Do Modern Insecticides Defeat IPM Concepts?

The industry must continue to pursue environmentally friendly products for broad-spectrum control

In this two-part series, we'll explore the history and development of integrated pest management (IPM) in turfgrass and how it has changed over the past decade. The focus of the article will be on how our newer insecticides have changed so dramatically in recent years and how the manner in which they are used and the timing of application may be perceived as anti-IPM. In addition, the newer products are so much lower in mammalian, bird and fish toxicity and have fewer off-target effects than the products of just a few years ago that IPM may not carry the same sense of urgency that it used to. In some areas, a once-active desire to use biological and natural control has subsided due to the availability of reduced-risk conventional pesticides.

Some of my colleagues and some practitioners may disagree with me. However, as I look around at an increasingly competitive market, higher expectations, continued societal concerns over pesticides, increasing regulations in many areas and newer, less-toxic products, I see a changing perspective on IPM and its implementation.

For many turfgrass managers, controlling insects is not real high on their priority lists. Insects often surprise us, and our ability to manage them quickly and effectively can be difficult. Our thoughts should focus on not only how we can make insect management cost-effective and environmentally friendly, but also how we can make it easier, less time consuming and less of an aggravation for the turfgrass manager who is always multitasking.

In this article, we will look at the definition of IPM and what it means in turfgrass, and some of the challenges we face. In April, we'll take a closer look at efforts to develop new safe products for broad-spectrum control that, in some ways, resemble the products of 20 years ago. Final comments will focus on the need to keep moving ahead with new, more environmentally friendly products that help keep our industry on the right track.

The world around us

IPM is a concept that's been around a long time. When I began my career in the late 1970s, I was involved in the early stages of IPM development and implementation. Much of the driving force associated with IPM development was that in many ways we had become trapped in what was called a "pesticide treadmill." In other words, we were relying more heavily upon the use of synthetic pesticides with no real end in sight. Synthetic pesticides had not been around that long in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and they had proven to be easy, fast and cost-effective for managing pest problems. They increased yields, profits and the acreage that could be grown on farms. Their impact was almost immeasurable.

However, there were more and more concerns surfacing. As early as 1962, Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" sounded a warning message that these pesticides were having negative impacts in our environment. While one can debate the scientific merit of some of what was written in this book, no one can ignore that it served as a real wake-up call for pesticide use. As researchers studied the interactions of pesticide use and the environment, the disruptive effect of pesticide applications on the ecosystem became clearer.

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