burns, and fungal spots on the fruits. It is a common practice in bitter gourd usually when the
developing fruit is about 2-3 cm long. In mango fruit trees, it is usually bagged at 55-60 days from
the start of flower bloom and when the fruit is about an egg size.
c. Scraping - Judicious scraping of bark infested fruit trees like durian, lanzones greatly aid in

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controlling bark borer. Coal tar application by brushing unto infested area will help reduce the borer
damage.

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d. Netting - a physical control barrier which prevent entry of adult insects from depositing their eggs and
later causing damage.
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e. Smudging – is effective in repelling adult insects attacking fruit trees.

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f. Light trapping – is effective when done during new moon (dark night) for common lepidopterans.
Meanwhile, petromax lamps are effective against hemipterans such as Green leafhopper and brown
 plant hopper. Rice black bug adults are attracted to mercury bulbs for egg-laying which should start 5
days before and after the full moon.

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g. Temperature- insects exposed to high temperature require less exposure time to be lethal than cold

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temperature.

 Dry heat- application of dry heat including exposure to sun rays during hot summer months

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helps in killing a number of pests in seeds and stored commodities.
 Diapausing - (suspended metamorphosis during winters)

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 Exposure to sun exposing infested grain to the sun on a floor in June also kills stored grain
insects in the adult stage. Treatment of sugarcane setts with heat kills the scale insects carried
over through the setts.
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 Superheating- a temperature above 500C for 10 - 12 hours kills the hibernating stored grain
pests.
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 Steaming- Fruits and vegetables may be heated to disinfest insects by exposure to hot water,
hot dry air, infrared radiation and micro wave radiation. Fruit flies and scale insects were
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controlled successfully by steaming. By steaming woolen clothes, the wooly bear is killed.
 Radio-frequency energy- the radio-frequency portion of the electromagnetic, generally
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accepted to be between 1 and 100 MHz, causes heating of biological materials especially wood,
stored grain and food stuffs. The thermal tolerance of the host must be lower than the pest to
create differential heating.
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h. Application of cold
 Cold storage of fresh and dry fruits and vegetables is often resorted LO for escaping fruit fly,
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potato tuber moth and pathogen damage. A temperature of 100C for several days kills fruit fly
maggots.
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i. Manipulation of moisture
 Drying: Insects are highly sensitive to reduction in air moisture content but manipulation of
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humidity is generally not feasible. This method is however very useful in case of stored grain
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pests and under greenhouse conditions. Well-dried, grains (moisture -c: content < 8-10%)
stored in a cool dry place can escape insect damage.
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 Draining stagnant water kills the breeding mosquitoes.

 Soaking logs in water over extended periods for drowning the boring weevils, and larvae of the
wood wasps.

j. Sound
 Insects produce sound which may serve as a warning device to communicate, find mates and
isolate species. Insects produce sound by using a variety of mechanisms, including beating
wings during flight. Low frequency sound waves cause adverse effect on development of
 insects. Sound produced by male and response of female of a species to the sound can be
utilized for their control.

k. Controlled atmosphere
 Use of controlled atmospheres (CA) to manage insect pests has gained momentum in recent
years.
 Carbon dioxide (CO?) is toxic to insect, but its action is low. Eggs and adults of pulse beetle
die when exposed to 100% CO? at 32"~ and relative humidly of 70%. Carbon dioxide under
high pressure is found to be effective against stored grain pests. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen

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treatment have been found effective for grain beetle.
 A nitrogen atmosphere effectively controls all stages of fruit fly.

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Mechanical control

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Mechanical Method involves the use of machines, farm tools and implements such as tractor, cultivator, or

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rotary weeder in controlling pests. It includes:

a. Mowing or weed cutters- this involves the cutting of top shoot of weeds to maintain lawns with the

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use of lawn mowers or grass cutters.
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b. Rotary weeder- this involves the use of a rotary weeder such as in lowland rice that will destroy and
incorporate the weeds growing in between the rows of the crop. This reduces the weeding operation
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in lowland rice from 15 man-days to 6 man-days.

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c. Inter-Row Cultivation- this involves tilling the rows of the crops as in off-barring and hilling-up with
the use of machine cultivators or moldboard plow.
Types of mechanical trap

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a) Sticky barrier - can be placed on the trunks of trees and woody shrubs (e.g. sticky paper on stakes) to
prevent crawling insects from causing damage. The paper attracts insects because of its yellow color
or because of a sex pheromone (a substance that attracts the insect).

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b) “Shingle trap”—shingles are placed beneath plants to attract squash bugs. The shingles must be
frequently lifted by the farmer to check, remove and destroy the bugs. However, it is disadvantageous
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for it may trap beneficial insects. Some traps may be homemade using simple, inexpensive materials
while others are expensive and must be cleaned or replaced periodically. Many traps and attractants
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are available on the market.

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d. Water Pressure Sprays – It involves a forceful stream of water which can dislodge insects such as
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aphids and spider mites from foliage and plant stems on sturdy plants. However, this practice must be
repeated since many of the insects are likely to return though too wet soil could increase diseases or
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could cause root problems.

 e. Insect Vacuums – It contains non-toxic, sticky gel to trap insects sucked up by the machine. Large

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vacuum equipment attached to and powered by tractors are used by commercial producers while
hand-held, battery powered vacuums are utilized by small scale growers. Vacuums may also remove
crawling insects or insect eggs when placed directly on plants with strong or thick leaves, but caution

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is needed on plants with tender foliage.

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Merits
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 Home labor utilization

 Low equipment cost
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 Ecologically safe
 Good component of IPM
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Demerits
 Limited application
 Require continuous use
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 Rarely high effective

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 Labor intensive
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