Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

IPM is a combination of common sense and scientific principles. It's a way of thinking about pest management that values:

• Using knowledge about the pest's habits, life cycle, needs and dislikes
• Using the least toxic methods first, up to and including pesticides
• Monitoring the pest's activity and adjusting methods over time
• Tolerating harmless pests, and
• Setting a threshold to decide when it's time to act

These actions are important parts of any IPM endeavor:

• Identify the pest in the most specific terms possible
• Learn about the pest's biology (habits, life cycle, needs and dislikes)
• Take steps to exclude the pest from the area, if possible
• Try to remove the pest's food, water and shelter
• Determine the pest's travel patterns and find their home-base
• Identify all of your control options (the "tools in the toolbox") before acting

Learn more about:

Home/Household IPM

Houseplant IPM

Garden IPM

Lawn IPM

School IPM

Agricultural IPM

Additional Resources:

• Infographic: What is IPM? - Entomological Society of America
• Introduction to Integrated Pest Management - eXtension.org
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Solutions - Bio-Integral Resource Center (BIRC)
• What is IPM? - IPM Institute
• Effective, Eco-friendly Pest ControlOur Water, Our World
• National Roadmap for Integrated Pest Management - US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Biological Control Information Center - Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University
• Introduction to Integrated Pest Management - US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• About Integrated Pest Management - US Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Choosing a Pest Control Company: IPM is the Key - Oregon State University Extension

If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 800-858-7378 (8:00am - 12:00pm PST), or email us at npic@ace.orst.edu.