You probably have heard the term Integrated Pest Management before. Integrated pest management or IPM is an ecologically based pest management strategy that provides long-term management of pest problems with minimum impact on human health, the environment and non-target organisms.
You probably have heard the term Integrated Pest Management before. Integrated pest management or IPM is an ecologically based pest management strategy that provides long-term management of pest problems with minimum impact on human health, the environment and non-target organisms.
IPM programs are educationally based and focus on our knowledge of pest biology and its relationship within the environment.
There is such a focus on safety in schools these days and pesticides whether good or bad have been targeted as the bad guy by some groups. This has had some major impacts on pest control strategies over the past 10 to 15 years, as the good old days of showing up and power spraying everything to the point of runoff has basically come to a standstill.
These days, at least in schools – this is unheard of, and probably illegal in some cases. As a result, we now have the implementation of IPM Integrated Pest Management treatments vs. old fashioned pest control treatments.
Management techniques often used as part of an IPM program include improving hygiene standards, use of pest exclusion methods, habitat manipulation, encouraging naturally occurring biological control, use of alternate plant species or varieties resistant to pests, selection of target specific pesticides which have low mammalian toxicity and low environmental impact. Adoption of new cultivation, pruning, irrigation and fertilization practices that reduce pest problems. Biological control products are often used very successfully. The products may contain disease organisms that solely attack the specific pest organism. Predatory or parasitic organisms are also used to manage pest populations.
Biorational products (more identifiable as “Green” products” are derived from natural sources and may be effective and less hazardous to use in some cases, however in many cases, “Green Products” are still not an acceptable product because the strong odors present other issues, especially on an interior pest situation.
Generally when chemical treatments are needed the least toxic and most target-specific pesticides are chosen. It is important to keep in mind, that sometimes the risk of the pest is greater than the use of a properly applied pesticide, by a licensed and trained pest professional.
IPM steps include:
1. Pest identification and establishing useful biological information about the organism. Less than 5% of all bugs are ever considered pests and many organisms are essential in one environment but become a pest in another. For example, termites are essential decomposers and recyclers of wood and other cellulose based materials. But in a home or building termites become a pest.
2. Monitoring and use of threshold levels. Many organisms do not achieve pest status unless large numbers are apparent. Small populations of plant feeding bugs are not a problem, but outbreaks of huge populations can devastate crops.
3. If necessary take action. After considering what the suspected pest organism actually is, where in the ecosystem it is occurring and how many there are, the organism is found to have a pest status then ecologically sound management methods are employed to reduce the pest population levels below threshold levels.
