Insects

Know Your Target

The first step of effective pest control is to know which species of insect you’re dealing with. Different insects require different treatment plans so you’ll need to properly identify your insect.

Insects are successful and important species

They are the only animals without backbones but with wings. Most of their success results from the ability to fly and colonize different new habitats. Scientists estimate there are over 1 million insect species on the planet, living in different environments except for the frozen polar parts and in the vicinity of active volcanoes.

Insects play an important role in the environment. Some of their jobs include pollinating flowering plants, being a source of food for insectivorous animals, and assisting in the decomposition of plants and animals.

BUT they can also harm us by spreading diseases and damaging plants and structures. They might carry bacteria and viruses and therefore spread life-threatening illnesses to humans. For all these reasons we need to control them using insecticides.

Insects are arthropods

They have:

a hard skeleton (exoskeleton)
a segmented body (head, thorax and abdomen)
at least three pairs of jointed legs

They also have compound eyes and one pair of antennae.

Most of the insects hatch from eggs. Insect growth is constrained by the inelastic exoskeleton and development involves a series of molts. The immature stages often differ from the adults in structure, habit and habitat, and can include a passive pupal stage in those groups that undergo four-stage metamorphosis.

Adult insects move by walking, flying, or sometimes swimming. Some insects are even capable of walking on the surface of water.

Insects are mostly solitary, but some are social and live in large colonies. Some insects also show maternal care, guarding their eggs and youngsters.