Controlling Pests with Natural Predators Flashcards

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In farming, what is meant by a 'pest'?

A pest is any organism that damages crops or reduces food produced by farm animals.

Pests eat or damage crops, so controlling them increases yield and helps provide enough food for people.

Using living predators, parasites or disease organisms to kill or reduce pest numbers. This method is called biological control.

Ladybirds are released to eat aphids that suck sap from crop plants, especially in greenhouses.

They do not leave harmful chemicals in the environment or food, so they are safer for wildlife and humans.

Predators can reproduce and stay in the area, so they keep killing pests over time without repeated spraying.

They often work more slowly than pesticides, so pest numbers may stay high and some crop damage still happens.

The predator may also eat useful species or spread into the wild and become a pest itself.

Many predators only attack one or a few pest species, while some pesticides kill many different insects and other animals.

It works well in closed spaces where predators cannot escape, and where weather does not affect them.