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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.