Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a science-based approach to managing pests using a variety of safe, sustainable and effective tactics against common garden pests, which may include insects, weeds, diseases, birds and rodents. This publication will focus on insect pests. IPM takes advantage of a variety of approaches to pest management, often controlling pests through non chemical means. Pesticides, when needed, are selected based on their ability to target problem pests and to minimize impact on beneficial organisms, people and the environment. Focus is on developing an overall management strategy, not just controlling one type of pest. Reduction of pest problems through proper plant selection and placement is a key principle in IPM. This means selecting proper plants for your climate zone and placing them in the appropriate spot in the garden. For example, if a plant is labeled for shade, placing it in a shady location could lead to the prevention of pest problems.
The first step in IPM is scouting for pests. This is a simple and effective technique for detecting pest insects before they get out of hand. It is simply done by walking through your yard or garden and looking for problems. During the growing season this should be done weekly for vegetables, every one to two weeks for flowers and trees and then once a month during dormant periods. While scouting, look for signs of plant stress and damage like wilt, yellow leaves, defoliation or distortion of leaves, chewed holes or leaf edges, webbing, and dead plant material. Examine plants closely for any signs of insect pests on leaves, undersides of leaves, stems or flower buds. Traps can also be helpful in catching and identifying pest problems. These traps include pheromone traps, yellow sticky traps (Figure 1), and pitfall traps. If insects are found during scouting the next step is to figure out what it is.