Integrated Pest Management (IPM) means managing pests
(primarily insects, weeds, and plant diseases) with practices that are both
environmentally and economically sound. These pest management and production practices
should contribute to a system that produces an abundant and diverse supply of food and
fiber products. IPM also reaches beyond agriculture to include pest management in
landscape and home settings.
Which practices qualify as IPM? Terms like IPM,
sustainability, and environmentally-sound can be hotly debated. Our objective is not to
define what qualifies as IPM. Rather, this web site is intended to be a resource for
exploring the full range of options to find the best management tools for your purposes.
Our focus is the North Central Region of the United States, although
resources beyond the region are included for your consideration. Please be cautious when
using information from these links. Integrated Pest Management, like politics, is local.
Although much of this information will travel well, biological organisms behave
differently under different conditions. Growing conditions, cropping systems and
regulations vary among states. Identification of a plant, insect, or fungus might be the
same in different locales, but population growth rates, economic thresholds and
recommended management practices often differ. Happy scouting!
"Bugs are not going to
inherit the earth. They own it now." T. Eisner |
Scouting for IPM 
