notes12 - Insect Pest Management Objectives 1 2 3 4 5 6...

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Insect Pest Management
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Objectives
Read textbook pages 396-404
1. Define the term "Pest" and discuss how it is subjective.
2. Describe two categories of pests.
3. Differentiate between exponential and logistic growth.
4. Differentiate between K and r strategists.
5. Define EIL, ET and Characteristic Abundance.
6. Define Pest Resurgence and Secondary Pests and explain how they
can be caused by pesticide use.
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Introduction
Insects have a greater impact on humans than any other animals. They are
our biggest competitors for food resources, they spread disease, and they
even destroy our homes. Can you think of any other group of organisms
that would even come close to having the kind of impact insects have?
In this unit we will begin our examination of insects as pests and how we
combat them.
ASSIGNMENT
Lets start this unit by having you answer a seemingly straight forward question:
" What is a pest? "
Take a minute to answer this question and record your answer in your journal.
Bean weevil
UF
ASSIGNMENT
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What is a Pest?
Now that you have had a chance to think about what a pest is, let's look at the
question more closely.
The answers students often give when asked what an insect pest is usually an
answer like:
"A pest is something that damages crops."
or
"A pest is something that bothers us.“
These are both correct answers. A good definition of a pest that includes both of
these thoughts is " a species that interferes with human welfare or
aesthetics ." This definition takes into account both of the student responses above
by recognizing that pests not only impact our welfare by eating our food, destroying
our houses, or spreading disease, but can also simply bother us. For example, a
cockroach running across your kitchen counter may not harm you directly but it
does affect you mental welfare and aesthetics of your home. An insect eating your
rosebush may not impact your personal welfare but it may cause enough aesthetic
damage to be considered a pest.
Subjectivity
This leads us to an important point. Real damage caused by insects such as
mosquitoes transmitting disease, caterpillars eating a tomato plant, or beetles
killing a tree is relatively easy to quantify. However, aesthetic or cosmetic
damage is much more subjective. What is unacceptable to one person may be
of no consequence to another. For example, some people may feel a single ant
walking through their kitchen is unacceptable and take action while others may
assume that their is no problem until their pizza is being carried out the door by
a colony of ants . This subjectiveness regarding pests can even extend to pests
that are causing real damage. Some people are willing to put up with a worm
hole in their apple in order to have food that is produced without pesticides.