IPM of Occasional Urban Invader Pest Species¹

Occasional invader species include a variety of arthropods such as amphipods, centipedes, insects, millipedes, pill and sowbugs, scorpions, and spiders as well as nonarthropod mollusks and worms. These species present unique challenges for development of effective IPM programs. Most occasional invaders are susceptible to desiccation and temperature extremes or are in a wandering or migration phase of their life cycle. Environmental factors such as weather and the condition of homes and home landscapes affect occasional invader infestations. Successful IPM programs have been developed for the garden millipede, Oxidus gracilis Koch, and the smokybrown cockroach, Periplaneta fuliginosa (Serville). Both programs rely primarily on habitat modification based on pest biology. Results indicate that these occasional invaders can be managed without resorting to broadcast application of nonspecific insecticides.