Types

• Pest control and extermination techniques commonly have involved direct killing by lethal substance, reducing pest population through chemical methods, altering pests' environments or restricting movement or modification of pest behavior.
  
  

Evolution

• While many early pest control methods had questionable success, some methods -- such as sulfur and arsenic -- are now established. During the Dark Ages the abandonment of scientific study and the reign of superstition allowed pest control to become ineffective. However, in the 17th and 18th centuries, scientific study of pests led to successful pest control technique development.
  
  

Modern Era

• The insecticide DDT was widely used in the 1940s through the 1950s and led to a reliance on chemical methods for pest control and extermination. However, many problems emerged, such as resistance in pest populations and the presence of pesticides on food crops, in soil and water, and in animals. Consequently, a return to other methods, including a combination of chemical and biological approaches, occurred.