Integrated Pest Management is an old approach to pest control that is successfully being used again. Several decades ago when most pesticides were made from dangerous toxins such as nicotine and arsenic, people were reluctant to use them and only did so as a last resort. Instead they tried many other environmentally friendly methods of pest control such as exclusion or sanitation.
What is Integrated Pest Management or IPM?
Integrated Pest Management or IPM is a step by step approach to pest control. Instead of simply spraying insecticide or throwing down bait, a thorough examination is done first to determine the best course of action. Here are the steps that should be followed: - Inspection. Inspect the environment. Try determine where the pests are coming in, and why they are coming in. Is there a crack or crevice they are using? Is there a moisture issue? Are sanitation conditions poor?
- Identification. Identifying pests is a very important step. If you are unsure of what type of insect you have found, contact your local Cooperative Extension Office and ask that an insect identification be made (the employees at these facilities are usually very knowledgeable about pests in their region). Rodents are usually easily identified by looking at photos of the pests for comparison and by the area they are found in. If this step is skipped or the pest is misidentified, pest control management may fail.
- Monitoring. Monitor areas that are suspected to be infested. Put out glue boards or snap traps to trap rodents and insects. This will help identify what areas need to be treated.
- Exclusion. All entry points found during the inspection must be addressed. Cracks and crevices can be sealed with Stuf-Fit Copper Mesh or Pur Black Foam. Weather seals around doors and windows may need to be replaced. Mesh on screens should be replaced if tiny insect are able to crawl through. Attic vents may need to have mesh installed to exclude small rodents.
- Sanitation. Many rodents and insects are drawn to areas where poor sanitation exists. Dumpster areas should be kept clean and dumpster lids should be kept shut. Indoor trash cans should be emptied and washed out often. Counter tops and floors should be properly cleaned daily. Bushes, trees and shrubbery should be kept well maintained to eliminate pest harborages. All moisture conditions such as leaky pipes or poor drainage should be addressed.
- Treatment. Treat problem areas accordingly. Depending on the type of pest you are treating for this may involve spraying an insecticide or putting down traps or placing out baits to get rid of an active infestation.
Integrated Pest Management or IPM is used to eliminate the unnecessary use of pesticides. Many pest problems can be controlled by making changes to the infested areas. For instance, if a home had a major problem with rodents and the homeowners were consistently baiting or trapping and removing dead rodents, it would stand to reason that perhaps new rodents were able to gain entry into the home easily. It could be that tree branches were hanging low and touching the roof of the house or perhaps they were gaining entry through doors or windows that were left open. If the homeowners followed the steps listed above they would most likely gain control of the rodent population in their home and prevent the rodents from entering again in the future.
View additional products for the following pests: Roach Control
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