What term describes the pest population level at which control measures should begin?

What term describes the pest population level at which control measures should begin?

• A. Economic Injury Level
• B. Economic Threshold
• C. Action threshold
• D. Pest level to control

Answer: (B)

In pest management decisions, you act at a defined level of pest density to prevent economic losses. The term for the pest population level at which you should start control is the economic threshold, also called the action threshold. This threshold specifies the trigger to intervene so that damage is kept from reaching a level where it would cost more to control than the value of the crop lost. In other words, you act before the population reaches the economic injury level—the point where the cost of damage equals the cost of control. The phrase “Pest level to control” isn’t a standard term and doesn’t convey the economic trigger the way economic threshold does. So the economic threshold is the best, most precise descriptor of when to begin control.

In pest management decisions, you act at a defined level of pest density to prevent economic losses. The term for the pest population level at which you should start control is the economic threshold, also called the action threshold. This threshold specifies the trigger to intervene so that damage is kept from reaching a level where it would cost more to control than the value of the crop lost. In other words, you act before the population reaches the economic injury level—the point where the cost of damage equals the cost of control. The phrase “Pest level to control” isn’t a standard term and doesn’t convey the economic trigger the way economic threshold does. So the economic threshold is the best, most precise descriptor of when to begin control.