Integrated Pest Management Emma, Jazz, Dana, and Rachel

What are pests? These are defined as pests: These are not pests (despite what you may think): Insects Cockroaches Termites Rodents Rats Snails Slugs Weeds Nematodes Viruses Bacteria

IPM = Integrated Pest Management What is IPM? IPM = Integrated Pest Management Long-term pest control strategy Environmentally friendly techniques Utilizes the natural relationship between plants, insects, and other organisms (in other words, utilizes the ecosystem) to combat pests, instead of using pesticides

IPM Programs IPM is a four-tiered approach to pest management, not a single pest control method, and uses these four series of evaluations

Before you take any pest control action 1. Set Action Thresholds Before you take any pest control action A point at which pest populations determine that pest control actions must be taken Ex. Seeing one spider doesn’t necessarily mean that you must immediately go out and buy spider-killing spray.

2. Monitor and Identify Pests Is it really a pest? Not all insects/weeds/etc. are pests – many are innocuous and some are beneficial Ex. If you see a butterfly, does that mean you need to control it? IPM programs ensure that pesticides are not used unnecessarily on organisms that aren’t pests

3. Prevention IPM programs use natural means to control pests and prevent them from becoming a threat Different programs can be used in tandem to control different types of pests in different situations

Pest Prevention Methods Plant Selection Choose plants best suited to soil and climate Select plants with resistance to common pests Ex. Marigolds repel whiteflies, cucumber beetles Ex. Mint repels ants Buy drought tolerant plants Use native plants whenever possible

Pest Prevention Methods Plant Placement Know the sunlight/shade requirements of plants before planting – select appropriate locations Encourage dense ground cover / use mulch to discourage weeds Do not plant in areas that are susceptible to pests Space out plants to promote air circulation Plant a variety of plants in one area

Pest Prevention Methods Irrigation Practices Do not over water plants. Use a properly functioning irrigation system Ex. Make sure sprinklers go off at appropriate times Use a cycling pattern to encourage deep watering with less runoff Water plants during cooler times of day (i.e. morning, late evening)

When preventative measures are no longer effective. 4. Control When preventative measures are no longer effective. Highly targeted chemical controls Mechanical controls (i.e. weeding) Spraying of pesticides is a last resort for pest control

Who uses IPM? Most crop growers use IPM to some extent Many utilize several of the preventative measures Most identify pests before using pesticides on their crops

Works Cited http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factsheets/ipm.htm http://www.bugbusterspest.com/i//rsz_4pests.jpg http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/pests.jpg