IPM is a combination of common sense and scientific principles. It is a way of thinking about pest management that values
- Education, training & awareness
- Knowledge of the pest’s habits, life cycle, needs & dislikes
- Responsible use of pesticides
- Proactive monitoring
- Establishing a threshold for action
CONTROL: IPM blends multiple control methods based on site information obtained through diligent inspection, monitoring and reporting. For Property Managers, IPM gives you:
- Cost Control – with IPM, your costs are reduced over time once a baseline is established and urban pests are measurably maintained.
- Proactive vs. Reactive: Inspection-based protocol vs. Complaint-based protocol keeps you one step ahead of unnecessarily large and expensive treatments. Identifying “hot spots” and patterns of infestation more effectively manages pest problems.
- Cultural Control – training and educating management & tenants increases awareness of urban pests.
- Pest identification, understanding basic biology, how to reduce attractants and practicing preventative measures keeps the community involved and actively fighting as the first line of defense against pests.
- Treatment Control – Unfortunately there’s no such thing as a single-shot or “silver bullet” for eliminating urban pests. Fighting them requires employing several tactics.
- Physcial/Mechanical: vacuuming, deep cleaning, clutter disposal, clothes dryer employ, mattress/box spring encasements, moats and monitors, etc.
- Biological: botanicals, environmentally friendly products
- Chemical: specifically and restricted to treating identified target pests reducing environmental concerns and complying with city/state regulation
- Followup inspection/treatment: is built into each treatment and is key for protocol effectiveness, resident lifestyle compliance and reducing possible cross-contamination.
- Legal Control – Planning and Documentation
- An IPM plan is specific for each property manager. It holds Records of Treatment, inspection findings and develops a history/profile for each apartment unit. This is key for minimizing exposure through documentation, detailed record keeping and proper reporting.