Integrated Pest Management Offers Common Sense Approach to Pest Control

Combating insects doesnt have to mean spraying huge amounts of pesticides because integrated pest management offers a common sense approach to pest control.

"In the modern version of IPM we often explain that were trying to minimize risks. Such as economic risks, risks to human health or risks to non-target organisms and also to the environment. Were trying to do these things while managing pests but we need to make sense," said Jennifer Grant, the director of New York States IPM program.

Jennifer Grant with the IPM program at Cornell University says that means theyre not focused on just reducing or eliminating pesticide use.

There are a number of things that we do to reduce pesticide use and negative impacts from pesticides. So we might be using them but trying to use a pesticide that might be the least harmful possible, used less frequently or used over a smaller area.

Such a control program might include finding one organism to control another, such as ladybugs eating aphids.

Biological control tends to have a very low negative impact so we like to employ that or encourage that in different settings when possible.

But before that, step one is prevention. Using seed varieties that are pest resistant or designing your fields and gardens to be pest resistant.

How are things going to be planted? What kind of maintenance equipment are you using? You have to figure all of these are going to have an impact of the pest population that comes in -- so planning ahead is really the key.

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Integrated Pest Management Offers Common Sense Approach to Pest Control