The History of Pest Management

This resource lists key events in the history of pest management. A historical perspective is important for a complete understanding of any subject and pest management is no exception. There are always lessons to be learned from history although too often these pass unnoticed.

        •  8000 BC Beginnings of agriculture

        •  4700 BC Silkworm culture in China

        •  2500 BC First records of insecticides eg. the Sumerians were using sulphur compounds
            to control insects.

        •  1500 BC First descriptions of cultural controls especially manipulation of planting dates

        •  1200 BC Botanical insecticides were being used for seed treatments and as fungicides in
             China. The Chinese were also using mercury and arsenical compounds to control body lice

        •  950 BC First descriptions of burning as a cultural control method

        •  200 BC The Roman, Cato the Censor advocated oil sprays for pest control

        •  13 BC First rat-proof grannary was built by the Roman architect Marcus Pollio

        •  300 AD First record of the use of biological controls (predatory ants) in citrus orchards in
            China. Colonies of the predatory ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) were set up in citrus groves
            with bamboo bridges to move between trees to control caterpillar and beetle pests

        •  400 AD Ko Hung an alchemist recommended a root application of white arsenic when
            transplanting rice to protect against insect pests

        •  1000-1300 Date growers in Arabia seasonally transported cultures of predatory ants from
            nearbymountains to oases to control phytophagous ants which attack date palm. First
            known example of movement by man of natural enemies for purposes of biological control.
            Also at bb this time, weed control was practiced through mechanical removal with a hoe,
            crop rotations and cultivation method

        •  1476 In Berne, Switzerland cutworms were taken to court, pronounced guilty,
            excommunicated by the Archbishop and then banished

        •  1485 The High Vicar of Valence commanded caterpillars to appear before him, he gave them
            a defence council and finally commanded them to leave the area

        •  1650-1780 Burgeoning of insect descriptions (after Linneaus) and biological discoveries in
            the Renaissance

        •  1732 Farmers begin to grow crops in rows to facilitate weed removal

        •  1763 Linnaeus won a prize for an essay under the name of C.N. Nelin on how orchards
            could be freed from caterpillars. He suggested use of mechanical and biological control
            methods

        •  1750-1880 Agricultural revolution in Europe. Crop protection became more extensive and
            international trade promoted the discovery of the botanical insecticides pyrethrum and derris

            Early 1800's Appearance of first books and papers devoted entirely to pest control covering
            cultural control, biological control, varietals control, physical and chemical control

        •  1848-1878 Introduction of Viteus vitifoliae from Americas nearly put an end to the French
            wine industry. The release of the natural enemy Tyroglyphus phylloxerae to France from
            North America in 1873 provided adequate levels of control

        •  1880 First commercial spraying machine

        •  1888 First major success with imported biological control agents Cryptochetum iceryae and
            the coccinellid beetle Rodolia cardinalis from Australia for the control of cottony-cushion
            scale in US citrus fruits

        •  1890's Introduction of lead arsenate for insect control

        •  1893 Recognition of arthropods as vectors of human diseases

        •  1915 Control of malaria and yellow fever carrying mosquitoes allowing completion of the
             Panama Canal after its abandonment in the late 1800's

        •  1920-1930 More than 30 cases of natural enemy establishment were recorded throughout
             the world

        •  1921 First aerial application in insecticide against Catalpa sphinx moth in Ohio, USA

        •  1929 First area-wide eradication of an insect pest against Meditteranean fruit fly in Florida,
             USA

        •  1930 Introduction of snythetic organic compounds for control pests.

        •  1932 Introduction of Organophosphate compounds to control pests.

        •  1939 Recognition of insecticide properties of DDT

        •  1944 First hormone based herbicide - 2,4-D available

        •  1946 First report of insect resistance to DDT in houseflies in Sweden.

        •  1950's-60's Widespread development of resistance to DDT and other pesticides

        •  1950's First applications of systems analysis to crop pest control

        •  1959 Introduction of concepts of economic thresholds, economic levels and integrated
             control by V.M. Stern, R.F. Smith, R. van den Bosch and K.S. Hagen

        •  1960 First insect sex pheromone isolated, identified and synthesis in the gypsy moth

        •  1963 K.E.F. Watt introduced systems science to pest management

        •  1965 Release of carbamate insecticide pirimicarb and pirimiphos ethyl, and the systemic
             fungicide dimethirimol for control insect pests.

        •  1967 Introduction of the term Integrated Pest Management by R.F. Smith and R. van den
             Bosch. The relevance of ecology to IPM through the concept of "Life Systems" was
             introduced by L.R. Clark, P.W. Geier, R.D.Hughes and R.F. Morris. Release of pirimiphos
             methyl

        •  1969 US National Academy of Sciencies formalized the term Integrated Pest Management

        •  1970's Widespread banning of DDT

        •  1975 Development and release of the synthetic pyrethroid insecticides permethrin and
             cypermethrin

        •  1976 "First, an industry will claim that it can't comply with a proposed standard, because the
             technology to do so does not exist. Next, the industry will claim that the cost will drive it out
             of business. Finally, companies announce that they can, but it will cost everybody plenty."
             Leonard Woodcock, president, UAW, 1976

        •  1976 "Regulation of pesticide use by the Federal Government is critically dependent on the
             safety testing data submitted by the firms that manufacture and market pesticides." --
             Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure, December 1976

        •  1980 "Our groundwaters are threatened by ruinous contamination...this will become the
             environmental horror story of the 1980's...the most grievous error in judgment we as a
             nation ever have made." - EPA Assistant administrator Eckhardt Beck, 1980

        •  1980 "...Some of the pesticides...are so long-lasting and so pervasive in the environment
             that virtually the entire human population of the Nation, and indeed the world, carries some
             body burden of one or several of them." 1980 - Library of Congress study, 1980
 

 

        •  2002 For the first time in Sri Lanka, a less toxic non-repellent termiticide is used by
             The Exterminators (Pvt) Ltd control termites.

        •  2003 Methyl Bromide usage is reduced by 75% in developed countries

        •  2004 Chlorpyrifos, a termiticide used to control termites is restricted to use indoors by the
             Pesticide Technical Advisory Committee-Registrar of Pesticides Sri Lanka.

        •  2004 Chlorpyrifos restrictions amended: Chlorpyrifos restriction for Indoor treatments is
             taken out, but certain areas are restricted such as schools, grounds, homes or any other
             place where children are occupied

        •  2005 Mehtyl Bromide phase out in developed countries except for quarantine purposes.

        •  2005 Methyl bromide usage reduced by 20% in the developing world (Phase- out 2015)

        •  2006 Fumigation for Australia should be carried according AQIS Fumigation Standards.

        •  2007 Methyl bromide has been further restricted in Sri Lanka ( Montrιal protocol)