The hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus Green, was first reported in the Caribbean in 1994 in Grenada. This was the first record of the insect as a major pest in the New World. By the beginning of 2001, the pest had spread to over 25 territories from Guyana and Venezuela in the South to Bahamas in the North. The pest has also extended its distribution to Central America (Belize) and Nor...

We use discrete time models to represent the dynamics of two interacting populations, a “valuable” population and a “pest” population. We investigate optimal control in the form of decreasing the growth rate of the “pest” population with the goal of maximizing the “valuable” population while minimizing the cost of the control. We compare different types of growth functions for the “valuable” po...

Semiochemical-based pest management programs comprise three major approaches that are being used to provide environmentally friendly control methods of insect pests: mass trapping, "lure and kill," and mating disruption. In this article, we review the potential of mass trapping in long-term pest management as well as in the eradication of invasive species. We discuss similarities and difference...

Many existing pest control models, which control pests by releasing natural enemies, neglect the effect that natural enemies may get killed. From this point of view, we formulate a pest control model with stage structure for the pest with constant maturation time delay through-stage time delay and periodic releasing natural enemies and natural enemies killed at different fixed time and perform ...

Modern methods of pest control have tended to rely on a single method, whether it be a pesticide or a gene coding for resistance embedded using modern biotechnology tools in the crop itself. An important advantage of integrated pest management (IPM) over reliance on a single tool is that the repeated application of the single method rapidly leads to pest resistance to the tool. Using a variety ...

A broader, more comprehensive concept of forest pest management is needed to make it a really integral part of forest resource management. A generalized model structure of a forest pest management system is presented, and the major components are discussed briefly. Predictive models are the primary mechanism of information flow to decision and action in the system. General considerations affect...

With increasing demand for effective control of insect pests coupled with environmental sustainability, farmers and disease vector control authorities are facing enormous challenges to, respectively, maintain food production and protect human health. Pest control has long relied upon insecticides, which can be very effective, but continued reliance is hampered by several factors. Concerns over ...

BACKGROUND Passenger ships provide conditions suitable for the survival and growth of pest populations. Arthropods and rodents can gain access directly from the ships' open spaces, can be carried in shiploads, or can be found on humans or animals as ectoparasites. Vectors on board ships may contaminate stored foods, transmit illness on board, or, introduce diseases in new areas. Pest species, s...