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WELCOME TO LANDSCAPE IPM

Fountain grassWhat is IPM?

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a strategy used to manage insect pests in the landscape by using economically and environmentally sustainable practices.

Today, the concept of chemical treatment as a singular means to control plant pests is no longer viable or acceptable. The goal of IPM is not to to eradicate or eliminate pests, but to strengthen and stabilize the landscape (ecosystem) so that conditions are favorable for plants but unfavorable for pests. This is achieved by employing a combination of tactics (practices) to prevent or avoid anticipated pest problems rather than treating them once they occur.

This site is intended to familiarize you with integrated pest management and provide guidelines and instructions for creating and maintaining a healthy environment for your landscape.  Before you begin, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the key steps in the IPM process.

  1. Become familiar with your landscape.
  2. Determine a tolerance level for pests.
  3. Choose the appropriate IPM tactic(s).
  4. Time and apply IPM practices when pests are most susceptible.
  5. Evaluate results of tactics implementation.

Acknowledgements

This site has been produced under the direction of Bastiaan "Bart" Drees, Professor and Extension Entomologist, in collaboration with Carlos Bográn, Jim Reinert and Dave Chalmers.


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