Crop monitoring requires weekly field scouting, proper identification of pests and their damage, and a determination of the population level of pests. Understand the Pest Understanding the life cycle of the pest is critical for making decisions about control. If economic losses from a pest make control worthwhile, it is important to time control to when a pest is most vulnerable. How long a generation of a pest will continue to pose a threat and how many additional generations may occur are key considerations. Pests have many natural predators, so it is important to look at the effect a control measure will have on the predator.
Weather can also have an impact on pest populations.
In summary, good decisions about control measures require an understanding of the entire field environment. You usually have a variety of methods available to manage or control pests. For all control methods, implementation at the proper time is necessary for maximum effectiveness. Biological and Cultural Options Biological control is any activity of a parasite, predator, or pathogen that keeps a pest population lower than it would be otherwise. The use of resistant or tolerant crop varieties is also an economically important tool for pest management.