Integrated Pest Management or IPM is a pest management approach that makes use of simple yet effective and environmentally sensitive methods to deal with pests. As its name suggests, it is not a single pest-control solution. Instead, it is an approach that encompasses decisions, evaluations and controls that can be used to successfully manage and prevent infestations. IPM principles can be utilized in both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, including homes, offices, and gardens.
IPM is an entire system, and as such, is more than a reactionary measure initiated in response to an infestation. It can be initiated right at the start to reduce or eliminate the likelihood of such an outbreak ever taking place.
IPM encompasses four steps:
First, IPM practitioners set action thresholds. Before any action to control pests is taken, they first decide on the point at which the number of pests makes it necessary to take action, in order not to waste resources.
Second, research is done to properly monitor and identify potential pests in the area in order to ensure that only the pests themselves will be affected should the time come for actual pest control.
Third, IPM practitioners enact preventive measures aimed at prohibiting these identified pests from becoming a threat. These measures can include the selection of plants that are resistant to these pests, which can serve to eliminate potential breeding areas.
The fourth and last step in Integrated patriot pest management in wa is actual control, resorted to when preventive measures have failed to work. Less risky control methods such as the physical removal of pests are selected first, and riskier methods such as the use of pesticides are seen as the last resort.
Today Everything's Organic, Even Pest Management
Nowadays you can buy find just about anything in the supermarket with a label marking it "organic." There's organic fruit and vegetables, organic milk and other dairy products, and even organic pet food. Now the concept is being applied to other types of consumer goods and services, and for good reason. Organic farm sales exceeded $3.5 billion last year in the U.S. alone.
But what does "organic" mean?
Different regulatory agencies at all levels of government have different official definitions, but the general concept is centered in the idea that man-made chemicals, whether they are pesticides, fertilizers, etc., should not be used during production. For instance, corn that is grown and marketed with an "organic" label must have been produced without the benefits of genetic seed modification, mass-produced fertilizers like ammonia, or pesticides created in a lab.
The demand for these goods is driven by the idea that organic products are safer to use. Some chemicals that have been used in the past for various purposes have been found to be harmful to humans and animals, especially in the case of pregnant women and small children. Some now worry that many of today's chemicals may also be dangerous. Organic production methods help alleviate that fear.
Today's pest management companies are looking for ways to minimize the use of man-made chemicals in the home, the lawn and garden, and on the farm. And they're finding a number of means to effectively do the job of traditional pesticides.
Many of the most popular organic materials used to manage insect populations contain naturally occurring plant oils, especially rosemary, wintergreen, and geraniums. Other methods include using special bacteria to control mosquitoes, nematodes to manage plant-eating grubs, and diatomaceous earth to combat other types of insects. Natural predators are also introduced in some cases, such as bats and certain breeds of birds that feed on insects. In a few instances, a pest management issue may require the use of chemicals, but professionals are developing "low impact" materials like the insect growth regulators Hydroprene and Methoprene, which are proven to have no negative effects on humans.
The National Pest Management Association offers a certification program, called GreenPro, which provides pest management professionals the knowledge and skills to control pests with minimum impact to the environment. In addition to using organic materials to rid homes of pests, the program stresses the importance of pest management professionals working with homeowners to eliminate entry points for unwanted critters and to establish other practices to deter their presence. Under the GreenPro program, pest management professionals work with their clients to develop a complete plan for dealing with unwanted insects, rodents, etc.
Considering its past reliance on traditional chemicals, it is only natural to expect pest management to be the next market likely to see a boom in the demand for organic products. Professionals in the industry are far and away devoted to the safety of their customers, and an organic mindset is a the next evolutionary step forward in that goal.