By: Kendra Fang

What is IPM?

• IPM is an abbreviation for Integrated Pest Management. It is dedicated to help treat and control pests with the least impact and effect on people, pets, and the environment. Instead of pesticides, they manage pests through sanitation and habitat adjustment.

Why IPM?

• Whenever people saw a bug, their first reaction was to reach for bug spray. Pesticides used to be the answer for anything bug related, until bugs showed resistance to it. It also caused secondary outbreaks, and horrible environmental contamination. Health risks caused by pesticides also rose for children. Researchers in California realized that pests were complex and ecological in nature. They developed a system for least impact on human and environmental health, and since then it has been the best way to manage pest problems on farms.

What are the Six

Steps to IPM?

1. Inspect and Investigate• Correctly identify harmful pests or signs of pests.

Look for the conditions that can host pests, too. Also think about what kind of pests you have, the source of the pests, and their source of food. Inspections need to occur on a regular basis and be sure to check and inspect every room or area of the building.

2. Identify and Learn

• Making sure you have correctly identified the pest is essential. Each bug is different; each have their own habits and preferences, and knowing them will help manage the pest. After you have your bug, you need to read and learn about it. It’s food sources, life cycle, habitat, natural predators, and ect. If the actual pest is not visible, you would need to look closely at any and all signs left behind and educate yourself with the different damages caused by different pests.

3. Monitor

• This is a very important stage in pest management. Areas are to be regularly check for an signs of damage caused by pests. Monitoring determines when, where, and if treatment is needed. It helps treating the problem right when it starts so management is effective, and it helps pinpoint exactly where the infestation is taking place.

4. Choose Control Methods

• Prevention is the main goal of IPM. Instead of directly attacking the cause, IPM will identify and remove the problem if possible. The information from the previous steps help gather data on the best ways to treat the certain pest.

• Guidelines of treatment should follow:– No harm done to the non-target organisms and

human health.– Permanent treatment and prevents the reoccurrence

of the problem– Cost effective

• Other possible ways are habitat modification. In this process, you learn about the habitat and what it has to host the pests. Then you remove the factors that the pests thrive on, so the habitat is no longer suitable. An example is sanitation; frequent cleaning will help eliminate food for the pests and shelter in trash clusters. Eliminating faulty faucets and leaks take away the water and moisture pests need to thrive on. Filling holes and fixing doors, cabinets, or windows will keep the pests from coming back.

• Another way to remove pests is by hand, or mechanical (without chemicals). This includes trapping, vacuuming, barriers, removal by hand (such as fly swatters). The use of natural predators is another choice. Pesticides are the “last-resort” option to remove already existing populations. The pesticides chosen by IPM will be the least toxic to humans and non-target organisms.

5. Evaluate

• This step goes hand in hand with the monitoring step. This gives a chance for program participants to regularly check on how the prevention methods are doing to address the problem and if any modifications are needed. Questions to ask yourself:– Was the prevention step necessary or could it have

gotten better without any aid?– Did our actions and treatments solve the problem?– Can and how can we solve the problem better next

time?

6. Educate

• This step is the finishing touch of the IPM program. This helps spread the awareness of how you can help treating pests and stop the problem from starting. Information will adjust people’s behavior and how they go about disposing garbage and storing their food. Anyone and everyone do their part in pest prevention.

The Asian long-

horned beetle

Is it native?Nope. It is native to Japan, Korea, and southern China (hence the name, Asian long-horned beetle). It was first noticed attacking the New York City area in 1996. Scientists believe it came to the US in wood packing or crates on a cargo ship from China.

Scientific name?

Anoplophora glabripennis (an-know-plo-fora glay-brepen-iss)

How to Recognize

- Adult beetles usually measure around 1-1½ inches long

- Shiny black exoskeletons have white markings or spots. Their long antennae have alternating black and white stripes.

- Dorsal surface of antennae and feet have a bluish color.

Asian long-horned beetle

Alternating black and white stripes on long antennae

White markings on shiny black exoskeleton

Bluish dorsal surface

Life HistoryEgg- When first laid, the egg will be a white color. As it matures, it will turn a little darker, into an ivory-white color. It is oblong; around 5-7 mm long. It will hatch in around 10-15 days (in the summer).

Larva- The head has dark brown mouthparts. Its body is a cream color. The first segment of the thorax is the largest, and the rest of the body decreases to the abdomen. Young larva are around 7-20 mm long. They feed beneath the tree’s bark for around 20 days, until it matures (around 30-60 mm) and tunnels into the wood.

Pupa- The pupa is not a pure white color (more ivory-white), and is 30-37 mm long by 11 mm. They are usually found in the pupal chamber in the wood.

Adult- Body is black, with a blue tinge and covered in white spots. The antenna have 11 segments, alternating between blue/black and white. The female is 22-36 by 8-12 mm wide, while the male is 19-32 by 6-11 mm wide. The antennae are always longer than their body.

Impact on Forests

The Asian long-horned beetle prefers American Elm, Box elder, Ohio Buckeye and the Red, Silver and Sugar Maples. The beetle then chews ½ an inch through the bark and the females lay their eggs there. Then the larva grow and tunnel into the tree. It takes a little over the year for the larva to grow into an adult, and during its growth, it continues to tunnel through the tree. The tunnels cut through the passage of sap and soon kills the tree. In spring, the beetle emerges from a ½ inch hole, where sawdust can be found under it.

What is being done?

Education is important in stopping the spread of Asian long-horned beetles. Since they can’t fly far, their infections are usually centered around one spot. Word about the Asian long-horned beetle is being spread, by sites like Beetle Busters that help educate humans. Monitoring is also happening. People are assigned to check incoming cargo, and this is the next step in stopping the spread of Asian long-horned beetles all around the US. This type of beetle is believed to be the most deadly and the damage caused by these pests (whole forests being cut down) are horrific.