The definition of "pest" is not a fixed concept in biology, because every organism has its place in nature. A pest is a purely anthropocentric term - that is, a term for a creature that directly competes with human interests at a given time and place.
A pest can therefore be broadly defined as an organism that:
- causes economic damage (reducing crop yields, timber quality or food supplies),
- threatens health (transmits pathogens, e.g. plant diseases or, rarely, human diseases),
- disrupts the ecosystem (as an invasive species, it displaces native species),
- causes aesthetic damage (destroying ornamental gardens or parks).
It is important to remember that, ecologically, these species fulfil their natural roles in ecosystems and only become pests when their interests conflict with those of humans. The pest is not the species itself, but the species in a particular situation. The same beetle can be a pest in a forest, a key saproxylic species in a natural ecosystem and even an object of protection in a protected area.
Pest beetles are most often divided according to where they cause damage. This division has been experienced for years and is crucial for choosing the right protection.
Agricultural pests damage crops, fields, orchards or vineyards. They damage both imago and larvae (nibbling on leaves, roots, stems). Most of them are typically corrosive beetles.
Examples:
- Leptinotarsa decemlineata,
- Otiorhynchus sp, Sitona sp,
- Chrysomelidae sp.
Forest pests damage woody plants, both live and weakened. The most common are bark beetles and wood-boring beetles, which cause damage to wood and reduce the stability of stands. Forest pests are sometimes subdivided into conifer pests and broadleaf pests.
Examples:
- Ips typographus,
- Cerambycidae sp,
- Buprestidae sp.
Note: Many forest pests are secondary, i.e. they mainly attack weakened trees.
Warehouse pests attack stored products such as flour, grain, legumes, spices or feed. They spoil stored products by contamination, faeces and larval pupae.
Examples:
- Tenebrio molitor,
- Sitophilus sp.
Technical pests infest wooden building structures and other materials such as leather, wool, museum collections, etc.
Examples:
- Anobiidae sp,
- Cerambycidae sp,
- Dermestidae sp.
Aquatic pests (aquatic pests)
Aquatic pests include beetle species associated with aquatic or semi-aquatic environments, the overpopulation or presence of which in intensively used water bodies can lead to economic losses, especially in the pond industry. However, their negative impact is strongly influenced by the degree of eutrophication, the structure of the reservoir and the management method and cannot be considered as pests outside this context.
Water beetles are practically not a pest in the standard sense of the word. Their presence is usually considered as an indicator of a healthy aquatic ecosystem.
Under certain conditions (e.g. overbreeding) we would include species from the family Dytiscidae, whose large representatives (larvae and imago) can cause damage to fish stock in rearing ponds, or from the family Hydophillidae, whose larvae of large representatives can cause similar damage, as aquatic pests.
Household pests (synanthropic pests)
Domestic pests (beetles) are species of beetles that live permanently or repeatedly in human dwellings, causing material, hygienic or aesthetic damage or causing subjective nuisance to the occupants.
Household pests are usually subdivided into further categories, which are:
- food pests, which attack dry food,
- textile and material pests, which damage textiles, fur or collections,
- wood pests in interiors, which attack furniture, beams or parquet,
- accidental household inhabitants that do not cause direct damage but are a nuisance (e.g. crawling shoe beetles in the home).
Other sub-pages do not explicitly mention domestic pests but are included within the pages on agricultural, storage and technical pests.
