What is a pest? According to the definition, a pest could be many things; a cockroach, a tornado or an international terrorist! When we talk about pest control however, we usually relate the word pest to a plant, animal or microorganism that is being "troublesome or destructive" to a crop, a herd of animals or our environment. In Australia, some of the pests that are currently very destructive are rabbits in the arid zone, cane toads in the tropics and exotic weeds in agricultural and conservation areas. Click here for a project "What is a pest" Why do we want to control them? Well, because they are being either being "troublesome" or "destructive"! For example, weeds are plants which compete with crops or fodder plants and lower the amount of food that can be produced in an area. Rabbits destroy millions of hectares of native habitat by removing plants and digging holes. Insect pests can destroy entire crops. Helicoverpa catepillar wiped out the cotton industry in the Ord River irrigation area in Western Australia during the 1970's. Some pests are just a nuisance and do no real harm except to be very annoying. Flies, millipedes, ants and mould in the bathroom are some examples What are the issues? • We need to control pests so that we can grow enough healthy, inexpensive food for the world's population • We need to control environmental pests, like rabbits, to conserve the native habitat remaining in Australia • Some pest control strategies can impact on other species which are not pests (non-target organisms) • There is a perception that some pest control strategies pose an unacceptable risk to humans and the environment • Many pest control strategies cost a lot of money to implement