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Predators, Prey, And A Balanced Buffet

How integrated pest management reduces farmers’ reliance on pesticides

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There is a relative in our family who, at large holiday gatherings, has a habit of stacking his dinner plate. If you’re behind this person in the serving line, no smoked salmon for you. However, if you can manoeuvre past him, or shadow him closely and monitor his intake, there will be more than enough food to go around. That type of interference is the human form of what farmers call integrated pest management, or IPM. It is the practice of introducing predatory insects to a crop, allowing them to feast on infesting bugs who are making quick work of the produce.

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