The Future of Pest Control 虫害防治的未来

曾逸

Pest control has been a major issue for many decades. And the industry has seen many evolutions and modifications over the years as it has sought out newer ways to ensure that pests are controlled and properly managed.

The main objective of the research and implementation of new pest control strategies is to reduce the impact that pests have on the environment and host creatures.

Looking forward to how pest control will have evolved in the coming years， the average farmer and pet owner can anticipate a better life because of the new methods that are being developed. More so， the newer methods are even more cost-effective than the systems currently being used.

Here are some of the newer methods being implemented in the management and prevention of pests：

Monitoring devices

Among the monitoring devices being implemented is a tool known as PestWatch; which is a GIS pest database that helps farmers monitor the kind of pests that are common in their locality.

Farmers who will participate in this exercise set pheromone traps that are designed to attract all kind of pests and their population over a period of time. With this database， all the farmers in the program are able to upload the data they have which will then be uploaded on an interactive map and made available for preventive measures.

Not only is the GIS technology useful to the farmer， it is equally important to building professionals and homeowners who can now have information about pests that are common in a particular location so that they can include a pest control plan to manage and mitigate pest issues on their facilities.

Fertility control method

Away from the traditional methods， pest control experts are now able to control particular insects through fertility control methods. These methods involve using the insects biology to disrupt its normal life cycle. Insect hormones are replicated and growth is regulated so that the pests are unable to reach full maturity as this method destroys reproductive abilities and further prevents an infestation from occurring.

Genetic modifications

Break out of new diseases like Zika Virus has kept the United States on its toes1 as it keeps spreading within the southern hemisphere into the north. There are now new technologies being developed to fight diseases that are being carried by mosquitoes.

Oxitec， a science research company， has introduced male mosquitoes that have been genetically modified so that whenever they mate with the wild female mosquitoes， the offspring die before maturity. According to the research company， unlike the mosquito control methods currently being used， this method is quite effective and is better aimed at dealing with these insects. But not everyone thinks its okay to have mosquitoes that have been genetically modified in the communities. In fact， FDA approved this method somewhere in Florida and was met with loud opposition. The process had to be slowed down and its use is now being considered and modified.

Another study has also been carried out on flies where scientists were able to remove a gene in flies that could be useful in how infestations are being carried out. These scientists from the University of Hawaii were able to remove the genes from adult flies and observe a 50% decrease in the lifespan of the flies. The flies began to stick to surfaces and couldnt break free. This lack of freedom， on its own， is good news for the pest control industry.

Bedbug infestation control methods

Some University of California researchers have observed patterns in the way bedbugs shed their skin that could be useful information on how to control these pests. According to the researchers， the bedbugs they observed were often found close to the areas where the bugs had previously shed their skin.

They believe that these findings will be instrumental in developing monitoring devices in the future that will be useful in preventing infestations before they occur.

Although this technology and the research is still being subjected to further testing and development， one cannot but notice how potent the technology is and the fact that it will be a “thing” in the near future. Commercial property owners will find this intriguing as it appears to be a way out for them on pest control.

Introducing CO2

Theres a new pest control technology that has been approved by Environmental Protection Agency （EPA）， which involves using CO2. Traditionally， as a way to deal with pests， pest control experts fumigate pest infested areas with toxic chemicals from time to time. While this method is effective in managing the pests， it costs a great deal. And by being costly we dont mean direct monetary value but the impact such chemicals have on the environment and even on human health.

Moreover， after a full fumigation exercise， because of your safety and the safety of your loved ones， if a fumigation company carries out a fumigation exercise in and around your home， it may take up to one whole week for the chemical to complete its job. So youd have to vacate the area and the area must be safe enough over that week for you to return to your home or farm.

It is for safety and comfort issues like this that CO2 was introduced as a more effective way to deal with pests. With CO2， home and farm owners can return to their homes and farms quicker and the method itself is even safer.

The only harm it seems to cause is to the pesky pests as it suffocates them without any contamination to the area.

Even though there are still many pest control outfits that are yet to come on board with this approach， this method is gaining widespread popularity across the country and will become very common in no distant time.

The future seems bright， for the most part， in the pest control industry as many technological innovations are being made for more effective， cheaper and safer control methods. Not only are these methods human-friendly， they are also modified to factor in environmental protection—a cause we all must fight for.

数十年来，虫害防治一直是一项要务。这些年，虫害防治业几经变化与调整，虫害防治及有效管控的方法不断推陈出新。

研究虫害防治的新策略并予以实施，主要目的是减少害虫对环境和宿主的影响。

展望未来几年虫害防治的发展前景，随着新方法的出现，普通农民和宠物主人有望过上更好的生活。新方法比现行防治体系在成本上更划算。

以下就是一些投入实施的虫害防治新手段：

监控装置

投入使用的监控装置中有一款名为PestWatch的监控工具，是地理信息系统（GIS）的一个害虫数据库，可帮助农民监控当地常见的害虫。

愿意参与数据库建设的农民放置好信息素诱捕器，诱捕器可以在一段时间内吸引各种害虫种群。利用这一数据库，参与的农民用户可以将自己收集到的数据上传，这些数据随后会被上传到交互式地图中，并用于制订虫害预防措施。

GIS技术不仅对农民大有用处，对于建筑专业人士和业主来说同样重要——他们可以掌握特定地方常见虫害的信息，这样就能给出虫害防治方案，控制及减轻建筑设施的虫害问题。

繁殖控制法

除传统方法外，虫害防治专家如今还能通过繁殖控制法来防治特定虫害。繁殖控制法利用昆虫的生理习性来破坏其正常生命周期。该方法可以复制害虫激素，控制害虫生长，由此破坏害虫的繁殖能力，使得害虫无法完全成熟，進一步防止虫害的发生。

转基因技术

寨卡病毒等新疫情暴发，令美国高度警惕，因疫情从南半球向北半球不断扩散。人们正在开发新技术来应对蚊虫传播疾病。

科研公司Oxitec培育出了转基因雄蚊，它们与野生雌蚊交配产生的后代在成年之前就会死亡。该公司称，不同于目前使用的灭蚊方法，此种方式非常有效，且针对性更强。但是，并非人人都同意在社区中投放转基因蚊虫。事实上，美国食品和药物管理局已批准在佛罗里达州某地投放转基因蚊虫，但遭到了强烈反对。这项措施不得不延缓实施，目前尚在研究和完善中。

在另一项苍蝇相关研究中，科学家能够移除苍蝇体内可能与虫害传播相关的基因。夏威夷大学的科学家已能从成年苍蝇体内移除相关基因，并观察到其寿命缩短了50%。苍蝇开始停留在物体表面上无法飞离。仅是苍蝇无法四处飞行这一点，对虫害防治行业来说就是个好消息。

臭虫虫害控制法

加利福尼亚大学的一些研究人员发现，臭虫蜕皮的方式可能对控制臭虫虫害有所帮助。根据研究人员的观察，臭虫经常出现在其先前蜕皮的区域附近。

他们认为，这些发现将有助于将来开发监控设备，在虫害发生前起到预防作用。

尽管这项技术及相关研究有待进一步测试和开发，但人们无不注意到这项技术的强大以及不久的将来它便能真正“成器”。商业地产拥有者会对此很感兴趣，看来这是他们防治虫害的一条出路。

二氧化碳的引入

一种使用二氧化碳的新型虫害防治技术已获得美国环境保护署的批准。作为一种传统的除虫方法，虫害防控专家不时会用有毒化学物质对受害区域进行熏蒸。尽管此种方法可有效控制害虫，但成本巨大。所谓“成本巨大”并非指直接的货币价值，而是这些化学物质会破坏环境甚至危及人类健康。

此外，出于自身及家人安全考虑，如果熏蒸公司要对房屋内外进行熏蒸，那么一次全面熏蒸后，化学物质自起效到挥发最多可能需要整整一周。因此，必须腾空熏蒸区域，并且要保证一周后该区域足够安全，才能返回家中或农场。

正是由于以上安全性和舒适性问题，研究人员才引入二氧化碳作为更有效的除虫方式。采用二氧化碳除虫，房主和农场主不但能更快回到家和农场，这种方式本身也更安全。

二氧化碳除虫法似乎只对令人讨厌的害虫造成伤害，会令害虫窒息而对受害区域没有任何污染。

尽管如今二氧化碳除虫法尚未在虫害防治机构中普及，但这种方法在全国各地广受欢迎，不久的将来会非常普遍。

从很大程度上看，虫害防治行业的前途似乎一片光明：业内正在进行多项技术革新，以寻求更有效、更低廉及更安全的防治方法。这些方法不仅对人类有益，其改良还将考虑环保因素——保护环境是我们所有人的责任。                      □

（译者是“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者;单位：中南大学）