What Is Integrated Pest Management?

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a system of pest control initially developed for use in agriculture as a means to reduce reliance on pesticides while still managing pests. The principles of IPM have since been successfully applied to the management of pests in urban and domestic environments.

IPM is defined in many ways depending on who is defining it and in what context. For our purposes, IPM is described as a holistic approach to pest control that aims to achieve management of pest problems using common sense and low-risk treatment strategies.

What Does IPM Involve?

Knowledge of the organism’s life cycle, its habits, environmental requirements and natural predators forms the basis of all IPM programs. IPM treatments use a combination of strategies including biological, mechanical, physical and chemical tools as well as other common-sense cultural and managerial practices. Education is central to the overall success of an IPM program

In an IPM program, chemical controls are generally considered a last resort, unless there is a genuine emergency requiring a rapid response. When a chemical control is needed, the hazard associated with that chemical, which includes its toxicity and the potential for human and environmental exposure, must be assessed and the least hazardous chemical control chosen.

When assessing the risk or hazard of any chemical it is important to ensure the most chemically sensitive child is taken into account. When a chemical control is to be used it is essential to ensure those with chemical sensitivities or other health concerns, or those who just want to know, have prior notification and the opportunity to ensure they are not exposed.

WHAT IS A PEST?

IPM makes us think about what a 'pest' is. Pests are after all, living organisms - animals, plants or micro-organisms - that interfere with human uses of school or childcare centre sites. In other words, pests are organisms that happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, in numbers that can't be tolerated by humans for economic, health or aesthetic reasons.

As many more people are living removed from the natural environment and the diversity of life forms that go with it, a sense of alienation and fear may develop, compelling some people to overuse pesticides for relatively insignificant situations, such as seeing a few cockroaches or a spider. Some people are taught from a young age to fear and kill living organisms considered to be pests, without ever really asking why they are there in the first place, and whether their presence really poses any threat.

An IPM approach considers a pest to be an organism that is part of the ecosystem. It aims to manage that pest without significantly disturbing the rest of the ecosystem, while also having regard to the pest organism itself. There is no doubt that some pest organisms need to be managed, but the indiscriminate use of pesticides means the cure may be worse than the disease. Thankfully, safer ways exist for managing common pests.

It is important to appreciate the difference between a pest organism and its close relatives. Did you know for instance, there are thousands of species of cockroaches in the world, but only a handful that have become pests in human communities? Cockroaches live in a diverse range of ecosystems and are a vital part of these ecosystems. Consider a pet rat or mouse in a cage, which gets fed, loved and cared for, while a rat or a mouse in a cupboard eating your food is likely to elicit screams of horror and a call to the pest controller!

Why We Get Pest Problems

All organisms respond quickly to conditions that favour their growth. In general, all pest problems are fundamentally caused by the availability of food, moisture and shelter. By managing these factors, most pest problems can be easily avoided.

Non-Chemical Pest Control Methods

Biological & microbial: the use of a pest's natural predators to control the pest including strategies for conserving natural predator numbers; laying attractant baits for the target pest; building up predator numbers by feeding or purchasing commercially available ones (e.g. lady beetles used to control aphids); and, the use of microbes such as bacteria, fungi and viruses to minimise the numbers of pests, e.g. the microbial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis or 'BT' which kills caterpillars

Mechanical and physical: vacuuming, trapping (e.g. rat and mouse traps), barriers (e.g. fly screens, mosquito nets), heat, cold, steam, hand removal.

Educational: information helps change behaviours and increases willingness to share our environment with other organisms.

Least-Hazardous Chemical Controls

When seeking safer alternatives to hazardous pesticides, the exchange of one type of pesticide for another does not necessarily reduce risk. For example, organochlorines such as DDT, chlordane and heptachlor, were once widely used pesticides in urban pest control, but these highly persistent pesticides were banned from use because of their impacts on health and their ability to accumulate in the environment.

Their replacement by the organophosphate pesticides like chlorpyrifos, malathion and diazinon, in many cases has not materially reduced risk at all, but merely changed the type of risk, as these too can have serious health and environmental side effects

When a chemical control is required as part of an IPM program, the least hazardous pesticide should always be chosen, having regard to its toxicity and potential for exposure. Prior notification should be given to the school community for any intended chemical use. Always request and read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for any pesticide product (refer to Appendices)

The choice of chemical controls is expanding and more novel products are available that are less hazardous.

Pheromones are chemical signals emitted by animals, e.g. sex pheromones and alarm signals. Pheromone traps work by using a pheromone attractant to lure the insect into a trap, such as sticky traps for cockroaches.

The application of juvenile growth hormones can prevent juveniles from metamorphosing into adults thereby inhibiting sexual reproduction and pest numbers. Other insect growth regulators inhibit the production of chiton in insects, which is the waxy outer cuticle.

Repellent

Botanical materials such as natural oils like citronella and eucalyptus can repel insects. Be aware that natural oils can also affect some sensitive individuals.

Desiccating dusts

Dusts made from natural materials such as diatomaceous earth and silica aerogel kill insects by abrading the outer waxy coating that keeps water inside their bodies thereby dehydrating them. Note, dusts pose an inhalation hazard and must be used with great caution.

Pesticidal soaps and oil

Pesticidal soaps are often made from coconut oil which contains fatty acids that are toxic to insects. Soaps are considered to have low toxicity to mammals but high toxicity to aquatic life. Oils are usually highly refined and light so they can be applied to plants.

Botanical pesticides

Botanical pesticides derived from plants can be easily degraded in the environment, but they tend to be broad spectrum and kill more than the target pest, e.g. pyrethrum*, neem, rotenone. It is important to realise that botanical pesticides can also be toxic and must be used with caution and according to label directions

*Pyrethrum is a botanical insecticide extracted from the daisy flower Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium and may also be referred to as 'pyrethrins'. Pyrethrum or pyrethrins should not be confused with 'pyrethroids' which are synthetically produced pesticides based on pyrethrum.