Sonic pest devices are tools that emit sound in the attempt to repel, deter, or kill unwanted animals such as insects, rodents, birds and large mammals. These devices, depending on the target species, cover a wide range of the acoustic spectrum from below what humans perceive (infrasonic) to above our hearing range (ultrasonic). Infrasonic is characterized as sound below 20Hz, whereas ultrasoni...

Repellents substances and devices cause pest species to avoid otherwise attractive or palatable materials. For birds, repellents can be visual, auditory, pyrotechnic, tactile, chemosensory, physiologic, or physical. Here, we consider chemical agents only. Few substances are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and thus legally available for use. This lack of available...

The chemical senses (olfaction, gustation, and chemical irritation or pain) were likely the first to evolve. Their functions are among the most basic-to attract and to repel. Attracting compounds often signal food or sex; repelling compounds presumably signal danger. Among the chemical senses, only olfaction appears to have several functional roles, two of which are modulation of social behavio...

Bird repellents to protect seeds are a potentially important aspect of integrated vertebrate pest management strategies. Yet, there currently are no repellents registered for seed treatment uses. This is due not to lack of effective candidate compounds, but to monetary and regulatory constraints that inhibit commercialization of promising compounds. Two examples of this dilemma are methiocarb a...

We have reviewed published anthraquinone applications for international pest management and agricultural crop protection from 1943 to 2016. Anthraquinone (AQ) is commonly found in dyes, pigments and many plants and organisms. Avian repellent research with AQ began in the 1940s. In the context of pest management, AQ is currently used as a chemical repellent, perch deterrent, insecticide and feed...

Various species of rodents and lagomorphs were used in bioassays to determine the effectiveness of protein hydrolysates (specifically hydrolyzed casein and gelatin) as herbivore repellents. Mixed sex groups of captive rabbits, pocket gophers, voles, and mountain beavers were offered hydrolyzed casein or gelatin test diets in single-choice tests following a training period with a hydrolysate-fre...

INTRODUCTION Our ability to document insect preference for semiochemicals is pivotal in pest control as these agents can improve monitoring and be deployed within integrated pest management programmes for more efficacious control of pest species. However, methods used to date have drawbacks that limit their utility. We present and test a new concept for determining insect motivation to move tow...

Repellents include chemical substances, visual displays, and sonic and ultrasonic deterrent systems. The use of electric shock also can be considered as a repellent category. Each of these categories is discussed, together with their respective utilities, constraints on their usefulness, and possibilities for future development. Economic considerations that may impede or expedite the developmen...

Synthetic insecticides and repellents have been broadly used worldwide for the control of crop pests and insects acting as vectors of human disease. Despite effectiveness, synthetic insecticides or repellents may cause serious damages to the environment and consequently to humans and animals. The growing biotechnological investigation for alternative insecticides and repellents, particularly of...