Problems and Solutions

Integrated Pest Management at Stanford

Pest management practices at the Stanford University Grounds Department take an IPM approach. IPM, or Integrated Pest Management, is an ecological approach to pest control, which seeks to effectively control pests while minimizing damage to the environment and risks to human beings. An IPM approach generally uses a combination of methods, such as regular monitoring of pests and beneficial insects, improving plant health, releasing beneficial insects, and, when chemical pesticides are necessary, using least toxic ones in minimal amounts. Often, with IPM, pesticides use can be significantly reduced or eliminated.

The Stanford IPM program began in 1997. The goals of the program include: reduce pesticide use at Stanford, reduce the cost of pest control, minimize harm to the environment, reduce the risk of pesticide exposure, and improve long-term plant protection. In order to achieve these goals it was important to establish effective monitoring methods. You may have seen Stanford staff around the campus, taking plant samples and peering at leaves with a hand lens.

The Grounds Department's IPM program currently monitors for the following insect pests: tussock moth, thrips, California oakworm, fruittree leaf roller, aphids, adelgids, lacebugs, elm leaf beetle, scale, red gum lerp psyllids and Eucalyptus longhorn borer. Department staff also monitor for the naturally occurring beneficials that help to control these pests.

Some of the non-toxic methods of pest control that the department is working with include releases of beneficial insects, encouraging the many naturally occurring beneficials by avoiding the use of pesticides, and removing caterpillar cocoons from our oak trees with water under high pressure.

To learn more about insect pests and insect beneficials, select an item from the pulldown menu above.