should be maximized;
• Any management procedure may
produce unexpected and undesirable
effects; and
• The management approach should be
interdisciplinary.
So, when we consider this definition
and the fundamental axioms to the art
and science of IPM, the question arises:
how do we best incorporate IPM back
into the world of food safety and, in particular, into the retail food industry?
“…how do we best incorporate IPM back into
the world of food safety and particularly to the
retail food industry?”
Integration of IPM into the
Core Business
The answer is simple: treat IPM as we
would HACCP, integrated cleaning and
measurement, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) or anything
else we view as both a cyclical and an
ongoing process. Basically, we need to
re-integrate pest management into the
everyday operations of retail food establishments.
My “aha” moment of how we can accomplish this came by way of an article
appearing in the November 2009 edition
of Executive Housekeeping Today.1 Ted Snyder, entomologist and training and technical services manager at Batzner Pest
Management, Inc., penned a two-page
article on the “The Secret Code of Pest
Management.” In it, he described IPM
through four basic tenets or principles.
His description is not exactly how we
classically view IPM in the food industry, but it is more closely aligned with
what we do in food safety. With thanks
and gratitude to Mr. Snyder, I’m taking
the liberty of using his work as a foundation to redefine IPM in the context of
food safety and in the full knowledge
that all stakeholders are responsible for
its success.
The four principles detailed were the
following: identifying the pest and its
habits; planning control measures; initiating control measures; and, most importantly, evaluating the results. Does
this sound familiar—and comfortable? It
should. It is, in effect, an outline for a
strategic hazard analysis and control program.
where it has become well established.
6. Finally, why is the infestation present in the
first place? That begs the next obvious
question: what environmental conditions favor the infestation? The an-swer(s) may provide insights to simple
environmental controls rather than
the use of toxic control agents.
Collectively, the information provided by answering these questions is the
basis for the IPM program strategies and
it is a necessary precursor to implementing the second principle of IPM: planning the control measures.
Principle 2
Planning the control measures involves an examination of both the interior and exterior (including landscaping)
of the facility, as well as reviewing the establishment’s operation. As I mentioned
earlier, the original prime directive of
IPM was to reduce, if not altogether
eliminate, reliance on chemical pest controls. This shifts the emphasis away from
the initial use of pesticides to a greater
reliance on mechanical controls by
building the pests out: sanitation controls by removing the food sources and
harborage, cultural controls by changing
certain operating parameters that would
discourage infestations and, finally,
chemical controls when pesticides are
absolutely necessary to immediately reduce the pest population. These IPM
strategies are connected by an “and,” not
an “or,” begging that consideration
should be given to each question in
order to ensure successful elimination
and ongoing prevention.
Principle 1
The first principle is identifying the
pest and its habits. When we see a pest,
our first and immediate reaction is to kill
it. Instead, we should begin the IPM
program by asking six basic questions
about the pest’s identification that include its biology and natural habitat.
The best resources available to us in tackling these questions are readily posted
on the Internet by many state agricultural colleges and extension services.
1. What is the precise identity of the pest?
Not all members of the same genus
are alike in their habits and biology.
A positive identification is essential in
starting an IPM process that targets
the specific invader.
2. Where does the pest come from? Knowing
where the pest came from, particularly its harborage preferences, helps
us understand its biology and subsequent control measures. Additionally,
there may be a shared responsibility if
it is known that the pest was introduced by a vendor or some other environmental factor that was not
within our immediate control.
3. What damage does it do? This can range
from a well-defined public health risk
to a nuisance. Knowing the damage
caused by the pest, whether it affects
health or aesthetics, will determine
the aggressiveness and extent of the
proposed control measures.
4. Where are the pests? This can only be
answered by conducting a thorough
inspection to determine the extent of
the infestation and identify the potential harborage areas. A good pest
inspection is a learned skill and requires knowledge of the pest’s biology and habits and its penchant for
the various ecological niches within
the retail food establishment.
5. How many pests are there? While this
provides an answer concerning the
extent of the infestation, it also gives
us a clue to the ages of the pests
sighted. By answering this question,
we can often estimate how long the
infestation has been present and
Principle 3
Initiating the control measures is best
accomplished through a cooperative
venture between the establishment and
its pest control service. It basically means
sequencing the control strategies for
maximum effect and timing them for
optimal, cost-efficient results.
