What is a key feature of behavioral pest management practices?

A key feature of behavioral pest management practices is the concept of disrupting the reproductive cycle of pests, which is effectively achieved by releasing sterile males. This method is based on the principle of population control; when sterile males mate with females, the females do not produce viable offspring, leading to a decrease in the overall pest population over time. This approach minimizes the reliance on chemical treatments, which can have adverse environmental impacts and contribute to resistance in pest populations.

While the other options are valid pest management strategies—using traps and barriers can help physically prevent pests from accessing certain areas, introducing natural predators helps maintain ecological balance, and applying chemical pesticides selectively targets specific pest populations—they do not specifically focus on the behavioral manipulation of pest reproduction. Instead, these methods may primarily address the symptoms of pest problems without altering the underlying reproductive dynamics, which is a distinctive feature of behavioral pest management.