Techniques for the Extermination of Pests in Andalusi Agricultural Treatises

The objective of this study is to examine the different methods used by the Andalusi agronomists for exterminating a wide variety of pests in agricultural produce, farm animals, country houses, and other buildings. It also aims to analyse the contribution of Andalusi agronomy in this field of pest extermination. To achieve these aims, a detailed study was carried out of Andalusi treatises on agriculture, which were compared with earlier and subsequent agronomic sources. The results regarding the form and essence of the techniques used by the agronomists reveal that Greco-Byzantine geoponics had a significant influence on the development of these techniques, and that the Andalusi contribution in terms of eradicating pests in animals and houses was substantial, based on sources other than purely agricultural ones.