Home, Lawn & Garden
IPM is not a practice limited to commercial and agricultural situations;
it can also be used by the general public throughout our community.
Home, lawn and garden IPM is a part of our Community IPM program, which
also includes School IPM and Public Health.
We all want our
homes, lawns and gardens to be attractive, safe and pest-free
environments. But because all living things seek food, water and
shelter, sometimes we find unwanted "guests" in our midst, also known as
"pests". A pest can be anything from ants in the kitchen, weeds in the
lawn, a fungus on the trees to a deer in the garden.
An IPM
approach to pest management provides the most effective way of
suppressing pests for good, while assuring the safety of pets, kids and
yourself. While pesticides (bug sprays, weed killers, etc.) can be used
as part of an IPM program, it is a good idea to limit their use and
thereby, your exposure. Pesticides should be used only as a last resort
and carefully chosen, carefully used, carefully stored and carefully
disposed of.
Resorting to pesticides without full knowledge of
your target pests and/or the chemical properties of the pesticide can
lead to unnecessary, ineffective or downright dangerous use of
chemicals. Be especially careful indoors! If you feel you must use a
chemical as part of the solution for a pest problem, seek information on
the least-toxic, most effective alternatives from your County
Cooperative Extension office, Master Gardeners or other trusted sources.
NOTE: Sales clerks at stores are generally not able to provide
accurate, unbiased information on pests or pesticide products.
