The philosophy of pest control: Growers are accepting a new role with their management strategies

摘要

In the context of the title of this article, the Concise Oxford Dictionary defines philosophy as "a particular system or set of beliefs." (It also talks about the use of reason and argument in seeking truth and knowledge of reality. However, I think we can dispense with that and stick with the first definition, which at least has the benefit of brevity.) Forgive me if the tone of this article has already got you reaching for another coffee, but I have found myself thinking about this topic over the last few days. (I know that may stimulate a few mental interjections from readers about my need to get a life, but I can live with that.) The reason for my thoughts heading in this direction is that I have often used the term, "the philosophy of pest control," when giving presentations to growers on the use of IPM or biological control. The context has usually been something along the lines of, "IPM (and/or biocontrol) involves a change in your philosophy of pest control." And I did it again this week at an IPM workshop. Those words are so used to coming out of my mouth that I seldom stop to really think about what they mean (some may say that is not unusual).