Week 2 - Day 6 - Integrated Pest management

ESSENTIAL READING BEFORE COMMENCEMENT OF COURSE:

Urban Pest Management in Australia: 2004 Edition, UNSW Press, Sydney

by J Gerozisis and P Hadlington - Chapter 1 - Pages 6 to 8.

Chapter 1 – Introduction to Urban Pest Management - integrated pest management - physical control - cultural control - chemical control - approaching a pest problem

IPM definition

Relies on an understanding of the ecology of the pest, draws on this knowledge non-chemical approaches that will make the environment less suited to the development of the pest population. May involve in the control program, the judicious and sensitive use of pesticides where necessary.

General Statement

All species of living organisms have an inher­ent ability to reproduce. Factors that tend to limit this natural reproductive ability are called control factors. The population of a particular species in a particular place at any given time is the result of the interaction of these two opposing forces.
Manipulating the factors that limit the repro­ductive and survival potential. of each pest is the key to effective pest management. This usually in­volves the use of pesticides, but more and more pest management professionals are turning to san­itation as a control device. Removing the food, wa­ter, and shelter of pests has a significant impact on controlling pest populations. When integrated with appropriate chemical control measures, sanitation makes a more lasting level of control possible.

Each pest management job must be analyzed separately, and five basic steps are involved: (1) in­spection, (2) identification, (3) recommenda­tion, (4) treatment, and (5) evaluation.

INSPECTION
 Is essential to solving pest prob­lems quickly and economically. It includes asking questions of the customer and examining the premises thoroughly to learn as much as possible about the problem. During the inspection, the pro­fessional should look for the harborage areas of pests, conditions of moisture, heat, or darkness - that favor infestations, food and water that can be . used by the pests, probable means of entry of the infestation (such as incoming foods, open sewers, and possibly many others. Also evidence of infestation (such as damage, droppings, tracks, and actual specimens or their cast skins). Monitoring is the part of the inspection process that enables the professional to obtain an estimate of the pest population level, which will indicate the severity of the pest problem. The inspection will also give the professional some idea of the measures that may or may not be used, safety precautions that may be necessary, and when the work can best be done. Thoroughness during the inspection is of great importance in providing many of these answers. Because inspection is such an important part of pest management program, some chapters will provide pest-specific inspection techniques.

IDENTIFICATION

Once the pest is found, the pest management professional must positively identify it in order to proceed. Positive and accurate identification many times is needed to make a thorough evalua­tion of the problem and an appropriate recom­mendation for control. Once the pest has been identified, it is much easier to inspect for other ev­idence of infestation, harborage areas, and the means by which the pest gained entry. However, to do this, knowledge of the biology and habits of the pest is necessary. When pests cannot be lo­cated ,identification must be accurate to ensure successful control.

RECOMMENDATION

A recommendation for eliminating the pest problem should be made only after the inspection has been completed and all the facts surrounding the problem are known. The recommendation should include not only what the professional can
do for the customer, but also what the customer should do in the way of harborage elimination, building repairs, sanitation, and so forth to make the control program a more successful and lasting one. At this point, any limitations of the particular job should be explained to the customer.
An important part of a recommendation is the price to be charged for the work. Here again, a thorough understanding of the problem is vital so that the price quoted is economically and ethically sound. The customer deserves professional service for the price, and the pest management profes­sional should receive adequate compensation for the services rendered.

TREATMENT

Treatment is the next step in the pest man­agement operation. Treatment may include sanita­tion and harborage removal services, the use of traps or other mechanical devices to catch or pre­vent pests from entering, and any other activity used. to eliminate pests and prevent their recur­rence. Treatment may also involve the use of pesti­cides. The pesticide chosen must be legal and ap­propriate for the pest situation involved.

EVALUATION

The final step in urban pest management is program evaluation. Pest population levels must be continually monitored. The customer must also be kept advised on matters of sanitation and how to prevent new pest problems from becoming es­tablished, and any recurrence of the pest problem should be attended to before it becomes serious.

Physical Controls - Exclusion

Incoming goods should be inspected to ensure that the insect is not being introduced, or reintroduced, stored goods should be stored off the ground, to ensure cleaning and inspections can take place. Not to mention reduce hiding areas for certain pests.
All cracks and crevices gaps around services pipes etc. to be sealed off.

Cultural Controls

Hygiene and sanitation are a very important part where the client and pest control company must work as a team to assist in the control of insects, cleaning is normally the role of the client, and the pest controller should bring to the attention of the client when there is a sanitation or hygiene lapse.

CHEMICAL CONTROL

HACCP Concepts

Whilst the strict requirements of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) have been accepted by seasoned professionals of the food indus­try as the norm, many others have found its introduction daunting, have resisted it, and are now being dragged kicking and screaming into the practices of safe food management. Not only does HACCP re­quire anybody who handles food to take steps to minimize the risk of contamination of their product, but insists they prove it through written procedures and docu­mented evidence of their implementation and enforcement.

Hazard minimizing pro­cedures are required not only at the point of manufacture but all the way down the chain including anybody who handles packages stores or transports food. Since the recent incidents of food contamination in two of our large manufacturers, major changes have been sweeping through all levels of the industry and affecting supply of raw materials, and packaging. If this trend continues, and there is no reason why it shouldn't. the public will be the ultimate winners through confidence in the purity of the products they buy and consume. One area where HACCP has had a profound affect is the professional pest management industry. The responsi­bility to protect product through the con­trol of all types of insects and vermin has been that of pest managers and, until the last couple of years, has been effected in varying degrees of success and directly pro­portional to the perceived control require­ments of the customer.

The biggest problem with control of pests in the past is that of the customer’s reluctance to put into place a servicing program that would be adequate for their situation. Pest control servicing was placed at the end of the queue when the budget was set and in many areas of the food chain was totally dismissed as unnecessary expenditure. The introduction of HACCP has highlighted the importance of maintaining a high level of control of pests at all levels of the food manufacturing industry and, as a result of constant education of those responsible for producing a pure and untainted product, has returned sig­nificant rewards.

Not only is the customer rewarded for maintaining a pest-free en­vironment the pest control industry is providing a higher level of expertise in control methods and documentation as required by the stringent requirements of HACCP. Irrespective of which pest man­ager the manufacturer has used in the past, poorly maintained records of service or illegible handwritten service reports have been a constant irritation to those who may be responsible for auditing the pro­gram. 

Each high-risk area, rodent bait station, flying insect trap, etc, is labelled, with a monthly service sticker.

service and the service report the customer receives is accurate to the second, is totally legible and is abso­lutely accepted by external auditors as in­disputable proof of service.

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