|
What Is Integrated Pest
Management?
The term Integrated Pest Management, and
its abbreviation, IPM, is increasingly encountered in both spoken
and written communications. Today, the term IPM is nearly ubiquitous in the pest
control industry. Yet, a widely accepted definition remains elusive. The overuse and misuse of the term IPM reminds me of the
college joke – yesterday I couldn’t spell it, now I am one. And raises concern about the possible demise of a very
useful term.
The term
Integrated Pest Management first appeared in the scientific
literature shortly after Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring,
was published in 1962. Nearly a decade earlier the term Pest Management
appeared in the scientific literature, which was preceded by many
decades by the term Pest Control. In spite of the increasing popularity of the term IPM, the
terms Pest Management and Pest Control remain in
common use.
Pest is a
concept, and in each situation man develops and chooses anew the
criteria by which to judge an organism a pest. God did not create pests, people create pests.
Pest is an active noun, for people create pests
through their activities and behavior – by providing an
otherwise innocuous organism with favorable conditions – food,
water and shelter.
Meaning of
Terms
Pest Control - According to
the definition of the words, pest and control, the
term Pest Control means the exercise of power and authority over
those organisms people declare are pests. Since a pest is something that is undesirable, the implied
purpose of pest control is to cause a pest to go away. Perhaps this is why the term
pest control remains so
enduring and so widely accepted – like aspirin, the term implies
that something undesirable will cease to exist. Is it any wonder, then, that pest control practitioners
rank near the bottom of socially desirable occupations? This is unfortunate, for pest control practitioners provide
a valuable social service – their activities significantly
improve the quality of all our lives.
Pest
Management - Shortly after
the term pest management came into general use, scientists
were called upon to provide a definition of the term that would be
widely accepted and widely useful. Nearly three decades later there is still no widely
accepted The root cause, in my opinion, is we are attempting to
define a concept. Thus,
pest management is the approach, the framework, the gestalt, that
pest control practitioners use to view pest problems.
The basic, or
fundamental, difference between Pest Control and Pest Management
lies in how we view a pest problem. Pest Control is simplistic and views pest problems with a
very narrow focus – solving all pest problems by eliminating the
pest. Pest Management
views pest problems with a broad focus – solving pest problems
by using a combination of tools. Pest Management is multifaceted, for it focuses on
alternative solutions to, and cause of, a pest problem.
To
understand how Pest Control became regarded negatively requires an
historic perspective. The
discovery and development of synthetic pesticides near the end of
World War II gave man the ability to control pests heretofore
uncontrollable. These synthetic pesticides were potent by any measure. Ounces replaced hundreds of pounds.
For the first time in the history of man, during World War
II more soldiers died of bullets than from insect-borne diseases,
thanks mainly to one of the first synthetic pesticides, DDT.
The
social benefits to be derived from the use of these synthetic
pesticides are tremendous, and uncountable.
However, the axiom, the sharper the tool, the more prone to
misuse, applies to these synthetic pesticides.
Soon after these new synthetic pesticides came into general
use, questions about pest control were instantly answered with a
recommendation about which and how much pesticide to apply. The misuse and overuse of these potent new pesticides
continued for nearly two decades - until Rachel Carson wrote
Silent Spring. Nevertheless,
liberal use continued while scientists searched for ways to use
these new pesticides without producing the undesirable affects
that were becoming increasingly evident.
When
these new synthetic pesticides appeared the strategy was to keep
the plant, or object, to be protected from pests, covered with a
pesticide. Pesticides
were applied on a calendar basis - by date or interval. In this environment, scientists simply substituted one
synthetic pesticide for the older, less potent pesticide. The public soon began calling pest control practitioners
spray jockeys
Silent
Spring aroused the public, who began to hold scientists and
research administrators responsible for the harm being caused by
these new synthetic pesticides. Scientists were pressured to provide alternative means,
methods, techniques, and strategies for controlling pests that did
not rely so singularly on pesticides. Scientists were also charged with finding a term to replace
the term pest control. When the term Pest Management emerged from this milieu, it
took roots nearly instantly.
Integrated
Pest Management - The
public, however, remained unsatisfied with the term Pest
Management. Scientists found themselves between a rock and a hard place -
the environmentalists, who wanted potential environmental and
non-target impacts to be foremost in pest control decisions, and
the farmers who desperately wanted the new found security offered
by these synthetic pesticides. Some scientists recognized similarities and parallels
between pest control and the emerging field called systems
management. For a
short time the term system appeared alongside pest control, but
the term did not take root and was soon replaced by the term
management - which obviously was taken from systems management. It took nearly another decade before the term Integrated
became attached to Pest Management, and the term took root almost
instantly, and the rest is history.
IPM
in Practice
It
is interesting that IPM incorporates practices that were widely
used before the discovery of the first pesticides, (i.e., lead
arsenate, Bordeaux Mixture, Paris green, rotenone, nicotine). Before pesticides farmers relied on cultural practices such
as crop rotation, cultivation, planting resistant varieties,
planting dates, each of which reduced pest losses and pest losses
were accepted as normal. The
first pesticides were feebly potent. The early pesticides, although often responsible for
preventing severe crop losses, were supplemental to cultural
practices. Today we
would say - pesticides were integrated into the farm production
system.
By
comparison, the synthetic pesticides were powerfully potent, and
gave these farmers the ability to nearly prevent pest losses. Farmers and scientists, basking in the security of these
synthetic pesticides, lessened their reliance on the age-old
cultural practices. In
fact many farmers, with the assurance of scientific research
results transformed into practical application by the system of
Land Grant Universities and Experiment Stations, began to rely
exclusively on these synthetic pesticides for preventing or
lessening crop losses due to pests
It
is now common wisdom that modern pesticides should be used only
when and where necessary. Under the pesticide centered strategy, the basic question
remains what and how much pesticide to use and is akin to what I
call the aspirin syndrome - man has a strong tendency to seek
instantaneous relief. In another sense, the pesticide centered strategy was a
simple answer to a complex problem. The invention of the term IPM is recognition that pest
problems are often very complex and that simple, easy answers may,
and often does, produce additional problems.
Summary
Integrated
Pest Management (IPM), is one strategy (approach, gestalts,
framework) for viewing pest control problems.
IPM is complex and multifaceted, and in practice often
requires special skills to use effectively.
The IPM strategy encourages and promotes rational pest
control decisions - decisions that minimize costs and maximize
benefits. Because the
IPM strategy allows the inclusion (consideration) of non-monetary
values, pest control decisions are more likely to be rational -
have the greatest benefits and the least costs. The potential benefits of IPM, however, can be realized only
when the impacted parties are, and remain, involved in pest
control decisions. The
pest control practitioner has a responsibility to involve and
educate the beneficiaries, while the beneficiaries have a
responsibility to become knowledgeable about and remain involved
in pest control decisions
The term IPM is increasingly used to mean pest
control. Hopefully,
this article will lessen the misuse of the term IPM, even if only
slightly.The IPM strategy has many significant advantages over
all the previous pest control strategies -- and there is nothing
on the horizon that promises to replace it. Paraphrasing Sir Winston Churchill, in spite of all its
problems, shortcomings and complexity, IPM is the best strategy we
have.
|
