Arthropod Predators and Insect Pest Control

Arthropod Predators and Insect Pest Control

Content Structure of Arthropod Predators and Insect Pest Control

The abstract contains the research problem, the objectives, methodology, results, and recommendations

• Chapter one of this thesis or project materials contains the background to the study, the research problem, the research questions, research objectives, research hypotheses, significance of the study, the scope of the study, organization of the study, and the operational definition of terms.
• Chapter two contains relevant literature on the issue under investigation. The chapter is divided into five parts which are the conceptual review, theoretical review, empirical review, conceptual framework, and gaps in research
• Chapter three contains the research design, study area, population, sample size and sampling technique, validity, reliability, source of data, operationalization of variables, research models, and data analysis method
• Chapter four contains the data analysis and the discussion of the findings
• Chapter five contains the summary of findings, conclusions, recommendations, contributions to knowledge, and recommendations for further studies.
• References: The references are in APA
• Questionnaires.

INTRODUCTION Of Arthropod Predators and Insect Pest Control

  INSECT PESTS

The concise oxford dictionary of the English language define pest as a troublesome or destructive person, or things. Williams [1947]state that an insect pest is any pest in the wrong place.
The classification of an insect as a pest is a subjective one based on its potential damage to human purposes or natural habitats and eco-system. Insect pests are said to be able to kill agricultural crops, ornamental plants etc. They can also consume and damage harvested food and also cause illness or unproductively in agricultural animals e.g. Cattle and vector as larvae while they may be pollinators in adulthood.
Some insects that are considered as pests are actually more beneficial than pestiferous for example wasps predate or parasitize many insects. An insect pest may cause injury which may be physical (bites and stings)  or medical (causing diseases or illness) or economic (monetary lose of goods or properties). Injury may arise directly from the pest itself or may develop indirectly as a result of the actions or behavior of the pest. Insect pest affect us in one way or the other by the following ways:

1. They are an annoyance or nuisance e.g. cockroaches
2. They endanger human health or safety
3. They threaten the welfare of useful plants or domestic animals
4. They damage stored products or structural materials.

Although insect pest attract the most attention many insects are beneficial to the environment and to humans. Some insect like wasps, bees, butterflies and ants pollinate flowering plants. Insect pests can be controlled by the use of pesticides, sterilization, destruction of infected plant, traps, hunting, field burning, poisoned bait and biological control.
Insect can cause damage directly by their feeding or making shelters or indirectly by other means. Direct method include chewing of plants e.g. grasshoppers caterpillars, root chewing beetle larvae and piercing ant sucking which is the direct removal of plants sap or animal blood e.g. aphids, mites, bed bugs, lice, vegetable bugs e.t.c. while the indirect method can be through vectors e.g. plants viruses and bacteria transmitted via aphids and leafhoppers, malaria e.t.c.

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