University of Calgary
OP-9: Integrated Pest Management

The entire campus follows a four-tier Integrated Pest Management system that prioritizes preventative and non-chemical methods of controlling pest populations. Exterior IPM programs focus on avoiding landscaping features that may harbour pests, maintaining healthy landscapes to prevent pest infestation, ensuring potential food and water sources are appropriately situated, and using only least-toxic pesticides if necessary. To incorporate IPM procedures in order to control structural and landscape pests in a safe, efficient and effective manner within the buildings and on the grounds of the University of Calgary, these actions must be taken: Set Action Thresholds - Before taking any pest control action, IPM first sets an action threshold, a point at which pest populations or environmental conditions indicate that pest control action must be taken. Sighting a single pest does not always mean control is needed. The level at which pests will become an economic threat is critical to guide future pest control decisions. Monitor and Identify Pests - Not all insects, weeds, and other living organisms require control. Many organisms are innocuous, and some are even beneficial. IPM programs work to monitor for pests and identify them accurately, so that appropriate control decisions can be made in conjunction with action thresholds. This monitoring and identification removes the possibility that pesticides will be used when they are not really needed or that the wrong kind of pesticide will be used. Prevention - As a first line of pest control, IPM programs work to manage the crop, lawn, or indoor space to prevent pests from becoming a threat. In lawn maintenance, this may mean using methods such as selecting types of sod and grass seed that are more pest-resistant varieties. These control methods can be very effective and cost-efficient and present little to no risk to people or the environment. Control - Once monitoring, identification, and action thresholds indicate that pest control is required, and preventive methods are no longer effective or available, IPM programs then evaluate the proper control method both for effectiveness and risk. Effective, less risky pest controls are chosen first, including highly targeted chemicals, such as pheromones to disrupt pest mating, or mechanical control, such as trapping or weeding. If further monitoring, identifications and action thresholds indicate that less risky controls are not working, then additional pest control methods would be employed, such as targeted spraying of pesticides. Broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort.