Summary of Module 1 |
A pest is any animal, plant, or other organism whose biology, behavior, or location places it in direct conflict with humans. Some pests threaten human health, while others may compete for food, damage structures or landscapes, or cause general annoyance or anxiety. The use of pesticides to control pests should be balanced with non-chemical approaches to maximize the effectiveness of control and minimize potential harm to humans and the environment. Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is an ecological approach to pest management that combines a variety of chemical and non-chemical control strategies in a way that minimizes risk to people and the environment. Although the basic concepts of IPM are always the same, specific elements of an IPM program can vary from one environment or situation to another. IPM involves: • Inspection IPM is a decision-making process in which observations (from inspection and monitoring) are used to make pest control decisions based on pre-determined management objectives. The action threshold is the number of pests that can cause an unacceptable amount of damage if no action is taken to control them. This threshold is influenced by a pest’s potential to cause harm and by people’s tolerance level for the pest. Prior to any control action, a pest must be correctly identified. IPM includes many potential treatment options, including client education, habitat modification, horticultural/agricultural design or redesign, physical control methods, biological control methods, and “least toxic” chemical control methods. Different control strategies may be appropriate in different situations, and they are often used in combination. Because IPM decisions are driven by observations, record keeping is an important aspect of IPM. In some cases, there are federal or state requirements on what types of records must be kept. IPM documentation typically includes: • Inspection and scouting
reports Finally, any IPM program requires
regular evaluation of:
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