Integrated pest management

Integrated pest management is a strategy for controlling pests that combines monitoring, prevention, and compatible methods to minimize harm to people, property, and ecosystems.

Economic threshold: The pest density at which expected damage justifies the cost of control. Intervention is delayed until monitoring shows that pest levels warrant action.
Agricultural pest control: The management of organisms that damage crops or interfere with agricultural production. Crop systems apply integrated methods to protect yields while limiting environmental costs.
Pest: An organism regarded as harmful or unwanted in a particular human context. Pest status depends on the harm and setting being managed, not simply the organism's identity.
Pesticide treadmill: A cycle in which pesticide use contributes to resistance or ecological disruption, prompting further pesticide use. Concerns about this cycle helped motivate coordinated approaches beyond repeated spraying.
Pesticide drift: The movement of pesticide droplets or vapors away from the intended application site. Reducing unnecessary spraying can limit off-target exposure from drift.
Pest monitoring: The systematic observation or sampling of pests, their damage, and relevant environmental conditions. Monitoring supplies the evidence used to assess pest levels and choose a response.
Structural pest control: The prevention and control of pests in buildings and other structures. Building inspections and exclusion can address infestations before chemical treatment is needed.
Pest population dynamics: The study of how pest populations change through reproduction, mortality, movement, and environmental conditions. Population trends help distinguish temporary sightings from growing management problems.
Rachel Carson: An American marine biologist and writer whose book Silent Spring documented ecological harms from pesticides. Her work intensified public scrutiny of pesticide-heavy pest control.
Pollinator decline: The reduction in abundance or diversity of pollinating animals across places or time. Protecting beneficial insects is one reason to favor selective, well-timed controls.

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