What is integrated pest management (IPM)?
IPM has many definitions. At its best, IPM is a scientifically superior means of pest control integrating all available pest control methods, including biological controls and cultivation techniques. Under IPM, populations of pests are carefully monitored. Chemicals are used only when population reach a, threshold where damage to the crop is possible and non?chemical methods will not work in time. When applied to plots of rice in the Philippines, IPM cut total pest control costs in half, with no loss in yields. Unfortunately, the pesticides industry now uses the term IPM to continue selling pesticides as the `best’ method of pest control, retaining only the notion of monitoring to determine when to spray. • What is meant by ‘sustainable’ pest control? Today people working for chemical-free pest control recognised the need for an entirely new perspective, and the concept which is emerging is called `sustainability’ . Sustainable pest control recognises that nature is self?regulating, if
CUES stresses the use of Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, which is the practice of using a variety of cultural, biological, and chemical techniques to reduce pest problems. IPM is the part of PHC that is concerned with managing insects and diseases. One goal of IPM is to reduce any harmful impact chemicals may have on the environment including wildlife, soil, and water quality. IPM methods include proper plant selection, biorational and biological pest controls, using traps for monitoring insect populations, regularly examining or scouting plant materials for signs of trouble, and the judicious use of chemical pesticides applied at the most vulnerable time in an insect’s life history . When pesticides are necessary, use environmentally sound controls, such as horticultural oils and soaps, which break down quickly in the environment. The commonly available commercial formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), fungi, and nematodes are called biorational pesticides and these products
Integrated pest management is the combination of more than one pest control method in attempting to remedy a pest problem. Example: Employing mechanical controls and pesticide controls, both. It could be as simple as pesticide application (pesticide method) to a pest nesting site and stomping on the bugs (mechanical)as they try to run away. Although the acronym IPM may have recent (within the last 20 years) origin, the concept and practice of integrated pest management is certainly not something new. In about the year 1,000 B.C. there was a Greek poet by the name of Homer. Homer wrote the burning of sulfur (symbol S. atomic number 16; atomic weight 32.064) was commonly employed as a fumigant to rid living quarters of bugs. This is the earliest known writing reporting the use of pesticides. A highly placed and respected source informs me that the Greeks, in the time of Homer, also employed a lot of swatting and stomping (mechanical method) in the year 1,000 B.C. Therefore, the combinati
IPM is a philosophy of pest control, which has been defined in various ways by diverse groups. There are many sources of information on IPM approaches and how to use IPM in variety of scenarios from home, garden, urban turf & landscapes, right of ways to agriculture. The Database of IPM Resources provides a collection of IPM definitions and their citation in the worldwide literature. A few examples are as follows: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1993) provides the following definition: “IPM programs use current comprehensive information on life cycles of pests and their interactions with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, with the least possible hazard to people, property and the environment. IPM programs take advantage of all pest management options possibly including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides.” As defined in the National IPM Roadmap, “In
The History of Pest Control To understand why IPM is the best way to manage pest problems it is useful to trace the history of pest control to see how the battle between man and crop pests evolved. Synthetic pesticides are some of the most common pest management tools used today. However, it is important to realize that they have only been available since the 1940’s. It is interesting to consider what growers used to control pests before the development of these materials. Basically growers managed pest problems as best they could, many times with a combination of techniques such as rotating crops, tilling to kill insect and weed pests, changing planting dates to avoid peak pest numbers, planting cover crops to provide refuge for pest natural enemies, using biological control of certain pests, and using genetically resistant varieties. These strategies are ones that we also use today. The DDT Miracle—The answer to all our problems Things really changed, however, with the discovery of s
