In class we talked about integrated pest management in relation to farming and agriculture, but this study suggests using the same methods in urban communities with pests such as cockroaches. The non chemical IPM methods in this example were cleaning of food residues, removal of potential nutrients, sealing cracks and crevices, and minimal use of less toxic chemicals. The study compared two housing building of similar socioeconomic ranking and used IPM methods in one and nothing in the other. The building that used IPM methods decreased the proportion of households with cockroaches from 80% to 39% is just 6 months while the control group remained the same. They then realized the IPM methods cost the same and sometimes less then traditional methods. Therefore we can conclude that IPM methods of decreasing pests not only works on agriculture but also these urban communities.
Link to study :
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241688/