Pest Control JSS1 Agricultural Science Lesson Note

PESTS

Pest is defined as only living organisms, plants, or animals that can cause damage to our cultivated crop plants, farm animals, and humans.  Examples of common pests include insects like grasshoppers and beetles, mammals such as rats and monkeys, and birds such as weaver birds. 

CLASSIFICATION OF INSECT PESTS ACCORDING TO THEIR FEEDING HABIT

According to their mode of feeding insect pests are classified into three groups.  These are:

1.                       Biting and chewing insect pests
2.                       Piercing and sucking insect pests
3.                Boring insect pests

BITTING AND CHEWING INSECT PESTS

Insect pests in this group have mouth parts which are specially made for biting and chewing plat.  The mouth parts of insects in this group consist of a pair of very hard-biting jaws called mandibles, a second pair of the jaw called maxillae, a flat upper lip called the labrum, and a lower lip is known as librum.  The mandibles are used to bite off and chew parts of the crop while maxillae are used to bite off and chew parts of the crops into the mouth.  Examples of biting and sucking insect pests are crickets, grasshoppers, beetle, termites, armyworm, and mantels.

 PIERCING AND SUCKING INSECT PESTS

The insects in this group have mouth parts that are shaped like injection needles, called probaxix, and hena. Their mouth parts are adapted to pierce into plant parts and suck the sap and juice of plants.  Examples of piercing and sucking insects include aphids, cotton stainers, mealy buds, white flies, and capsids.

 BORING INSECTS

These are insects that bore holes into plant tissues and seeds.  Boring insects are also called burrowing insects.  Examples of boring insects are beans beetles, weevils such as rice, and maize weevil.

 CLASSIFICATION OF INSECT-BASED ON THEIR LOCATION

Based on location, insect pests are classified into two namely:

a)                 Field insect pests

b)                 Storage insect pests 

a)                 FIELD INSECT PEST:  These are insects that attack crop plants on the field that is before harvesting important field pests include:

1.     Stem borers
2.     Fruit and seeders:  Examples are beetle fruit, flies, and fruit piercing mouth.
3.  Root feeders:  Examples are yam beetles.

 STORAGE INSECT PESTS:  This group of insect attack harvested products in store.  Examples include bean beetles and weevils such as rice and maize weevils.