Which of the following is considered a mechanical method of pest control?

• A. Hand destruction of insect eggs
• B. Delayed planting
• C. Breeding for resistance
• D. Crop rotation

Answer: (A)

Mechanically removing pests means using a physical action to reduce their numbers, rather than chemical or biological means. Hand destruction of insect eggs is a direct manual, physical action—you're removing the eggs before they hatch—so it fits as a mechanical control. The other options rely on timing, genetics, or changing the crop in the field: delaying planting changes when the crop is grown to dodge pest pressure (a cultural practice), breeding for resistance uses the plant’s genetics to deter pests (genetic resistance), and crop rotation disrupts pest life cycles by alternating crops (another cultural practice). So the hands-on egg removal is the mechanical method.