Urban pest management: an environmental perspective

Editor: Partho Dhang. Published by: CAB International, 2011. ISBN-13: 978 1 84593 803 1. 248 pp

The book consists of a series of chapters, each written by a different author. The choice of chapter topics ranges from the control of specific pests (e.g. bed bugs, mosquitoes, termites), pest control in specific environments (e.g. schools, low-income housing), the use of specific insecticide formulations (e.g. baits, microencapsulation), the role of monitoring in detecting infestation and targeting the response, and the role of regulatory agencies in ensuring that pest control is properly carried out.

The book contains several examples that illustrate how recent improvements in pest management across a broad range of fronts, have reduced the quantities of insecticide used. For example, the chapter on termite control in Australia shows how the switch from liquid insecticide application to insecticide baiting, has reduced the quantity of active ingredient used per home, from 16,200g down to 1g. In addition to such technology-driven advances, there have also been improvements in the strategies of insecticide use.

The chapters covering Integrated Pest Management illustrate how implementation of a carefully designed IPM programme in schools across seven US states, resulted in a 71% reduction in insecticide usage and a 78% reduction in pest complaints. The chapters covering the regulatory issues around pest management do not provide specific examples of pesticide use reduction, but do provide very useful insight into the wide range of approaches and aspirations of regulatory agencies, intended to reduce the inapropriate use of pest control measures and increase their sustainability.

The scope of this book is potentially enormous, and it has clearly been a challenge for the editor and individual authors to condense the recent improvements in pesticide use, into only 248 pages. Nonetheless, the book would have been even more useful had it contained more quantitative data, together with operational examples of the successful implementation of the strategies discussed, although the comprehensive references should enable the reader to uncover such examples. Overall however, this book will prove a very useful source of information, not only to those seeking an environmental perspective on pest control, but also to anyone involved or interested in current urban pest management.

Review by Clive Boase

Published in International Pest Control – January/February 2014 issue.

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