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The History Of Pest Control

Pests have tormented humans from time immemorial. Fossils confirm the presence of flies predating humans in this world. The earliest instance of pest control dates back to the time when a human first killed a mosquito or swatted at an annoying fly. Ever since humans took to agriculture, they realized the dangers of pests to food crops and started devising ways to repel such harmful creatures. Almost all ancient civilizations refer to pest control measures and the use of chemical substances to kill or repel insects. The earliest recorded instance of pest control is the ancient Sumerians using sulfur compounds to kill insects.

The ancient Greek civilization used fire to chase away locusts to the sea. The Greek mathematician Pythagorus drained the marshes of a Silician town to clear malaria. In 1200 B.C., the Chinese deployed predatory ants against pests such as beetles and caterpillars. They invented an innovative system of tying adjacent branches with ropes to help the ants move freely across citrus trees and finish off the pests. By 300 B.C., the Chinese also discovered the relationship between climate and periodic biological phenomena and started planting crops at specific seasons to avoid pest attacks. Pest control actually suffered a reversal in Medieval Europe as people, under the yoke of ignorance and superstition considered pests and fleas as punishment from God. Most of the tactics adopted found itself embedded in superstition, and this continued until the Renaissance when people started looking at insects as a phenomenon of the natural world order that they could control rather than as God's agent to punish the humans for their sins.

Pest control continued hindered in other civilizations of Asia during the middle ages. Plant extracts such as lemon oil and wormwood and chemicals such as arsenic and sulfur found use to repel inspects. Following the scientific awakening infused by the European Renaissance, people started to make scientific observations on pests and develop organized measures to trap them. Very soon, scientists discovered that nicotine, certain herbs and arsenic repelled insects, and these substances became major pest control instruments of the age. In the early renaissance period, pest control required extensive hand labor. Soon however, the discovery of mechanical instruments made the task easy. Franz Bruckmann developed the earliest mechanical insect-trap in the early 1700s. Modern pest control got a fillip in Victorian England. The Victorian Flea Trap, developed in about 1840 was a popular instrument of the times.

The use of pesticides to kill pests gained ground from the late 1800's, thanks to the invention of various synthetic insecticides, such as DDT and herbicides. The development of organophosphates as nerve gases during the World War II had an interest side-use as pest control agents owing to their insecticidal properties. In the aftermath of the war, other chlorinated hydrocarbons and organophosphates came into widespread use as pesticides. The harmful side effect of pesticides on humans has now resulted in the development of newer approaches, such as the use of biological, genetic and other tactics to eliminate the ability of the pests to reproduce or to modify their behavior to make them less troublesome. If you have any questions about pests or bugs at your home or office give us a call for a free inspection and estimate Ameri-Tech Pest Control & Termite 817-589-2844 Serving Tarrant County Since 1982 Dallas Fort Worth DFW TX 76179.

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