Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on Grounds Managed Lands
Since launching the IPM program in 1997, the Grounds Services department at Stanford has been dedicated to using an integrated pest management approach to provide suppression and long-term control of pests on campus, with the least amount of impact to the environment, non-target organisms and human health.
Definition of IPM
According to the University of California’s Statewide IPM program, IPM “is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and nontarget organisms, and the environment.”
What is a “Pest”
UC IPM states that, pests “are organisms that damage or interfere with desirable plants in our landscapes. A pest can be a plant (weed), vertebrate (bird, rodent, or other mammal), invertebrate (insect, tick, mite, or snail), nematode, pathogen (bacteria, virus, or fungus) that causes disease, or other unwanted organisms that may harm water quality, animal life, or other parts of the ecosystem.”
Stanford Grounds Services Pest Management Approach
- Set Action Thresholds
- Stanford Grounds adheres to a series of parameters outlining conditions of economic and aesthetic damage to the landscape before any pest control actions are taken.
- Monitor and Identify Pests
- The Grounds department trains technicians in the field to monitor for pests in the landscape as well as naturally occurring beneficial insects.
- Prevention
- Stanford Grounds follows best horticultural practices and cultural IPM practices to both encourage a healthy landscape and prevent the introduction of pests into the area of management.
- Control
- Once monitoring, identification, and action thresholds indicate that pest control is required, and preventive methods are no longer effective or available, the Grounds Department utilizes a combination of biological, cultural, physical/mechanical and chemical management tools that minimize risk to the environment, non-target organisms, and human health while maintaining pest populations at or below action thresholds.
Goals of the IPM Program at Stanford
- Reduce pesticide use, and associated exposure risks, at Stanford.
- Reduce the cost of pest control on campus.
- Minimize harm to the environment.
- Improve long-term plant protection.
- Train and educate staff members about the Grounds IPM program.
Examples of Alternative Pest Control Methods
- Using water pressure to remove cocoons.
- Improving plant health.
- Releasing beneficial insects.
- Encouraging naturally occurring Beneficial's by avoiding the use of pesticides.
- Regular monitoring of pests and beneficial insects.
- Using the smallest amount of the least toxic pesticides available, when chemical control is absolutely necessary.