1. Urban Pest Management and Practical IPM workflow

What is Urban Pest management

Urban Pest management is managing pest that live in or around human environments

What makes an organism a Pest?

An organism becomes a pest when its Prescence, behaviour or numbers cause problems for people, property, food health or comfort

Give examples of how an organism can be a pest

• Bite

• Sting

• Contaminate food

• Spread diseases

• Damage property

• damage food

• Create a nuisance

• Cause Fear

• Damage a business reputation

can a species be beneficial and then become a pest? Why?

Yes many insects are actually beneficial and only become a pest when they become a problem for people, property, food health and comfort.

For example a bees pollinates flowers but can become a pest if it threatens to sting humans

What is the overall Goal of pest managers

The goal is to reducing and preventing pest problems over the long term and not just killing the pest that are currently present

What does IPM stand for

Integrated Pest Management

What is IPM about

Integrated pest management is not about just using pesticides but about using multiple compatible methods for the long term management of pests

List the 6 steps of Practical IPM workflow

1. Inspect

2. Identify

3. Diagnose

4. management/treatment

5. Monitor

6. Evaluate and Adjust

What is step 1 of the IPM workflow

Inspect

What is step 2 of the IPM workflow

Identify

What is step 3 of the IPM workflow

Diagnose

What is step 4 of the IPM workflow

Manage/treat

What is step 5 of the IPM workflow

Monitor

What is step 6 of the IPM workflow

Evaluate and Adjust

list the 7 supporting conditions that allow pest to survive

• food

• water

• shelter/harbourage

• suitable environmental conditions

• hosts and other organisms

• entry/access points

• Humans practices such as poor sanitation or waste management

List the 7 supporting that can be removed that support the pest

• remove food

• Remove water/moisture source

• Remove harbourages or clutter

• modify the environmental conditions that suit the pest if possible

• remove other organisms like hosts that may be helping the pest survive

• seal entry points

• improve or educate customer about sanitation/waste management

List the main control methods used to manage pests

• Physical/mechanical

• Biological

• Chemical

give examples of each of main control methods used to manage pests

• Physical/mechanical - Traps, removal, vacuuming, heat, exclusion

• Biological - Introduce predators, Parasites, pathogen/microbes

• Chemical - Sprays, baits, dusts, pestisides

Why do insects dominate urban pest management? and how do each of these factors allow them to survive

Small size - hide in harbourages/ hard to see/ many can fit in small area/ need little food and water

Rapid reproduction - They can reproduce quickly in good conditions becoming a problem

Adaptability - Survive changing conditions and pesticides

Exoskeleton - Protects/reduce water loss/ can blocks pesticides from entering body

Mouthpart diversity - exploit different food, less competition, some pesticides such as baits wont work on certain mouth parts

Metamorphosis - different life stages use different resources. Pesticide use may need to differ depending on the life stage

Flight/Transport - Spread to new area

List the two ways diseases can be transmitted

Mechanical transmission

Biological transmission

What is mechanical transmission?

The pest physically transfers the pathogen from one area to another by physically picking it up e on its body

Cockroaches and Flies can be mechanical carriers of diseases

What is biological transmission? example

The pathogen develops in the pest(vector) before being able to be transmitted

Malaria from mosquito

Can a pest technition diagnose rashes, bites or medical conditions

No, they must recommend medical assessment with a doctor

IPM work flow step 1

Inspect

inspect the property to find out where the pest is, how much activity is present and where it might be coming from

Look for

• Droppings

• cast skins

• Egg cases

• damage

• Harbourages

• nests

• Travel routes

• Entry points

• food

• ask client about the pest

IPM work flow step 2

Identify

Identify what the pest is

IPM work flow step 3

Diagnose the problem

Determine the supporting conditions

• food

• water

• shelter/harbourage

• suitable environmental conditions

• hosts and other organisms

• entry/access points

• Humans practices such as poor sanitation or waste management

IPM work flow step 4 detailed

Manage/treat

Remove appropriate supporting conditions

• remove food

• Remove water/moisture source

• Remove harbourages or clutter

• modify the environmental conditions that suit the pest if possible

• remove other organisms like hosts that may be helping the pest survive

• seal entry points

• improve or educate customer about sanitation/waste management

Use appropriate direct control methods

• Physical/mechanical - Traps, removal, vacuuming, heat, exclusion

• Biological - Introduce predators, Parasites, pathogen/microbes

• Chemical - Sprays, baits, dusts, pesticides

IPM work flow step 5 detailed

Monitor

Monitor whether management and treatment (step 4) are working

do this by

• Checking traps

• Checking baits consumption

• Sighting of pests

• other signs of activity

IPM work flow step 6 detailed

Evaluate & Adjust

Decide whether the desired management outcomes have been achieved.

Is yes - continue to step 4 and 5

if no - return to step 1