1. Integrated Pest Management
Emma, Jazz, Dana, and Rachel

2. 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

3. 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

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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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)

11. 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

12. 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

13. Works Cited http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factsheets/ipm.htm