Integrated Pest Management
Remove the bugs without all the toxics...
IPM is a system of managing pests by using a series of appropriate alternative pest management options such as better sanitation and improved maintenance and mechanical controls, and the judicious use of pesticides.
IPM Principles
The IPM program uses non-chemical and chemical methods to get rid of pests. The five principles of IPM are:
Exclusion:
- Keep pests out by sealing cracks and crevices.
- Look for little spaces under the doors, windows, and walls, where roaches can sneak into your house or apartment.
- Roaches can fit through spaces as small as a dime, so make sure the spaces are filled with caulking putty and the gaps under the doors are closed off with weather strips.
Sanitation:
- Keep our homes and buildings clean on a regular basis.
- Clean out areas where the roaches could be living. Crumbs should be cleaned up immediately, or roaches can follow them and infest the entire house.
- Wipe up spilled water and keep the faucets turned off. Roaches are good swimmers, and even one drop of water can satisfy a thirsty roach.
Monitoring:
- Be aware of whether or not pests are present.
- Roaches like to hide in dark places like in corners and under heavy things like refrigerators.
- Food bits can fall into these places and give the roaches both a place to live and food to eat. Food must also be stored where roaches cannot get to it.
Treatment:
- Select a treatment method for the particular pest that is least hazardous and most effective.
- The first three steps should be enough to make your bug count start dropping, but if more help is needed a roach trap would be a good purchase. These traps catch roaches and get rid of them.
- Baits can also be used in cracks and crevices to get rid of the bugs. However, only adults should use chemicals at home.
Evaluation:
- Evaluate how well treatment worked and keep records of sanitation and/or chemical intervention.
IDEM's IPM Grant
IDEM awarded a pollution prevention grant to the Purdue University Department of Entomology in cooperation with Indiana University, the State Chemist's Office, and other knowledgeable professionals with experience in integrated pest management. Together, they developed a pilot program to educate schools and child care facilities on the importance of implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Through this grant, on-site assistance was provided to schools and child care facilities participating in the pilot program. Free workshops for school administrators and child care directors were held throughout Indiana. Finally, IPM materials were developed and distributed throughout the course of the project.
Under this grant, the IPM Technical Resource Center at Purdue University conducted pilot Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs in 2 school corporations and 4 childcare centers in Indiana.
For more information on this grant and the pilot project, see the IPM Technical Resource Center: IPM Pilot Project Awards page and the press release.
