Probably the first
techniques used for plant pest control fell into the
category of mechanical control measures. If you take
a block of wood called "A" and one called "B" and
place a beetle on "A". Then slam "B" on top of "A",
thus squashing the bug and you have a mechanical
control measure...
Mechanical measures
are usually only practical for small size areas
and with a small group of problems. For instance,
hand picking pests such as
Japanese beetles and putting them in a can of
soapy water would qualify. Shaking the branches and
knocking
European pine sawfly larvae to the ground may be
another option.
