APES · Topic 5.14
Integrated Pest Management
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Pests cost farmers billions of dollars in crop damage every year — but the traditional solution, spraying chemical pesticides, can harm wildlife, contaminate water, and threaten human health. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) offers a smarter alternative.
In this lesson you will explore what IPM is, the specific methods it uses, and the trade-offs it involves. Then you'll practice AP Skill 7.D — using data and evidence to support a real environmental solution.
Describe integrated pest management and its benefits and drawbacks. Use data to support a potential solution. (AP Skill 7.D)
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a combination of methods used to effectively control pest species while minimizing disruption to the environment. Rather than reaching for a pesticide bottle immediately, IPM starts with research and monitoring.
Farmers using IPM first identify which pests they actually have, then consider environmental factors like weather and the pest's life cycle. Only after this research are control methods selected and applied — and the goal is always to use the least harmful method first.
Identify which pests are present and in what numbers
Consider weather, life cycles, and pest thresholds
Apply targeted biological, physical, or limited chemical methods
IPM: A combination of biological, physical, and limited chemical methods targeted at specific pests — not a single chemical spray. The goal is pest control and environmental protection.
Which of the following BEST describes Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?
Biocontrol involves introducing a natural predator, competitor, or parasite to keep pest populations in check. You can purchase biocontrol agents (like ladybugs ordered by mail) or plant habitat that naturally attracts predators to your fields.
Ladybugs — highly effective against aphid populations | Spiders — control many insect pests | Parasitic wasps — target caterpillars that damage crops
Because most pest species have one specific food source, rotating crops each season prevents pests from establishing themselves in the soil. Pest larvae that hatch looking for their preferred crop find it has moved — their population cannot grow. An added benefit: rotating crops keeps fields productive longer and prevents weeds from taking over bare soil.
Intercropping uses two strategically chosen plants alongside the main crop:
The pull plant can also attract natural predators of the pest, doubling the benefit. This strategy uses the plants' own chemistry — no synthetic chemicals needed.
A farmer introduces ladybugs into their cornfield to control a growing aphid population. This is an example of which IPM method?
In an intercropping push-pull system, the "push" plant performs which function?
The entire purpose of IPM is to reduce pesticide use — and that reduction has major cascading environmental benefits. But IPM comes with real trade-offs.
Atrazine → causes intersex (reproductive abnormalities) in frogs | DDT → thinned eagle eggshells, killing hatchlings | Glyphosate → linked to bee colony collapse disorder
Which of the following is a known DRAWBACK of using IPM compared to traditional broad-spectrum pesticide application?
AP Skill 7.D asks you to use data and evidence to support a potential environmental solution. Study the graph below, then write a response to the free-response question using specific data from the graph.
You've completed Topic 5.14 — Integrated Pest Management. Your responses have been saved. Good luck on the AP exam!