Traps that are attractive to insects are used so that growers can pinpoint when the pest has arrived and decide whether control is justified. Growers inspect representative areas of the fields regularly to determine whether pests are approaching a damaging level. Before treating, growers wait until pest populations reach a scientifically determined level that could cause economic damage. Until that threshold is reached, the cost of yield and quality loss will be less than the cost for control. They import and use additional biologicals where effective.
Growers select the most effective and appropriate pesticide and properly calibrate sprayers.
They then verify that weather conditions will permit good coverage without undue drift. Farmers, buildings and grounds maintenance personnel, professional pest control operators, and home dwellers can learn how to apply least-risk solutions to prevent pest trouble, or respond to problems when they arise. The greatest risks are those to humans who are exposed to toxic concentrations of pesticides. According to the World Health Organization, more than 3 million people are severely sickened and 220,000 die from pesticides each year worldwide. As many as 60 million to 70 million birds are killed each year in the US from pesticide poisonings.