Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a method of controlling indoor and outdoor pests using the least toxic methods available through a combination of controls including mechanical, biological and chemical.
Are You Giving the Bugs a Great Place to Live?
Outside:
- A moist, cool, protected environment. Bugs love ivy, standing water, and woodpiles.
- Animal waste, rotting fruit, and debris provide the perfect breeding ground for bugs.
Inside:
- Easy access into your house
- Easy access to food and water
Plan your IPM battle strategy in this order:
1st – Physical Controls
- Hand picking
- Cleanliness
- Barriers
- Caulking holes
- Vacuuming
- Traps
2nd – Biological Controls
- Predatory insects (for example, use ladybugs to eat aphids and parasitic insects)
- Bacterial insecticides (for example, use Bacillus thuringiensis, or B.t., to kill caterpillars)
- Birds, toads and spiders
3rd – Chemical Controls – Your Last Resort
- Dehydrating dusts (for example, diatomaceous earth)
- Insecticidal soaps
- Boric acid powder
- Horticultural oils
- Insect Growth Regulators, or IGRs – these interrupt the reproductive cycle of insects without affecting their enemies
- Baits
