What Is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?

4.9

Maxim Boyer

Great service! Leo, our technician was very knowledgeable and professional, he helped me understand the do's and don'ts and how to keep my house free of pests. The green company is very pet and child friendly so we didn't loose time from our daily lives. For privacy and out of respect for your property, technicians do not open closed doors so you gotta let them know which rooms you want service in. Price is great, and includes unlimited follow-ups. Great job, thank you.

Caroline Canning

Tim Cloud is thorough and well spoken when it comes to explaining treatment. He gets the job done and we do not experience pests in between sprays, which is really appreciated.

M Hughes

Nathan green services : it was such a pleasure to meet your technician Mr Raul Espinosa. He was very knowledgeable about his job and meticulously checked the property and explained to us that unluckily we are connected to other neighbors which would’ve made his work impossible since the others apparently don’t care about the presence of mice in their attics and the six owners would’ve had to decide to do the job. We really appreciate his time and knowledge . Such a great asset for your company.

victor barbee

Great job. Cheerful, efficient, thorough.

Catherine Raines

Tim is very professional and kind. This is his 2nd time to do our pest control and just like last time was very thorough and made sure we were satisfied. Excellent customer service!

Hitesh Bhakta

Natran serviced my previous home and when I moved to my new house, I contacted them again since their service is excellent and they pay attention to detail.

Cindy Davis

Alex was very thorough and informative of the pest/roach problem I am experiencing. He cared and listened to my concerns. I am hopeful the pesticide and bait work to get rid of these pests.

Radeen Kabir

Whether you have Marc, Raul, or Damion coming by your home for your pest control needs, you will be very pleased with their service. They are highly professional and thorough. After the first pest control folks we used incorrectly told us we had American cockroaches when in fact we had mice, we reached out to Natran and they came by right away. Natran's traps helped us exterminate a number of mice and they also sealed the openings at our home. I highly recommend their services. And Kate at their office is great and will connect you to the right pest control professional, who is very well trained and dependable.

Debbie Hall

Very attentive, articulate, and thorough service person. We appreciate the effort he put in to find the dead rat that had escaped the trap.

Julie Brandom Atun

Thorough and professional!!!

Doug Block

Great pest company. Highly recommend them for fast, effective, and professional pest control. We'll be using them for regular service from now on!

Kevin Bice

Fast, friendly service. They seem to know what they’re doing, and I look forward to working with them in the coming year.

You may have heard people talking about Integrated Pest Management before, especially in commercial settings. It might sound complicated, but it’s actually a really simple and responsible way to prevent, control and eliminate pests.

In today’s blog, we’re going to be explaining what you need to know about Integrated Pest Management, including what it is, the differences between agricultural IPM and community IPM, and how this pest control method can be used to eliminate pests for your business.

About Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management (also known as IPM or integrated pest control) is a way for businesses and individuals to remove and prevent pests, while still being considerate environmentally, economically, and healthwise.

One of the main benefits of integrated pest management is that it reduces the risks (to people and the environment) associated with conventional pest control.

This is a straightforward approach to pest control that takes into account a pest’s life cycle, behaviors and attractants. IPM isn’t used as a stand-alone solution to pests, but rather paired with other pest control methods as and when appropriate.

Agricultural IPM vs Community IPM

There are 2 main types of IPM and, while they do have a lot of similarities in their approach, they differ in their execution.

The first type of IPM is agricultural which, just like it says on the tin, is focused on keeping crops, buildings and animals on farmland free of pests in the safest way possible. Agricultural IPM takes into account factors such as soil preparation, weather forecasting, and when to plant crops.

The second type is community IPM which is used by businesses and homeowners (e.g. multi-family properties, parks, office buildings, and factories). The sole focus here is to prevent and remove pests by using science and common sense more than pesticides.

How Does Community IPM work?

The Natran team specializes in community IPM as a part of our green pest control options for businesses in Houston and Austin, Texas. While the IPM approach is customized for every business we work with, there are 6 factors that are seen across the board:

Inspections

Regular inspections of your building and surrounding outdoor areas are a really important part of IPM. We use inspections to find everything from existing pests to potential attractants.

Monitoring

There are a number of monitoring devices that we can use to monitor if pests are present in your building, how many there might be, and where to find them.

Education

A key part of IPM is educating people about everything from how and when to report a pest sighting to how to keep up a hygienic environment that doesn’t encourage pests.

Prevention

Preventing pests at your workplace involves a number of things, including being as sanitary as possible, pest-proofing your building (e.g. sealing potential entrances), and cutting off food and water sources that could be attracting critters.

Green pest control

We use our plant-based and environmentally-conscious pest control solutions to effectively prevent the pests that could come into your building and quickly eliminate any pests that are in your building. Using these green methods helps to protect the health of you and your employees.

Keeping records

You’ll need to keep good records of any pest sightings, application of treatments, your inspections results, and more. You may also need to keep this type of documentation as proof that you’re meeting hygiene and safety standards. When you come to Natran, we’ll give you a complimentary log book to hold all of your records.

We hope this blog has given you a better understanding of what IPM is and how it can be used in commercial settings to prevent and control pests. You can also use IPM at home by implementing the same concepts and principals.

Natran offers IPM paired with green pest control solutions to businesses and households in Houston and Austin, Texas, because we want to care for people, pets and the planet. Find out more about our green pest control here. For more information on Natran, pests, eco-friendly living, our pest control in Houston, our pest control in Austin, and more, check out our blog.

Schedule a Free Inspection With Natran Today.