Integrated Pest Management minimizes the use of pesticides. We asked three experts for tips on how to apply IPM strategies around the house.
What To Know About Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Updated on Jun. 14, 2023
Pests are a fact of life, and every home and garden has its share. Some buzz around and sting. Others are simply plants that grow where you don’t want them to.
Attacking unwanted plants, insects and animals with chemicals is a strategy entomologist Tracy Ellis of Farmsense calls “the pesticide treadmill.” But there’s a better way that doesn’t flood the environment with toxins, and it’s not new.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) combines pest control strategies employed by farmers and householders for decades. It became established as a movement in the early 1970s, around the time the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned DDT because of concerns over its environmental repercussions.
Since that time, IPM techniques have become the pest control “industry standard,” according to Thomas Ward III, a training specialist and biologist at Critter Control. Today, IPM strategies represent a common-sense approach homeowners can use. Anyone who wants a healthier environment owes it to themselves to try IPM strategies.
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What is IPM?
Integrated Pest Management is a holistic, long-term approach to pest control. It starts by evaluating the nature of the pest problem and addresses it by biological, cultural and mechanical measures. Chemicals are a last resort.
“IPM does NOT mean never using pesticides,” Ellis says. “It simply takes preventative action so that if and when pesticides are needed, they are highly targeted and more effective.”
IPM calls for a dedicated effort and a fair amount of research, but the reward is a cleaner, healthier environment. Here are the five strategies of the IPM approach.
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Identifying the Problem
The first step is determining the nature of the infestation. You may have direct evidence, like an ant trail leading to the pantry. Indirect identification, like rat droppings, are more common.
Once you identify the pest, the next step is deciding whether it’s worth taking action. If there aren’t many of them, there isn’t much damage and they present no health concerns, you may be better off living with them and turning your efforts to more pressing problems.
Some “pests,” like house spiders, may not be pests at all. All but one or two species are harmless, and the ones that aren’t seldom show themselves. The ones you can see busily rid your house of other insect pests and are best left alone.
Plus, in some cases there may be limitations on what actions you can take. Take birds. “Most birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Act,” Ward says. “Basically, you can’t trap or harm a bird, its nest, or eggs.” You can, however, make your property less inviting by installing barriers that discourage roosting.
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Biological Controls
This reduce the population of a particular pest by introducing parasites, pathogens or predators that target them. Large-scale agricultural operations favor the first two methods, often conducted in conjunction with scientific institutions.
Around the house, the introduction of natural predators is common and practical. You can release ladybugs into a garden to control mites and aphids. You can plant oats, rye or barley to compete with weeds. Or you can adopt a house cat to limit mice and rats.
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Cultural Controls
Understanding the life cycles of the pests you’re trying to control lets you make conditions unfavorable for their survival. Examples include rotating crops to control fungal growth, clearing dead and decaying debris from the garden to rob insects and microorganisms of nesting places, and adjusting watering schedules to deter soil-borne pathogens.
Kurt Vandock, Ph.D., vice president of strategic growth at Mosquito Squad, advises homeowners on backyard mosquito problems. Vandock advises eliminating any standing water to remove breeding sites, and trimming trees to eliminate the shade mosquitoes love. Plus, he says, cover your arms and legs while outside.
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Physical Controls
If you don’t want pests in the garden or the house, you need to build barriers. “Exclusions are the most effective form of wildlife control,” says Ward. “Without them, everything else is a temporary fix.”
Examples include:
- Weed cloth to prevent weeds from growing;
- Securing garbage can lids to deter scavengers;
- Installing fences and walls to keep out deer;
- Covering openings around ductwork and foundations with metal mesh for rodent control.
Ellis recommends traps for control and to monitor pest activity around the house.
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Chemical Controls
“IPM focuses on long-term management rather than reactive pesticide use,” says Ellis. That’s not to say that you should avoid chemicals. But the ones you use should be the least toxic, and applied sparingly. Examples include neem, pyrethrin and insecticidal soap for insects on plants, and boric acid and diatomaceous earth for cockroaches and ants.
