The Nature of Integrated Pest Management

This chapter aims to find out the complexities of the nature of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and to present some points made by its critics. It begins by presenting the evolution of IPM: first, the Supervised Insect Control is presented, followed by the presentation of the Integrated Pest Control and, finally, exposing what is known today as IPM. Next, an analysis is made of the almost 70 definitions of IPM that have emerged over time. Then, the long-standing relationship of IPM with pesticides and their impacts is explored. It continues with a section that presents some criticism to IPM. These indicate that the nature of IPM encourages the substitution of inputs, the search for the “silver bullet”, justifying the use of pesticides through thresholds of action. Some alternative strategies to IPM that have emerged in the last 30 years are reviewed. Finally, the adaptive renewal cycle of IPM is presented.