The five major steps of IPM are: ① Identify — accurately determine the pest species; this is the foundation for all subsequent decisions.
② Monitor — use sticky traps, bait stations, and visual inspections to regularly assess pest species, numbers, and distribution.
③ Set Thresholds — determine when action is needed based on the pest species and the location (not spraying at the first sight of a bug).
④ Prevent — reduce the conditions that support pests at the source through environmental management such as sealing gaps, repairing water leaks, and sealing food.
⑤ Control — choose the least-risk intervention method, escalating gradually from physical control to chemical control, only moving up when lower-risk methods are insufficient.
Evaluate is the sixth element that runs throughout the entire process — continue monitoring after implementing control measures to assess their effectiveness.