Integrated pest management (IPM) is an ecologically based pest management strategy that provides long-term management of pest problems with minimum impact on human health, the environment and non-target organisms.

IPM programs are educationally based and focus on our knowledge of pest biology and its relationship within the environment. Education and communication provide the foundation for successful IPM programs. Everyone in a school community plays a role in pest management because common human habits may create pest-conducive conditions in a variety of ways.