Integrated Pest Management

IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management in agricultural settings that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. For example, growers inspect crops and monitor for damage before they use pesticides. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment.  This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment..

The IPM approach can be applied to both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, such as the home, garden, and workplace. IPM takes advantage of all appropriate pest management options including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides. In contrast, organic food production applies many of the same concepts as IPM but limits the use of pesticides to those that are produced from natural sources, as opposed to synthetic chemicals

IPM is not a single pest control method but, rather, a series of pest management evaluations, decisions and controls. In practicing IPM, growers follow this four-tiered approach:

1. Set Action Thresholds:  Before taking any pest control action, an IPM program first develops an action threshold, a point at which pest populations or environmental conditions indicate that pest control action must be taken. Sighting a single pest does not always mean control is needed. Understanding the level at which a pest becomes an economic threat is critical to making pest control decisions.
    
2. Monitor and Identify Pests:  Not all insects, weeds, and other living organisms require control.  Many organisms are innocuous, and some are beneficial and help control pests.  IPM programs work to monitor for pests and identify them accurately, so that appropriate control decisions can be made in conjunction with action thresholds. Successful monitoring and identification ensure that pesticides are used only when really needed and that the wrong kind of pesticide is never used.
    
3. Prevention: As a first line of defense, IPM programs prevent pests from becoming a threat. This may mean rotating between different crops, selecting pest-resistant varieties, or planting pest-free rootstock. In most cases, these methods are effective in preventing pest problems, and they are more economical than chemical sprays. They also pose little to no risk to human health and the environment.
    
4. Control: Once monitoring, identification, and action thresholds indicate that pest control is necessary and preventive methods are no longer effective or available, the next step is to determine which control method maximizes effectiveness and minimizes risk. Broadcast spraying of a nonspecific pesticide is a last resort.

With these steps, IPM is best described as a continuum. Many, if not most, agricultural growers identify their pests before spraying. A smaller subset of growers use less risky pesticides such as pheromones. All of these growers are on the IPM continuum. The goal is to move growers further along the continuum to using all appropriate IPM techniques.