Philadelphia has huge bed bug problems. Spotted lanternflies are destroying crops in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Mosquitoes and ticks make thousands of Americans sick every year.
Pest control is an integral part of being a home or business owner to protect your property, family, customers, and employees. One of the best techniques for properly controlling pests throughout your New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or Eastern Shore of Maryland home or business is to use a pest control company that practices Integrated Pest Management.
Wondering what an integrated pest management (IPM) system is? Keep reading! We've got everything you need to know about IPM pest control right here.
What is Integrated Pest Management?
Integrated pest management sprung from the concern in the 1950s that we were overusing pesticides. That overuse was not only damaging to our health and environment but was also causing some species to become resistant to insecticides.
IPM is a holistic approach to pest management. It involves a partnership between the customer and their pest management company combined with practices to reduce the use of pesticides while still effectively destroying and preventing infestations.
IPM helps reduce costs, property damage, and potential health problems.
How IPM Works
There are five key elements to integrated pest management. Each element is customized to meet the unique needs of the customer.
1. Inspection
Your pest control management company conducts a thorough inspection of both the interior and exterior of your property. The inspection helps experts locate past or present infestations.
Pest management professionals also use this inspection to note if there are any conditions present that may attract future infestations.
2. Identification
Once your property has been inspected, pest control professionals can make a proper identification of any existing pests.
This will help them determine the extent of the infestation, what factors caused their presence, and the best method to control, prevent, and eliminate the pests.
3. Prevention
The inspection also shows where pest control methods should be implemented. Eliminating their points of entry makes it more difficult for these pests to survive and thrive on your property.
Other measures to reduce and prevent infestations include:
- Increasing sanitation
- Employee training
- Ongoing monitoring
Methods of exclusion are also carried out. This includes reducing clutter, getting rid of build-ups of vegetation and standing water, and filling all gaps and holes within the exterior and interior of all structures.
4. Control
A control plan is developed based on which pests were identified and what (if any) potential threats there are to your environment and current conditions. In the beginning, the focus is on physical and mechanical methods including:
- Exclusion methods
- Sanitation methods
- Trapping
- Non-chemical measures
IPM does use materials, but only when necessary.
5. Documentation
Proper documentation records validate the effectiveness of IPM. You can use the documentation to proactively manage your future pest risks.
It's easy to apply this documentation since electronic reports are monitored and maintained 24/7 by your pest control service provider in a secure system.
What are the Benefits of Integrated Pest Management?
Why is IPM important? It's important because it works. And because it helps reduce the negative effects pesticides have on our environment and our health.
Here are a few other benefits of IPM:
- It's a cost-effective program
- Helps reduce public concern about our safety and the use of pesticides
- Decreases public, tenant, and worker exposure to pesticides
- Reduces ground-water and air contamination potential
- Promotes sustainable bio-based pest control management options
- Encourages adoption of more ecologically-safe control practices
- Reduces and eliminates pest re-entry
These benefits are one of the many reasons that IPM is continually growing in popularity.
What are the Impacts of IPM on the Environment?
Beginning in the 1940s, the use of pesticides helped to increase food production worldwide. Between 1950 and 2017, pesticide use increased by 11% every year.
By the year 2000, five million tons of pesticides were being used on an annual basis. Unfortunately, one side effect is that there were many cases of these toxic chemicals causing health problems in farmers, rural workers, and their families. IPM techniques focuses on finding the core of the pest concern and controlling pests from the source. Through IPM, pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, pets, and the environment.
What Does IPM Mean for Your Home?
If you struggle with pest management in your home, it's time to contact the professionals. The pest control experts can properly identify what type of pest(s) live in and around your home.
They'll implement a strategy that is budget-friendly, safe, and effective. It's worth the peace of mind in knowing that your home is being monitored 24/7 for the presence of pests.
And you also know that if any are found, they'll be dealt with immediately. With IPM there are no unexpected and unpleasant pest infestations in your future.
What Does IPM Mean for Your Business?
Pest infestations can quickly destroy a business's reputation. This is especially true if you're in the food preparation business.
And it's not enough to spray materials and hope for the best. Professional exterminators are educated on what type of materials to use, how much to use, and when to use them.
A layperson can easily make a mistake and end up harming individuals. Keep yourself, your customers, and your employees safe from the problems that pest infestations bring.
Let Us Implement an IPM for You Today
Whether it's for your home or your business, an integrated pest management strategy will ensure you're always pest-free. And we can help.
Viking Pest is the best choice in pest control practicing IMP techniques throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Get a fast, free quote online, or Contact us at 1-800-618-2847.
