What is Integrated Pest Management?

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) refers to a decision-making procedure that is both maintainable and science-based. This method combines physical, cultural, chemical and biological tools. The aim is to classify, control and minimalize the risk posed by pests, pest control plans and tools to complete health, the environment and the economy. IPM is divided into Community IPM and Agricultural IPM, which have differences but still share the fundamental principles of monitoring, prevention and careful risk analysis and risk minimization.

Agricultural IPM:

• Preparation of the soil: This step contains picking a good site to grow crops, testing the soil, rotating the crops, making high beds if required and providing passable amounts of organic matter. Growers can then help decrease the pest issues that the plants will experience in the future.
• Planting: By planting crops that can endure general pest problems, modifying planting times and spacing crops properly, growers can help discourage certain types of insects and illnesses.
• Trapping of pests: Growers can set tricks that will lure in insects, which let them control exactly when the pest arrived and whether pest control is required.
• Forecasting: Consulting weather data helps cultivators predict whether an outbreak will happen and, if so, when it will happen. By having a good idea of when pests will be an issue, growers can stop damage to crops and conserve sprays.
• Monitoring: Growers can also control if pests are nearing a threatening level by frequently inspecting certain representative places in their fields.
• Waiting for thresholds: Growers will hold off on treatments until the populations of a pest cross a level that has been systematically determined to cause damage sparingly. Until populations influence this threshold, the cost of pest control would be more than the cost of crop loss.
• Cultural controls: Growers can also disturb the environment of the pest by harvesting earlier, sterilizing their greenhouse tools and turning under crop residues.
• Chemical controls: Growers also choice the most suitable and effective insecticide and calibrate sprayers properly. Then make sure that the weather will let adequate coverage.
• Recordkeeping: Growers will keep records of past pest tricks, treatments and weather, which they can use to help them make pest control choices in the future.

Community IPM: Community IPM refers to the management of pests in landscapes and buildings, with homes, businesses and recreational areas, using preventive, proactive, low-risk and knowledge-based methods. Practitioners of Community IPM goal to classify situations that are attractive to pests and precise them. This anticipation contains taking away their access to water, food and shelter, which they do by refining maintenance, exclusion, landscape management and sanitation practices. By modifying conditions that attract pests and only using insecticides when required, Community IPM provides better pest control with less insecticide use. The most significant Community IPM practices include:

• Inspecting and monitoring: Inspecting landscaping and structures frequently and closely will help diagnose pest problems and their sources precisely. Sticky traps are an instance of monitoring devices that show the presence and abundance of insects and even the way in which they’re traveling.
• Sanitation, exclusion and pest-proofing: These practices help to classify and remove water and food sources as well as harbourage opportunities.
• Communicating efficiently: By educating the inhabitants of a building to avoid unauthorized use of insecticides and pest-inviting conditions can go a long way in terms of decreasing pests. They should be asked to report any detections of pests promptly.
• Recordkeeping: Everything associated to pest management should be documented, with complaints, monitoring and inspection results and insecticide applications.
• Using low-risk pesticides: While anticipation should always be the first line of defense, some situations may call for pesticide use. Only non-risk pesticides will be used, which contain baits, dusts and gels, with active elements that are low-toxicity. These pesticides must also be applied in ways that minimize the hazard of exposure.

For Food safety officer it is significant to make a food safety culture, Food safety officer training will cover the topics such as introduction to the efficiency of cleaning and sanitization practices, personal hygiene practices as well as allergens management control and pest control for maintaining a safe work environment.

As ISO Consultant profession since last many years Charles has rich experience in preparing such certification documents within ISO guideline to his global clients to acquire better ISO Certification Solution to their Organization.