Mechanical Methods to Control Insect Pests

Control of insect pests by the use of power either manually or with the help of specific machine is called mechanical control

Methods:

These are the methods which are used in mechanical control

A) Use of manual labor:

Hand picking

This practice is mostly used against larger size of insect. Picking of different insect stages like egg, larvae, pupae, adult and finely destruction

Mealy bug= egg

Red cotton bug= adult

Cutworm, butterfly= larvae

Maize borer= larvae and pupae

Net sweeping

Hand net and bag net are used for this purpose these are used against Grasshopper, Sugarcane pyrella, Rice hopper etc.

Fly flapper

Fly flappers are mostly used in offices for the control of house fly and mosquito etc

Sieving

Sieving is mostly used to separate the store insect pest from the grain

B) Use of mechanical exclusion:

Screening of doors/ windows

In order to prevent the house fly, mosquito and different house hold pest screening of doors/ windows which act as barrier because these pests are the cause of human diseases. In case of high value plants whole plant is screened

Use of mechanical barrier

Mechanical barrier are also called exclusion barrier in this practice insect remain out from the feeding stage e.g. sticky and slippery bands mango mealy bug is active December-June slippery band is used best for the control of mango mealy bug when mealy bug climb up the  tree it slip and fall down. 1ft sticky and slippery bands wrap around the stem 5-6 ft above the ground level

Drenching

Drenching is also called water barrier  some insect damage  one field to shift other field  to prevent their movement  drenching are made between the field  or within field  which are 30-60cm in depth and 60 cm wide water  leave in drench with kerosene oil  it is mostly  used for cutworm and army worms

 C) Use of mechanical traps

Light trap

Light trap is used for those insect pests which are attracted to light recommended for rice and sugar cane borer and different types of moths

Pheromone trap

Pheromone trap is recommended against fruit fly and pink boll worm methyl “Eugenol” is used for fruit fly and “Gossypiella” is used for pink boll worm

Suction trap

Suction trap is mostly used for soft bodied insects like aphid, jassid etc

Trapping of cutworm

In this we make shelter places of grasses and keep the potato and turnip pieces for attraction of cut worms

Thigmotropism / rough surface

This practice is especially used against “khapra betel” in this grain bags are used which kept on the heap of wheat grain due to this beetle move to word rough surface