Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a pest management strategy that uses a combination of methods to manage pests without solely relying on chemical pesticides. IPM includes biological and cultural controls, forecasting, sampling, and establishing thresholds for pests to define when corrective action is necessary.

IPM strategies are tailored to the needs and requirements of the local situation. They involve using materials and methods that are:

• least disruptive of natural controls;
• least hazardous to human health;
• least toxic to non-target organisms;
• least damaging to the general environment;
• most likely to produce permanent reduction in the pest;
• easiest to carry out effectively; and
• most cost-effective in the short-and long-term.