Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a process you can use for environmentally friendly pest control in Boynton Beach while minimizing risks to people and the environment. IPM can be used to manage all kinds of pests anywhere—in urban, agricultural, and wild land or natural areas.
What is IPM?
IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and non-target organisms, and the environment.
What is a pest?
Pests are organisms that damage or interfere with desirable plants in our fields and orchards, landscapes, or wild lands, or damage homes or other structures. Pests also include organisms that impact human or animal health. Pests may transmit disease or may be just a nuisance. A pest can be a plant (weed), vertebrate (bird, rodent, or other mammal), invertebrate (insect, tick, mite, or snail), nematode, pathogen (bacteria, virus, or fungus) that causes disease, or other unwanted organism that may harm water quality, animal life, or other parts of the ecosystem.
How Does IPM Work?
IPM focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage by managing the ecosystem. With IPM, you take actions to keep pests from becoming a problem, such as by growing a healthy crop that can withstand pest attacks, using disease-resistant plants, or caulking cracks to keep insects or rodents from entering a building. Rather than simply eliminating the pests you see right now, using IPM means you’ll look at environmental factors that affect the pest and its ability to thrive. Armed with this information, you can create conditions that are unfavorable for the pest.
In IPM, monitoring and correct pest identification help you decide whether management is needed. Monitoring means checking your field, landscape, forest, or building—or other site—to identify which pests are present, how many there are, or what damage they’ve caused. Correctly identifying the pest is key to knowing whether a pest is likely to become a problem and determining the best management strategy. After monitoring and considering information about the pest, it’s biology, and environmental factors, you can decide whether the pest can be tolerated or whether it is a problem that warrants control. If control is needed, this information also helps you select the most effective management methods and the best time to use them.
IPM programs combine management approaches for greater effectiveness. The most effective, long-term way to manage pests is by using a combination of methods that work better together than separately.
At Ringdahl Pest Control, we are sincere about the safety and well-being of our customers, including their pets and properties. We have families too, and when you work with us, you can be assured of not only prompt action and quick results but also high quality and environmentally safe products. Our goal is to identify your pest problem, provide the solution to control the problem, while always maintaining a safe and healthy environment. We are proud of our progress and will continue to monitor changes in the industry—ensuring safety for families first—which is why we offer the best quality environmentally friendly pest control in Boynton Beach. Call us today at (561) 737- 6413 to get your free pest management assessment.