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Written by: Stuart Steele
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_single_image image=”1012966″][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]Worldwide there are a host of pests agriculturally and commercially that can cause damage and result in major financial losses and huge volumes of food wastage.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, where there is no crop protection in place, one can expect up to 70% of crop yield loss across an array of food crops. Of these crop losses, weeds represent the highest percentage of loss at 30%, followed by vermin/ plant pests at 23% and pathogen losses at 17%. Of the 23% loss to vermin and plant pests, if one breaks down the 23% average, rodents attribute to 30% of this margin. When the stats are averaged out, they represent a yield loss of between 20%-40% worldwide due to crop-destroying insects/ vermin, which represents a global economic loss of just less than $300 billion annually. These figures do vary from country to country and commodity and crop loss type.
Another complication facing crop production and demand is the world’s slowly increasing climatic temperatures. Now you may ask, what has this got to do with pests or crop production?
A scientific study has been done and proves that increasing global climate warming has a negative effect on crop yields during the respective crop growing season. This then has a knock-on effect with pests consuming up to 20% of major grain crops. These crops include maize, wheat, and rice. Now with each single degree Celsius of temperature rise experienced year on year, will result in a crop yield loss of between 10- 25% to crop-destroying pests, with the latter loss of 25% being seen in temperate zones. Now just imagine every degree the rise in temperature annually and what impact it may have in the future.
So, if one asks oneself the question, is pest control important, and are pests costly? The short answer is yes, based on the above, one can see how Agricultural pest control plays a huge role in the world’s food supply. The more these food-destroying pests are allowed to breed and are potentially not controlled or monitored correctly, can have catastrophic consequences on the global and national food supply.
Pests are expensive, destructive, a risk, a hazard and some can be harmful to one’s health.
Pests and notably rodents are not only limited to crop damage, but also pose a risk of structural damage to homes, buildings and also crop damage, and in the USA alone over the last 5 years, rodents have cost the US economy over $20 billion dollars per annum in losses.
Crops are also at the mercy of other destructive pests, and termites are another insect that causes worldwide damage to crops. They have been found to, directly and indirectly, cause substantial losses to agriculture. It is estimated that termites cause in excess of $40 billion dollars in damage annually. Aside from the crop damage they cause, termites are further causing approximately upwards of $5 Billion dollars in damage to the US property segment annually, and this is increasing. In South Africa, not enough studies have been done on termite damage costs due to the fact a large proportion of our homes and properties are brick and mortar, whereas, in the US, homes are built as a timber frame as such, and are highly susceptible to wood destroying insects like termites.
There has been an increase in the volumes of termite calls in our call center through the summer months over the last year, and we feel this is set to increase with the ever-increasing temperatures, erratic rainfall that we experiencing, along with the increase in developments in areas where termites are already nesting, which results in more cases of termite damage.
With this in mind regarding termites or any other insect that may cause damage, from a pest control point of view, these are a few to be on the lookout for, as they may cost you more financially in the future due to the structural damage they can cause to your investment, whether it be a building or home.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_single_image image=”1012965″][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]
Here are a few pests to be on the lookout for, with most being wood-damaging insects:
Borer beetle – cause of major damage to wooden paneling, skirting’s, wooden door frames, roof trusses
Carpenter ants – wood-destroying ants that can cause countless damage to wooden fixtures
Subterranean termites – also wood-destroying insects that can cause countless damage to wooden fixtures and one’s roof
Drywood termites – These termites can cause just as much damage to wooden fixtures and your ceiling as subterranean termites
Rats/ mice – Not an insect, but these vermin can damage the wiring in your house, your vehicle, and ceilings.
Read more detail on these pests in this link on how pests can damage your home in a previous blog post: How pests can damage your home Better • Bug Blog • Flick Pest[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_single_image image=”1012963″][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]
What to do?
Before buying a property, request that the agent arrange that a reputable pest control company (such as Flick) provide you with a pest control clearance certificate. This is undertaken by our registered technicians who will inspect a property for any signs of wood-destroying insects, and Flick will provide you with a certificate. This service offering can be quoted on the application.
If something is found, it will be reported to the seller/ estate agent, and a quotation for the remedial service will be provided.
In KZN and The Cape, it is compulsory to provide a pest control clearance certificate when selling one’s home, due to the extremely high prevalence of wood borer beetle that destroys a lot of roof beams. In Gauteng, borers are not that common, and it is not compulsory to sell a house with such a certificate being required. The Borer beetle is becoming more prevalent in Gauteng over the last year due to the increasing temperatures and humidity, allowing suitable conditions for them to survive.
We at Flick would highly recommend this is followed when acquiring or selling a property, as to avoid costly repairs and corrective actions for such wood-destroying insects.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_single_image image=”1012962″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Remember “One Flick and They’re Gone”
Give us a ring on 087 056 1021, drop us an email at enquiries@flickpest.co.za or drop us a comment on our blog or social media platforms.
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