INSECT AND VERMIN CONTROL

Insect. small six-legged animal - an air-breathing invertebrate animal arthropod with a body that has well-defined
segments, including a head, thorax, abdomen, two antennae, three pairs of legs, and usually two sets of wings. There are
more than a million species of insects including flies, crickets, bees, beetles, and gnats.

Vermin. a group of insects or small animals such as flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, lice, bedbugs, mice, and rats which
are vectors of diseases.

Vectors. are arthropods or other invertebrates which transmit infection by inoculation into or through the skin or mucus
membrane by biting, or by deposit of infective materials on the skin or on food or other objects.

METHODS OF TRANSMISSION OF INSECT-BORNE DISEASE

Diseases are transmitted by insects either mechanically or biologically. A disease is transmitted mechanically when the
causative organism is carried in or on the body of the insect.
1. In mechanical transmission - The causative organism is carried in or on the body of the insect. The insect
plays no part in the metabolism or physiological changes in the nature of the organism.
2. In biological treatment – the body of the insect furnishes an essential link in the series of biological changes
which occur in the development of the organisms.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS IN THE CONTROL OF INSECTS

- The control of insects requires an understanding of their way of life.
- It is necessary to understand the:
 anatomy of the insect,
 its method of growth,
 the time it takes for the insect to grow from egg to adult,
 its habits,
 the stage of its life history in which it causes damage,
 its food,
 and its common living places.

Note: In order to obtain the best control, it is especially important to be able to identify correctly the specific insect involved
because without this knowledge, it is impossible to prescribe a proper treatment.

BASIC METHODS IN THE CONTROL OF INSECTS AND RODENTS

At the outset, it must be understood that it is a biological impossibility to exterminate or eradicate completely these vectors.
The most that can be expected is to minimize their number and/or eliminate them from household premises. Control of
these pests may be done, in general, through one or more integrated control programs of the following basic methods of
control:
1. Physical and Mechanical
2. Chemical
3. Biological
4. Environmental
5. Health Education Campaign

 PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL - Use of mechanical devices or physical forces.

 CHEMICAL - Chemical applications are rapid and effective means to reduce vector population density.
Constraints: Behavioral resistance and Insecticide persistence
 BIOLOGICAL - Considering of limiting factors that affect their growth and reproduction.
 ENVIRONMENTAL - source elimination, removal of breeding places and attractants.
 HEALTH EDUCATION CAMPAIGN - such that the population will understand and appreciate the importance of
control measures and therefore motivate them to change their habits, practices, and attitudes, which promote the
survival and multiplication of pests.
 LIFE CYCLE OF A HOUSEFLY (MUSCA DOMESTICA)

The life cycle of a fly has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
1. An egg hatches in 6 to 8 hours
2. A larva (maggot) comes out. It is a small, white worm.
 The larva (worm) grows and moults (sheds its skin) 3 times in 3 days or more
3. It becomes a pupa for 3 days or more. The pupa is a resting stage in a dark shell.
4. The adult hatches and can mate after 15 hours.

Note: The life cycle takes 6 days or more. A female can lay 500 to 3000 eggs in her life. A fly can live 4 weeks.

WHY ARE HOUSEFLIES (MUSCA DOMESTICA) HARMFUL?

 Acts as mechanical vector of many human disease.
 The most important breeding places of the housefly are:
o human excreta
o Fresh horse manure
o Manure of other animals
o garbage
 Flies live in filth: in feces, garbage, and dead animals
 Germs are carried on fly’s feet
 Flies land on food and dishes
 Flies eat organisms in feces, garbage, and meat
 Flies leave droppings on their food.
 Droppings contain organisms that cause disease.
 It may then transmit pathogenic bacteria to human food from its mouthparts, by vomitus, and from its sticky foot
pads and body and legs hairs.
 Disease known to have been so transmitted are typhoid fever, cholera, bacillary and amoebic dysentery, etc.

HOW DO WE CONTROL HOUSEFLIES?

1. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
o cleaning and removal of decaying vegetables, animal matter, garbage, manure piles,etc. Such materials shall
never be allowed to remain for more than 4 days.
o proper refuse storage and disposal
o proper food storage
o proper excreta disposal

2. MECHANICAL AND PHYSICAL CONTROL

o screening of doors and windows, and other openings.
o electric fans
 fans mounted over doorways leading to food serving establishments will keep out most flies.
o other physical control measures such as:
 swatting,
 use of fly stickers,
  flame throwers,
 flooding of breeding grounds.

3. BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
o Release of sterile flies
 when a female fly mate with a sterile male whose pupa which expose to gamma rays from radioactive
cobalt, a large number of sterile eggs are produced.
 Released of sterile flies continued until the population falls to an extremely low level.

4. CHEMICAL CONTROL
o RESIDUAL SPRAY
 for long-lasting control. When applied, the chlorinated hydrocarbons and organic phosphorous
insecticide will leave a film of crystals that will kill some insects for weeks or months thereafter.
o SPACE SPRAYING
 Ultra-low volume and thermal fog application
 economical and fast. Putting a very fine mist or aerosol into areas where flies are abundant, for killing
a large number of adults.
 To control fly quickly from distance away.

o LARVICIDAL TREATMENT
 for control of maggots. It is directed towards the elimination of breeding media of larval habitats.

5. HEALTH EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

LIFE CYCLE OF COCKROACHES (BLATELLA GERMANICA)

The life cycle of cockroaches has 3 stages: egg, nymph, and adult. A female lay about 30-40 eggs in an egg case.
 She carries the egg case under her body within a day or two.
 The nymph (young cockroach) comes from the egg in 2 or 3 days.
 The nymph grows and shed skin (moults) 5 to 7 times in 30 to 60 days.
 Adults mate 7 to 10 days after they are fully grown.
 The life cycle takes 2 to 3 months

WHY ARE COCKROACHES (BLATELLA GERMANICA) HARMFUL?

 They can carry organisms that cause disease
 They can make skin itch and cyclids swell.
 They can spoil food.

HABITS OF COCKROACHES:
 They are active at night.
 They hide during the day in the kitchen and furniture and almost everywhere.
 They loke small, dark, damp spaces.
 They fit into very narrow spaces.
 Cockroaches live in-groups.
 They prefer starchy materials such as bakery good, cereals and book bindings but will also feed upon leather,
wallpaper, and dead animals.
HOW DO WE CONTROL COCKROACHES?
 Environmental Control
o all areas must be kept clean so that no food particles, debris, dust, or rubbish remain to encourage infestation.
o frequent cleaning of the building will help remove the eggs.
o the building should always be in good repair, crevices, openings, cracks in walls and floors should be closed
up with putty, plastic wood or similar materials.
o all windows and doors should be tight-fitting.
 Chemical Control
o use of insecticides (e.g. Malathion 57 EC, Resigen, Solfac EW, magic chalk, etc.)

 Health Education Campaign

LIFE CYCLE OF MOSQUITOES (ANOPHELES, CULEX PIPIENS QUINQUEFASCIATUS, & AEDES AEGYPTI)

LIFE CYCLE OF CULEX PIPIENS QUINQUEFASCIATUS:

 A female lays eggs in clusters of 100 – 300 eggs.
 Eggs form a raft which floats on water.
 Eggs hatch in 1 to 2 days.
 Larva and pupa stages (young mosquito and cocoon) take 8-10 days.
 It takes 9-13 days to change from egg to adult.
 An adult life for 10-12 days.
 Females need blood to lay eggs.
 Note: Culex Pipiens Quinquefasciatus - mosquitoes that causes FILARIASIS.

LIFE CYCLE OF AEDES AEGYPTI:

 An egg hatches in 10-20 minutes
 A larva lives in water for 7-9 days
 It is pupa for 1-2 days
 It becomes an adult on day 11
 An egg can live for a year or more without water.

HABITS:
1. Culex Quinquefasciatus:
o adult mosquitoes are active at night.
o they rest during the day in and around the house.
o they bite anywhere on people and animals.
o they lay eggs in waters: in bottles, tin cans, rain barrels, ponds and lakes, puddles and gutters, and water with
sewage in it.

2. Aedes Aegypti
o Aedes mosquitos bite mainly in the morning or evening
o This mosquito bites only in the daytime or by artificial light and its favorite point of attack is the ankles.
o They bite and suck blood
o A female bites people on ankles, neck, and under clothing
o They hide in holes in trees and in drainage pipes
o They carry organisms that cause (dengue, encephalitis)
o Adult mosquitoes live near the water
 3. Anopheles:
o About 380 species of anopheles occur around the world
o Some 60 species are sufficiently attracted to humans to act as vectors of malaria
o A number of anopheles species are also vectors of filariasis and viral diseases
o Anopheles mosquitos are active between sunset and sunrise

WHY ARE MOSQUITOES HARMFUL?

 They cause annoyance and discomfort to the people.
 They bite and make skin itch.
 They carry organism that cause disease (malaria, filariasis, dengue, dengue, and other disease)

HOW DO WE CONTROL MOSQUITOES?

1. Environmental Control - source elimination

2. Chemical Control
o Space spraying
o Oils
o Repellants

3. Biological Control
o larvivorous fish (Gambusia Affinis) eat mosquito larvae.
o dragonfly eat mosquito eggs, wriggles and tumblers (pupal stage).
o toads and frogs eat adult mosquitoes.
o lizards eat adult mosquitoes.

4. Mechanical/Physical Control – use netting or screens over windows, beds and especially cribs.
o Health Education Campaign

PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE OF DOMESTIC RATS

Domestic rats, because of their wide distribution and close association with man, provide potential reservoirs of a number
of important diseases
Differences between Mouse and Rats
Reservoir of Human Diseases
 Murine Typhus Fever –caused by infected rat fleas. The rat is the reservoir and the flea is the vehicle of infection.
 Plague – Bubonic and Pneumonic plague – caused by infected rat fleas. Regurgitation of infected blood into bite
wound by fleas.
 Rat Bite Fever – bite of infected rat.
 Weil’s Disease or Leptospirosis – disease transmitted to man from food contaminated with infected urine and
feces of infected rat.
 Salmonellosis – same as in Weil’s disease.
 Ricketsialpox – bite of house mouse.

LIFE CYCLE OF NORWAY RATS AND ROOF RATS

 Attained its sexual maturity 3-5 months and the average gestation period is 22 days
 Frequent range of travel is 100 150 ft. from their harborage
 Length of life is about one year

ROOF RATS
 Also known as black rat, climbing rat, ship rat, house rat, Alexandrine rat, old English rat.
 Prefers hollow spaces in walls, or rubbish boxes, barrels, and other containers, attics, or upper stories and trees.
 Can climb pipes, ropes, wires, wooded uprights.
 Less prolific than the brown rat, producing fewer rats per liter.

LIFE CYCLE OF HOUSE MOUSE

 Attained its sexual maturity 1 ½ months or 45 days and the average gestation period is 90 days
 Frequent range of travel is 100 150 ft. from their harborage
 Length of life is about one year

WHAT ARE THEIR HABITS?

 Reaction to strange objects
 Climbing
 Jumping and Reaching
 Swimming
 Nesting and Haborage
 Burrowing
 Gnawing
 Feeding Habits
 Senses

HOW DO WE CONTROL RATS?

 Environmental Control
 Physical and Mechanical Control
 Biological Control
 Health Education Campaign
 Regulatory- Quarantine Law