When is a Pest to be

Managed?

There are various criteria used to answer this question. If the pest is life-threatening to the plant, mere presence may dictate management action. However, mere presence does not always dictate action. For example, many deciduous trees can take up to 25% defoliation before plant health is seriously impaired, unless they are otherwise stressed.

In agriculture, pest managers often use economic threshold (population level at which serious damage or yield losses occur) to signal that action must be taken. This kind of threshold is rarely practical for landscapes. In ornamental settings, the aesthetic threshold usually determines management action. The aesthetic threshold is the damage level that is unacceptable to the viewer, even though plant health may not be at stake. Unfortunately, ignorance about the pest and the plant's ability to withstand some damage often results in unnecessary pesticide applications.

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