An Integrated Pest Management program or IPM is a practical decision making process that relies on a wide variety of tools to promote healthy plants and to manage pests. It is an effective, science-based approach that reduces the unnecessary spraying of pesticides around your home.
Step 1: Plant Healthy
Build and Maintain Healthy Soil
It is important that you know your soil. Homeowners should order or purchase a simple but reliable soil test to find out what essential nutrients are currently available in their soil and to determine what additives may need to be added to provide the environment for a healthy landscape. For more information about soil testing procedures and prices go to soiltesting.tamu.edu.
If you use fertilizers to add nutrients look for products that contain natural organic or slow-release fertilizers. Your yard is made up of a community of beneficial organisms that can help maintain your landscapes and the improper use of fertilizers can damage beneficial organisms in the soil which are essential for healthy soils and plants.
Composting helps certain soil types hold nutrients and water, loosens clay soils which allows air and water into the soil and strengthens root growth. It also feeds the beneficial organisms so they will feed and protect your plants. Mulching stabilizes soil temperatures, prevents weeds, conserves water and helps feed soil for healthier plants.
For more information on local Composting classes visit City of Arlington Recycling and Garbage
Plant Native
Planting with native or adaptive plants will provide beauty all year round in your garden.
Make sure your plant selection is appropriate for your region. Develop a placement plan that uses native plants and drought tolerant species to decrease maintenance requirements.
Seek the advice of a Texas Master Gardener, local nursery or local garden club about what plants or grasses are right for your landscape and soil type.
Step 2: Monitoring
Watch for deformities, discoloration, holes, wilting, or loss of leaves or flowers.
- Visually inspect on a regular basis
- Detect problems while pest numbers are low and easier to control
- Determine size of the pest population and extent of the damage
- Identify any conditions contributing to the pest problem
- Ascertain if treatments are needed and if they work when applied.
Step 3: Identification
Once you detect a potential pest, you need to determine if it is a pest or a beneficial organism.
- Learn the life-cycle of your pests
- Its preferred environment
- Natural predators
- Remember- Beneficial insects will help to control pest populations
Step 4: Establishing Treatment Thresholds or Action Levels
Before treating any pest problem you need to decide- what is your threshold for action?
- Economic - When the pest density causes damage equal to the cost of the control measure.
- Threshold or Action - Pest population has reached a size that control measures should be applied
- Essentially how much injury or damage can be tolerated by a particular pest population? If damage is minimal and only a few pests are present it can be beneficial to continue monitoring to see if the pest population is growing rampant or if beneficial insects are taking care of the problem. Once you notice a large increase in the pest population, control measures may become necessary.
- A common mistake is to treat pests that are causing little to no damage due to a fear of potential spreading. Careful monitoring will determine if spreading of the pest warrants control
Step 5: Treatment
Prevention
- Select plants that are less susceptible or resistant to insects and diseases. Many new hybrids, varieties and cultivars are introduced that have been bred or selected for their resistance to certain pests. Look for drought tolerant species to decrease water usage.
- Barriers - keep pests away from plants.
- Cultural Practices
- Manipulate the environment to make conditions less favorable for pests
- Eliminate materials or places where pests live and reproduce. Clean up plant debris and keep weed growth under control
- Tillage- interferes with pest insect life cycles or destroys their habitat
- Crop Rotation- used to eliminate pest species from surviving from year to year
- Remove alternative hosts
- Change planting distances, prune or thin for good air circulation
- Alter planting and harvesting times
Controls
Controls are used primarily when preventive measures have not been sufficient to rid your lawn or garden of pests.
Physical methods that keep insects from reaching their hosts
- Mulching
- Yellow sticky tapes
- Hoeing/hand pulling to control weeds
- Cold storage
Mechanical methods that directly remove or kill pests
- Hand picking
- Cultivation- exposes pests to desiccation or predators
- Light traps
- Shake plants to dislodge pests
- Strong spray of water
Biological methods use living organisms that are the natural predators of pests. Natural enemies can include insects, mites, parasites, diseases, animals (birds), micro-organisms, soil fungi and bacteria.
- Protect native beneficial species by avoiding the use of pest control products that have long residuals; select lower toxicity products; limit applications to plants and areas that are infested.
- Use commercial beneficial species- insects, mites, nematodes, micro-organisms (ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps)
- The most well-known microbial insecticide is BTK
Chemical treatments involve the use of naturally derived or synthetically derived chemicals called pesticides or pest control products. Pesticides are used to kill, control, repel or manage insects, rodents, fungi, weeds and other living things that are considered pests. Factors to remember when selecting a pesticide:
- Select and apply pesticides according to label instructions to minimize harmful effects on non-target species and to reduce environmental hazards. Make sure you pick an appropriate product for the job. Try to choose low-toxicity products whenever possible
- Choose a formulation that suits your needs. Ready-to-use is often easier than trying to mix concentrates, using a back pack sprayer for spot treatments, hose-end sprayers for vertical heights.
- Limit treatment to plants and areas affected by the pest
- Inform anyone that might be entering a treated area that pesticides have been used.
Step 6: Evaluation
Keep records that show monitoring methods, actions taken and results observed.
There is an increasing need for developing IPM programs. With environmental contamination and the emergence of pesticide resistant species, individuals need to employ a variety of measures when trying to control pests.