Integrated pest management (IPM) is a best safe, effective and economical to control pest problems while using environmentally sound ways to keep pests from attacking your home, damaging your plants, or annoying humans.

Taking an IPM approach is more likely to be cost effective and it is long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques which includes biological control, modification of cultural practices, habitat manipulation, and use of resistant varieties. It is also less or minimum effects to x     human health. Pests enter homes and buildings looking for food, water, and shelter, and there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution available in market that will solve all pest problems.

Successful IPM combines several different methods to prevent and control pest problems without harming children’s and family, or the environment. In IPM, sometimes using pesticides may be an option, but only when nonchemical methods are used first, mostly the pesticides are often not needed. Pest control materials are selected and applied in such a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and non-target organisms, and the environment.

Principles of IPM

Routine application of pesticide is involved in Traditional pest control of pesticide, while IPM, in contrast:

• Focuses on pest prevention.
• Uses pesticides only as needed.

IPM provides effective and environmentally sensitive approach.

-IPM programs use all strategies to control pest, including the judicious use of pesticides. Limited prevention of pesticide due to the risk of pesticide exposure may outweigh the benefits of control, especially where non-chemical methods provide the same results. IPM just not includes a single pest control method but rather it also involves integrating multiple control methods based on site information obtained through: Inspection, monitoring and reports.

If there is no effective non chemical methods are available then consider using pesticides.

Pesticides [Click Here]

Pesticides are also a part of IPM, but you should use them only as a last resort and only if you are tired to using all biological methods. But make sure first that your pest problem is serious to warrant a pesticide. Use the least toxic effective materials available in market and use them in such a ways which reduces the human and pet exposure and also protect the environment.

a. Technique of using combine pesticide treatments with preventive methods

Once when pests are controlled in an era then use preventive non-chemical methods to keep them from coming back.

Benefits of Integrated Pest Management

IPM benefits, It helps to:

• Reduce the number of pests.
• Reduce the number of pesticide applications.
• Save money while protecting human health.

Health Benefits

Adopting the IPM reduces your exposure to both pests and pesticides. Two main health concerns faced by children and adults are:

Mites, Rodents, cockroaches, flies and mosquitoes are often present in buildings and can cause or inflame a serious allergic skin reactions or asthma attacks.

Basic preventative steps that can help us to stop a pest problem before it starts:

1. First of all eliminate food:

You should store food in hard, reusable containers with airtight, fitted lids; use a can to keep trash with a tight-fitting lid and take it out daily; vacuum up or clean or crumbs and spills when they occur; keep your fresh or stored food in the refrigerator when possible.

2.  Eliminate standing water:

 First of all fix all leaky and dripping pipes, try to reduce humidity in basements and moist areas of home, like bathrooms and kitchens; place metal screens to avoid cockroaches in drains where feasible.

3.  Talk with neighbors about pest management.

Pests mostly don’t stay only in one location, so it is necessary to work together to eliminate this pest issues in the community.

4.  Cultural controls

We can discourage pest invasion such as good sanitation, removing infested plant material and debris, proper watering and fertilizing to plants, growing competitive and insect repellent plants, or using pest resistant plants.

5.  Physical or mechanical controls

We can control pests with physical or mechanical methods such as by knocking pests off of plants with a spray of water, or we can use barriers and traps or by heat treatments.

Did you know that children in the Pakistan continue to face many serious risks arising from pests and the also the serious problems caused by pesticides in certain cases? 

Children’s may continue to contract with diseases carried by biting insects, respiratory attacks serious exposure to asthma triggers and allergens attributed to cockroach and rodent infestations and children may be exposed unnecessarily to pesticides that have been over-applied or misused at exposure places such as schools.

A school IPM program prescribes common sense strategies to reduce sources of food, water and shelter for pests in school buildings and grounds. Put simply, IPM is a safer and usually less costly option for effective pest management in the school community.

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