Integrated Pest Management Chapter 1 PDF

Section 2: Integrated Pest Management Learning Objectives When you have completed this section, you should be able to: describe Integrated Pest Management state the components of an Integrated Pest Management program describe pesticide resista...

Section 2: Integrated Pest Management Learning Objectives When you have completed this section, you should be able to: describe Integrated Pest Management state the components of an Integrated Pest Management program describe pesticide resistance explain how to evaluate an Integrated Pest Management program. Introduction A pest is a harmful, noxious or troublesome organism that can: compete with humans, domestic animals, or desirable plants for food or water injure humans or animals damage desirable plants, structures, or possessions spread disease to humans, domestic animals, wildlife, or desirable plants, and cause discomfort to humans or domestic animals. Pests can include insects, plants (weeds), micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi), and vertebrates (rodents, fish, birds and snakes). Section 2: Integrated Pest Management 2-1 Scanned with mCamScanner· Integrated Pest Management Integrated Pest Management (1PM) is a decision making process for preventing pests from reaching damaging levels and for determining what actions to take when pest problems occur. In an 1PM program, all available information and treatments are considered in the decisions to manage pest populations effectively, economically and in an environmentally sound manner. An 1PM approach allows the exterminator to make knowledgeable decisions regarding the best ways to manage a pest and to decide whether or not controls are necessary. An 1PM approach does not eliminate all pests, but rather reduces the pest population to a level which will not cause significant damage. By balancing the use of pesticides with other control methods, 1PM can reduce the reliance on pesticides and reduce some of the risks associated with their use. Always use an Integrated Pest Management approach for pest management. 1PM can help to: provide long term solutions to pest problems protect the environment and human health by reducing the amount of pesticide used minimize harm to beneficial organisms that control pests slow the development of pesticide resistance, and provide pest control options other than pesticides. Integrated Pest Management strategies vary with each situation and may change over time. The following are the major components of an 1PM program: 1. Prevention. Prevent organisms from becoming pest problems by planning and managing ecosystems. 2. Pest identification. Identify the pest and the beneficial organisms (natural enemies that may control the pest and help reduce their numbers). 3. Monitoring. Monitor pest and beneficial species populations, pest damage and environmental conditions. 4. Thresholds. Use thresholds to determine when to manage pests. 2-2 Section 2: Integrated Pest Management Scanned with ~ CamScanner-  5. Pest management practices. Select which pest management practices, if any, are required to achieve acceptable control with the least harm to humans and minimal impact on the environment. 6. Evaluation. Evaluate the effects and successes or failures of the pest management strategies. Prevention Avoiding pest problems is often more economical and gives better and longer lasting results than relying on controls. Many of the pest management decisions you make can help to prevent or reduce pest problems. Reducing pest problems through preventive steps makes pest control methods more effective. Examples of prevention strategies include selecting disease or insect resistant plants, selecting plants native to the area, managing growing conditions to produce healthy plants, cleaning to eliminate food sources for pests, or screening buildings to keep out pests. Pest Identification Identifying pests and beneficial organisms correctly is key to an 1PM program as it: enables pest managers to learn about the biology of the pest helps pest managers choose the most economical, effective and safe pest management method available increases the chance of making the correct pest management decision. Inaccurate identification may result in poor control of the pest, harm or eradication of beneficial species, and inappropriate use or overuse of pesticides. You can identify pests and beneficial organisms by examining the organisms, the damage they caused, or other signs of infestation such as droppings, tracks and secretions. Other dues that you can use to identify the pest include where and when they are found. Methods of pest identification are discussed in detail in the licence category modules. If you cannot identify the pest or beneficial ' experts. organism, obtain assistance from Section 2: Integrated Pest Management 2-3 Scanned with (i CamScanner-  Information on pest identification is available from: Federal and Provincial government publications, and other published materials including these training modules, text books and trade journals pest management representatives, such as experts from pest management companies or pesticide companies government pest management specialists experts at universities and colleges in insect, plant, and disease biology the internet or other electronic references such as: OMAFRA website (omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops} Guelph Turfgrass Institute website (guelphturfgrass.ca) LawnCare.net website (lawncare.net) Pest Life Cycle and Behaviour Once the pest has been correctly identified, knowing the life cycle and behaviour of the pest or beneficial organism will help you know how to monitor and manage the pest. The life cycle of the host (a plant or animal on or in which a pest lives) is also important since certain control methods could include managing the host. Consider: How the life cycle and stage of growth of the pest influences when you need to act. There may only be a very short time when a management strategy will be effective at the susceptible stage. How rapidly the pest reproduces. This helps you determine the timing and how often controls are required. How rapidly beneficial organisms reproduce. This helps in deciding whether other controls are required. How the behaviour of the pest may influence the timing or choice of a control. For example, the pest may only be present at certain times of the day or night, or in certain locations. 2-4 Section 2: Integrated Pest Management i Scanned with i i_ ii CamSca nne< Monitoring Monitoring is the process of regularly checking the affected areas to determine if: pests or signs of pests (injury symptoms, droppings, frass, webs, cast skins, etc.) are present, how many and when pests are present in sufficient numbers to warrant control the stage of the pest can be controlled pest damage is significant or greater than threshold limits the stage and condition of the host are suitable for the management strategy sufficient beneficial organisms are present to control the pest, and the temperature, humidity and other environmental conditions favour pest development. Why Monitor Monitoring provides valuable information that you need for making pest management decisions. A thorough monitoring program could significantly reduce the need for pesticides, improve the success of pest management, and reduce costs. Monitoring helps to: Locate the centre of an infestation so that pesticides can be applied where needed, limiting the spread of the pest and the number of controls. Find the cause of a pest problem, which helps to identify actions to take to prevent future pest problems. Select and revise economic injury and action thresholds. Know when to control the pest, and when controls will be the most effective. Assess results. Plan improvements that will make the integrated pest management program more effective. Section 2: Integrated Pest Management 2-5 Scanned with ~ CamScanner- How to Monitor Methods of monitoring include: visual inspection, and counting and measuring (counting the number of pests per leaf or in a specific area). The methods you use depend on the biology of the pest species, the beneficial organisms that may be impacted, and the type of environment in which you are working. In addition, you may monitor environmental conditions to determine if the pest will increase (e.g. humidity and temperature conditions may indicate if plant diseases will increase). To conduct a visual inspection, look for signs of pest problems or conditions that favour pests. Inspect regularly and write notes. The value of such observations depends on the knowledge and experience of the person doing the inspections. During a visual inspection check for: the presence or absence of pests, damage symptoms and beneficial species growing conditions and plant health, and environmental conditions that attract pests or provide them with shelter, food or water. When you count and measure, you are collecting numerical information about pest populations or levels of damage. If the same method is followed each time, the results can be compared to counts done at other times and by different people. Counting will help you: estimate the size and spread of a pest population compare records from other sites or dates establish if the injury and action levels have been reached, and evaluate effects of control methods on pest populations. You might collect:. the number of pests or signs of pest damage the number of pests found within a measured area 2-6 Section 2: Integrated Pest Management Scanned with (i CamScanner-  the number of pests caught in various types of traps (e.g. selective traps such as spore traps, glue boards and pheromone traps, and sweep nets) the size of an infestation, and the number of days with weather conditions that favour a pest. Sampling When counting and measuring, the objective is to obtain an accurate estimate for the whole site being monitored. The accuracy of this estimate depends on the number of samples that are counted (sample size) and whether the samples are chosen randomly (random sampling). The same methods of sampling must be used each time to compare results. Sample size. The more samples that are counted, the more likely it is that the results will give a reliable estimate of what is being counted for the whole site. There is a practical limit to the number of samples that can be taken. For acceptable accuracy it is usually necessary to take between 10 and 50 samples. Random sampling. Samples must be gathered in such a manner that the results represent the entire monitored area and are not influenced by the sampler. Sample locations must be chosen prior to visiting the sample site. Samples should not be taken from only the most damaged area or else the pest situation will appear worse than it is. Nor should samples be taken from undamaged areas alone so as to underestimate the pest problem; Random sampling might include the following methods: plotting a grid on a map and randomly choosing the sample points pre-determining the sample points (such as taking a sample at one metre intervals) along a transect line. Thresholds Thresholds are scientifically determined points at which you must act if you want to prevent the pests from causing unacceptable damage, loss or harm. Understanding thresholds is central to sound pest management. Knowing whether it is necessary to act, especially when pesticides are one of the control Section 2: Integrated Pest Management 2-7 Scanned with ~ CamScanner· methods, enables the exterminator to make financially and ecologically sound decisions. Pest management specialists establish thresholds to determine when to take action. A few individuals of a pest population can usually be tolerated. If numbers reach the threshold, controls are used to prevent significant damage or harm from occurring. Researchers continue to study thresholds for pest populations. Thresholds have been determined for a number of agricultural crops. Information sources with thresholds for agriculture can be found in the document Agronomy Guide for Field Crops website (omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/p811toc.htmll or OMAFRA Field Crop newsletters website (omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/l If information on thresholds is not available, pest management specialists should conduct a detailed monitoring program. Deciding when to take action is based on information obtained by regular monitoring of the pest situation or by contacting specialists. Control methods should be made only when and where monitoring shows they are needed. Pesticide applications to manage pests have financial costs and may impact wildlife, fish habitats or beneficial species. These impacts must be weighed against the benefits of using a pesticide to determine if the pesticide application is justified. There are two types of thresholds: The economical injury level is the point at which a pest population reaches numbers that will cause financial loss. Any level of pest infestation will cause injury, but not all levels of injury cause economic injury. The economical injury level is reached when the value of the damage to the host or commodity exceeds the cost of controlling the pest. When that point is reached, pesticide applications may be necessary or considered to prevent the loss of the valued commodity. The action threshold is the point in time at which the pest needs to be controlled to prevent the pest from causing unacceptable damage. Action thresholds are not based on financial loss but on injury or harm. Action thresholds can vary with the type of pest, host, environment and 2-8 Section 2: Integrated Pest Management ,·- ·············--- : Scanned with !ii CamScanner· '············------------ ·-··  individual tolerances. For example, one cockroach may be tolerated by an individual in their home but a single cockroach may exceed the action threshold in a hospital. Pest Management Treatments Several pest management treatments may be used in an Integrated Pest Management program. They can be grouped into different categories of treatments and they are discussed below under these headings: Legislation, Cultural, Mechanical, Biological, and Chemical. More information on various management practices is provided in the licence category modules. Legislation is enacted to prevent the spread of pests into pest-free areas. For example, there may be legislation that requires : the inspection and establishment of quarantines to prevent the movement of pests or pest-contaminated materials into a pest-free area the destruction of noxious weeds (e.g. Weed Act) the specific construction methods to reduce the possibility of pests infesting buildings, or following mandated sanitation practices in food handling establishments to eliminate food and harborage for pests. Cultural treatments are used to prevent pests from developing or spreading. These methods may disrupt the pest life cycle or make the environment less favourable for the pest. They are key in providing long-term control and preventing pests from establishing. Cultural methods could include: rotating crops maintaining healthy plants (e.g. pruning, thinning, and appropriate fertilization and watering of plants, etc.) sanitizing items or areas, including the removal of food and water sources cleaning and disinfecting equipment to prevent the spread of the pest sterilizing soil (heating the soil to kill live microorganisms) Section 2: Integrated Pest Management 2-9 Scanned with ~ CamScanner·  controlling carriers and alternative hosts of the pest altering environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity to discourage pest populations, or eliminating places for pests to live (harborage). Mechanical (Physical) treatments include the use of equipment, manual labour or devices to remove pests or prevent the spread of pests. Mechanical methods could include the use of: traps mechanical cultivators or mowers barriers such as screening, netting or air curtains heat application equipment freezers vacuums sound and other repellent devices, or the physical removal of pests by hand. Biological (biocontrol) treatments include living organisms to control or reduce pest populations. Examples of biological methods include: introducing predators, parasites or pathogens (disease agents) of the pest into the environment, and/or increasing the existing natural predators or parasites in the area. The use of parasites and predators involves careful planning. They may be effective only in certain locations and times, and may have an impact on plants or animal species that are not the target pest. In some situations, such as the management of pests in greenhouse operations or interior plant maintenance, biological methods are readily available and highly effective. Chemicals -Pesticides include treatments that are naturally derived or synthesized pesticides to kill, attract, repel, suppress or control the growth and development of pests. Be aware of timing pesticide applications so that they are compatible with other pest management methods. All pesticides must be 1) federally registered in Canada by the Pest Control Products Act, 2) provincially 2-10 Section 2: Integrated Pest Management Scanned with ~ CamScanner·  classified for use in Ontario under the Pesticides Act and 3) used according to label directions. Biopesticides may be used to take advantage of a pest's natural behaviour to suppress the population. Examples include: releasing of sterile males to inhibit pest reproduction, and using pheromones to repel or attract pests. Pheromones are chemicals produced by insects to repel or attract other insects of the same species. Commercially produced pheromones could be introduced to disrupt mating patterns or to attract pests to a trap. Biopesticides and other low risk pesticides are highly compatible with 1PM. Pesticides that pose a low risk to human health and the environment have a low toxicity to non-target organisms and are not persistent in the environment_. Pesticide Resistance Pesticide applications could fail to control some pests because the pests have become resistant to the pesticides. Resistant pest populations develop when a few individual pests in a population are not controlled by a pesticide because of a genetic difference. When these pests reproduce, they pass on the resistant traits to their offspring. If the pesticide is used on such a population, the susceptible individuals are controlled while the resistant ones continue to reproduce. The way a pesticide works to control the pest is referred to as mode of action. Other pesticides with the same mode of action will also not control the resistant pest. The development of pesticide resistance may be slowed by: using an Integrated Pest Management program that includes a variety of pest management methods other than pesticides, using pesticides only when needed, and when the action thresholds have been reached, and using pesticides from different mode of action groups when it is necessary to use pesticides. Section 2: Integrated Pest Management 2-11 Scanned with ~ CamScanner·  < ( Selecting Pest Management Practices ( ( Selecting the pest management practices to use depends on many factors, ( including the characteristics of the pest and beneficial insects (insects that help C to control a pest population naturally), the host (a plant or animal on or in which a pest lives), thresholds, environmental conditions, and site history. Pest i management practices should be selected that are: the least hazardous to human health the least toxic or least damaging to non-target organisms and the environment the most likely to produce long lasting improvements, and the most cost effective over time. In an 1PM program, several pest management practices are used in a coordinated approach. Using a combination of practices is more effective than relying on only one method. If a pesticide is to be used, it should be compatible with other practices. How Environmental Conditions Affect Pest Management Environmental conditions affect the choice of pest management practices. Observing and recording environmental conditions at or near a site helps a pest management specialist decide which practices to use. For example, pesticide applications could be prohibited near environmentally sensitive areas. If you are using pesticides, read the label for precautions on specific environmental conditions related to the use of the product. Some environmental considerations include the following: Temperature. Some pesticides and biological control methods require specific temperatures to be effective. Relative humidity. Some diseases will not develop when the relative humidity is low. Some biocontrol agents require specific humidity conditions. For example, some predatory mites require certain humidity to breed properly. 2-12 Section 2: Integrated Pest Management Scanned with (i CamScanner-  Precipitation. Rain may reduce a pesticide's effectiveness by washing it off the treated surface. Rain may also alter the level of the pest populations. Wind speed and direction. Air movement can spread pests or increase pesticide drift away from the target. Distance to sensitive areas. Adjacent areas may alter the pest management options available (e.g. a trout stream, school yard, etc.). Topography. Hilly terrain may prevent certain options. Record Keeping It is extremely important to record and evaluate the results of your integrated pest management program. Record detailed information about practices used, timing, pesticide rates and weather conditions. This information is important for evaluating an 1PM program. Keeping records will help to: evaluate the effectiveness of the program modify the program to make it more effective anticipate pest infestations monitor the costs and benefits of the pest management program, and defend against legal actions. Records will also provide information required for inventory control, ordering of supplies, and business analysis. You should record enough detail to enable you to repeat the management strategy under similar conditions. For example, if you use a pesticide or biocontrol agent, record the following information: the date and time of the application the location and size of the treated area a detailed desfription of the area treated, for example the condition of the plants, the,met,hod of application, for example spray pressure, nozzle type, nozzle spacing, boom height ' Section 2: Integrated Pest Management 2-13 Scanned with ~ CamScanner-. the details of the pesticide(s) or biocontrol agent(s), including place of purchase the pesticide rate and amount of pesticide or biocontrol agent used the adjuvant used the environmental conditions during application, and name of the person applying the pesticide. The exterminator should describe in detail any event that is "out of the ordinary" which includes all accidents. This should be done to prevent accidents from recurring and to provide documentation in case of legal action. Evaluation of the 1PM Program It is important to assess the effectiveness of the 1PM program. A proper evaluation includes: Making post-treatment observations on pests and non-target organisms. Comparing post-treatment observations with pre-treatment observations to determine treatment effects. Reviewing treatment records. Obtaining feedback, if possible, from clients or site users about treatment effectiveness. Identifying all possible improvements including preventive actions that could be taken. Communication Communication with government agencies, trade associations, and other pest management specialists is essential for gathering valuable information to improve the success of the 1PM program. Details of the 1PM program and its goals should be communicated to employees who will be carrying out the various aspects of the program. The chances of a 2-14 Section 2: Integrated Pest Management Scanned with (i CamScanner·  successful program will be greatest if all employees fully understand the principles of 1PM, their roles in 1PM and how they can contribute to the success of 1PM. Communicating about the 1PM program to clients and the public (including potential clients) is also very important for success. Explaining in advance to clients what will be done, why, and the benefits and limitations, will ease their concerns and help to ensure their satisfaction with your services. Section 2: Integrated Pest Management 2-15 Scanned with i1 CamScanner·