Insect Pest Control

Though organic practices can and should be a part of any integrated pest management strategy non-organic practices may be used and in some cases such as introduced insect pests, become necessary. However, in either organic or non-organic pest control strategy the first and most necessary practices involve prevention and monitoring of pest populations before any pesticide whether organic or chemical is applied.

History of the Term “Integrated Pest Management”

Throughout history humans have used a variety of means to rid their crops of insect pests. These practices have included soil tillage to disturb soil dwelling insects, applications of herbs and oils, crop rotations, planting of pest resistant varieties, companion plantings, applications of naturally occurring elements such as sulfur, and the formulating of toxic compounds to apply to crops.

As humans started raising larger crops and creating monocultures of a single plants species insect pests became more of a problem. During the late 1800s and early 1900s synthetic pest control developed with mixing of elements and the manufacture of equipment to apply pesticide more efficiently. By the 1950s and 1960s agriculture in developed nations had become entirely reliant on chemical pesticides to control pests.

In 1962 Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring was published and the general public started to become aware of the hazards of the chemical pesticides. Further public awareness and changes in public policy occurred in the 1970s when dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was found in the food supply and resistance to chemical pesticides started appearing some insect pests and weeds.

Researchers started noticing fields that hadn’t been routinely sprayed with chemicals had insects that seemed to hold pest populations at a steady state and reduced crop damage. As a result further studies were conducted and are ongoing that have lead the Environmental Protection Agency, land grant universities, and many agencies in the Department of Agriculture to adopt and encourage a set of principles for pest control now termed “integrated pest management”.

Four Parts to Integrated Pest Management

There are four practices which must be used before any pest management can be called “integrated pest management”. These practices are as follows:

1. Determining an acceptable crop loss or threshold before intervening with artificial measures (i.e. either introduction of beneficial insects or spraying with any organic or inorganic pesticide).
2. Setting up a pest monitoring program which for the gardener means setting a schedule to check for the appearance of both beneficial insects and pest insects.
3. Using preventive practices that don’t involve pesticides such as crop rotation, planting pest resistant varieties, removal of alternate hosts that may harbor pests, and planting of native plants which attract beneficial insects.
4. Use of pesticides, either organic or chemical, which can reduce but not eliminate pest populations. Keep in mind that it is never possible to eradicate any pest and always use the prescribed application rate of any pesticide to prevent the pest from developing pesticide resistance. It may also be necessary to rotate pesticides to prevent pests from developing pesticide resistance rather than increasing the concentration of a given pesticide that may not have reduced pest populations to an acceptable level.

Organic isn’t Necessarily Integrated Pest Management

There are many organic pesticides on the market today but their use doesn’t necessarily mean that “integrated pest management” is being practiced. For gardeners to be both organic and practice “integrated pest management” they must tolerate creepy critters in their gardens such as spiders, praying mantis, lady bugs, and various other beneficial insects and arachnids. In addition they must accept a certain amount of imperfection in their landscape and its products such as fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Like large production agriculture that has adopted “integrated pest management”, organic gardeners must develop a pest management plan which incorporates the four practices prescribed by Environmental Protection Agency. True “integrated pest management” may require urban gardeners reconsider their landscape to attract beneficial insects as their environment may be devoid of native plants many beneficial insects rely on for portions of their life cycles. Rural gardeners and farmers may be able to rely on bordering buffer zones if the native vegetation has been left undisturbed.