Step 3: Problem Solving
IPM combines multiple strategies for controlling pest problems. One of the biggest challenges for pest managers is deciding which strategies to use in a particular situation. The guiding philosophy of IPM is to use the most effective control measures that will have the least potential for negative impact on people and the environment, including beneficial organisms (such as honey bees and pest predators).
Selecting Treatment Strategies
Selecting the best treatment strategy for a particular pest requires:
• knowledge of pest biology
• familiarity with the management system
• available treatment options.
Within this framework, IPM favors treatment options that have the greatest potential for providing long-term solutions while minimizing negative impacts. The following categories of treatment options are presented in the order of general desirability as IPM solutions to pest problems.
Categories of treatment options:
1. Education
2. Habitat modification
3. Horticultural/agricultural design (or redesign)
4. Physical controls
5. Biological controls
6. Least toxic chemical controls
Not all options in each of these categories will be available or desirable in a particular situation. The types of pest control strategies available vary considerably from one system to another. The pest manager must consider:
• The pest involved and
the risk it poses
• The resources and options available to the client
• The relative risks and benefits of available control options
Pest managers can use categories of treatment options exclusively or in combination, depending on the situation. In many cases, integrated pest management means using two or more types of control strategies to achieve pest management goals.
These categories of control
options are described at the University
of Florida’s School IPM website. Visit this site, and carefully
review the information on selecting treatment strategies in an IPM program.
It is an integral part of this lesson.
Situation-specific considerations for selecting IPM control options are
presented in modules 3 (structural IPM) and 4 (turf and landscape IPM).