| Fact Sheet: Integrated Pest Management | |
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Original Word Document
Fact Sheet: INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
Everyone wants a healthy, beautiful garden and a home without annoying and destructive pests. By focusing on prevention and least-toxic solutions, instead of pesticides (including herbicides), pest management policies help us work toward these goals while protecting the health of our children, pets and the environment. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an ecological approach to controlling unwanted vegetation, plant diseases, and problem pests by first using preventative and non-chemical methods of pest and vegetation management to minimize health and environmental risks. IPM greatly reduces the use of chemical pesticides by resorting to them only after alternative methods have been fully considered and/or implemented. Elements to a successful IPM program: Ø Prevention is the first line of defense. Improved sanitation (removal of pest attractions such as food crumbs) and mechanical exclusion (caulking, screens) provide significant pest control. Modification of pest habitats such as installing vegetation-free buffer zones alongside buildings, deters pests and minimizes infestation. Understanding each plant’s soil, light and water needs helps minimize pest problems. Using mulch and corn meal gluten can prevent weeds. Ø Pest monitoring is critical in identifying existing pest problems and areas of potential concern. Monitoring must be ongoing to prevent a small pest problem – easily controlled with least-toxic means – from becoming an infestation. Ø Evaluation of your tolerance for co-existence with pests and intervention when pest levels rise above this established level is the next step. IPM calls on us to exhaust all non-toxic options before resorting to more dangerous solutions. Alternatives include encouraging natural pest-eaters like ladybugs, and using physical controls such as traps and sticky tape. IPM will use least-toxic pesticides, (in a bait form, for example), only if non-toxic approaches do not solve the problem. The IPM approach is beneficial for the health of your family, the environment, and your pocketbook. Studies have demonstrated that using IPM saves money compared to conventional pest control. It pays for itself in the long term because it treats the underlying problem (why you have pests), while conventional controls typically treat just the symptoms. Pesticides provide a quick fix, but do not change the conditions that allow pests to thrive.
Recommended IPM websites:
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