The Future of Pest Control 蟲害防治的未來

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.

數十年來，蟲害防治一直是一項要務。這些年，蟲害防治業幾經變化與調整，蟲害防治及有效管控的方法不斷推陳出新。

研究蟲害防治的新策略并予以實施，主要目的是減少害蟲對環境和宿主的影響。

展望未來幾年蟲害防治的發展前景，隨著新方法的出現，普通農民和寵物主人有望過上更好的生活。新方法比現行防治體系在成本上更劃算。

以下就是一些投入實施的蟲害防治新手段：

監控裝置

投入使用的監控裝置中有一款名為PestWatch的監控工具，是地理信息系統（GIS）的一個害蟲數據庫，可幫助農民監控當地常見的害蟲。

愿意參與數據庫建設的農民放置好信息素誘捕器，誘捕器可以在一段時間內吸引各種害蟲種群。利用這一數據庫，參與的農民用戶可以將自己收集到的數據上傳，這些數據隨后會被上傳到交互式地圖中，并用于制訂蟲害預防措施。

GIS技術不僅對農民大有用處，對于建筑專業人士和業主來說同樣重要——他們可以掌握特定地方常見蟲害的信息，這樣就能給出蟲害防治方案，控制及減輕建筑設施的蟲害問題。

繁殖控制法

除傳統方法外，蟲害防治專家如今還能通過繁殖控制法來防治特定蟲害。繁殖控制法利用昆蟲的生理習性來破壞其正常生命周期。該方法可以復制害蟲激素，控制害蟲生長，由此破壞害蟲的繁殖能力，使得害蟲無法完全成熟，進一步防止蟲害的發生。

轉基因技術

寨卡病毒等新疫情暴發，令美國高度警惕，因疫情從南半球向北半球不斷擴散。人們正在開發新技術來應對蚊蟲傳播疾病。

科研公司Oxitec培育出了轉基因雄蚊，它們與野生雌蚊交配產生的后代在成年之前就會死亡。該公司稱，不同于目前使用的滅蚊方法，此種方式非常有效，且針對性更強。但是，并非人人都同意在社區中投放轉基因蚊蟲。事實上，美國食品和藥物管理局已批準在佛羅里達州某地投放轉基因蚊蟲，但遭到了強烈反對。這項措施不得不延緩實施，目前尚在研究和完善中。

在另一項蒼蠅相關研究中，科學家能夠移除蒼蠅體內可能與蟲害傳播相關的基因。夏威夷大學的科學家已能從成年蒼蠅體內移除相關基因，并觀察到其壽命縮短了50%。蒼蠅開始停留在物體表面上無法飛離。僅是蒼蠅無法四處飛行這一點，對蟲害防治行業來說就是個好消息。

臭蟲蟲害控制法

加利福尼亞大學的一些研究人員發現，臭蟲蛻皮的方式可能對控制臭蟲蟲害有所幫助。根據研究人員的觀察，臭蟲經常出現在其先前蛻皮的區域附近。

他們認為，這些發現將有助于將來開發監控設備，在蟲害發生前起到預防作用。

盡管這項技術及相關研究有待進一步測試和開發，但人們無不注意到這項技術的強大以及不久的將來它便能真正“成器”。商業地產擁有者會對此很感興趣，看來這是他們防治蟲害的一條出路。

二氧化碳的引入

一種使用二氧化碳的新型蟲害防治技術已獲得美國環境保護署的批準。作為一種傳統的除蟲方法，蟲害防控專家不時會用有毒化學物質對受害區域進行熏蒸。盡管此種方法可有效控制害蟲，但成本巨大。所謂“成本巨大”并非指直接的貨幣價值，而是這些化學物質會破壞環境甚至危及人類健康。

此外，出于自身及家人安全考慮，如果熏蒸公司要對房屋內外進行熏蒸，那么一次全面熏蒸后，化學物質自起效到揮發最多可能需要整整一周。因此，必須騰空熏蒸區域，并且要保證一周后該區域足夠安全，才能返回家中或農場。

正是由于以上安全性和舒適性問題，研究人員才引入二氧化碳作為更有效的除蟲方式。采用二氧化碳除蟲，房主和農場主不但能更快回到家和農場，這種方式本身也更安全。

二氧化碳除蟲法似乎只對令人討厭的害蟲造成傷害，會令害蟲窒息而對受害區域沒有任何污染。

盡管如今二氧化碳除蟲法尚未在蟲害防治機構中普及，但這種方法在全國各地廣受歡迎，不久的將來會非常普遍。

從很大程度上看，蟲害防治行業的前途似乎一片光明：業內正在進行多項技術革新，以尋求更有效、更低廉及更安全的防治方法。這些方法不僅對人類有益，其改良還將考慮環保因素——保護環境是我們所有人的責任。? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? □

（譯者是“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者;單位：中南大學）