Integrated Pest Management

 

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a program of prevention, monitoring, and control that offers the opportunity to eliminate or drastically reduce the use of pesticides and minimize the toxicity of and exposure to any products that are used. IPM does this by utilizing a variety of methods and techniques, including cultural, biological, and structural strategies, to control a multitude of pest problems. IPM is a term with many different definitions and methods of implementation. IPM can be interpreted to mean virtually anything the practitioner wants it to mean. Beware of chemical-dependent programs masquerading as IPM.

Those who argue that IPM requires the ability to spray pesticides immediately after identifying a pest problem are not describing IPM. Conventional pest control tends to ignore the causes of pest infestations and instead rely on scheduled pesticide applications. Pesticides are often temporary fixes, ineffective over the long term. Least-toxic control products are a major growth area, and new materials and devices are increasingly available in the marketplace.

The Six IPM Program Essentials

  • Monitoring. This includes regular site inspections and trapping to determine the infestation levels and types of pests at each site.

  • Record Keeping. A record-keeping system is essential to establish trends and patterns in pest outbreaks. Information recorded at every inspection or treatment should include pest identification, population size, distribution, recommendations for future prevention, and complete information on the treatment action.

  • Action Levels. Pests are difficult to completely eradicate. An action level is the population size that requires remedial action for human-health, economic, or aesthetic reasons.

  • Prevention. Preventive measures must be incorporated into the existing structures and designs for new structures. Prevention is and should be the primary means of pest control in an IPM program.

  • Tactics Criteria. Under IPM, chemicals should be used as a last resort only, but when used, the least- toxic materials should be chosen and applied to minimize exposure to humans and all non-target organisms.

  • Evaluation. A regular evaluation program is essential to determine the success of the pest-management strategies.

Integrated Pest Management
(as defined by Beyond Pesticides/NCAMP)

IPM is a pest-management system that
(a) eliminates or mitigates economic and health damage caused by pests;
(b) minimizes the use of pesticides and the risk to human health and the environment associated with pesticide applications; and
(c) uses integrated methods, site- or pest inspections, pest-population monitoring, an evaluation of the need for pest control, and one or more pest-control methods, including sanitation, structural repairs, mechanical and living biological controls, other non-chemical methods, and, if these options are unreasonable and have been exhausted, least-toxic pesticides.