Integrated Pest Management

The MSU IPM Program promotes the use of integrated pest management (IPM) and related plant health practices to safeguard farm and environmental health through research-based education, outreach and demonstration and applied research. 

We aid the integration of IPM and crop production activities across specializations, working with University, agency and private-sector colleagues. We collaborate with specialists in many units including the Departments of Entomology, Horticulture, Forestry and Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences; and field staff of MSU Extension and AgBioResearch. We work with these colleagues in research and demonstration projects throughout Michigan and beyond.

One of our key collaborative projects, with Jeff Andresen and the Michigan Climatology Resources Program, is Enviroweather, a website with weather-based pest, natural resources and production management tools.

See full list of our IPM experts and collaborators

Questions about specific insects, plant diseases and other plant problems

MSU Diagnostic Services will answer email about specific insect or plant disease problems.

• Insect questions - Howard Russell, bugman@msu.edu
• Disease questions - Jan Byrne, byrnejm@msu.edu
• Nematode questions - Fred Warner, fwnemalb@msu.edu 
• Weed or cover crops questions - Erin Hill, hiller12@msu.edu

Questions regarding garden topics can be answered by calling MSU‘s toll-free garden hotline at 1-888-678-3464 or using the Ask an Expert tool at the Gardening in Michigan website. Simply type in your question, location and email address, upload a photo if you’d like, hit Ask and a MSU Extension expert will contact you with information on your question.

Michigan residents also have staff at their county MSU Extension office trained to answer many questions about crops and growing plants. Please note if you are not located in Michigan, you may want to contact your local Extension Service. Climate, laws and regulations, as well as pest management practices vary throughout the United States.

Questions about this website

The MSU Integrated Pest Management Program website is maintained by Erin Lizotte and Mallory Marienfeld. Please email fourni49@msu.edu for comments about the site and include the web address that is related to your comments.

Funding: This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program (grant no 2021-70006-35450) from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Copyright

The information in this website is the property of Michigan State University (MSU). The University holds all copyright interests unless specifically indicated. Permission to reprint is given with credit to the respective MSU program and noted authors.

While we aim for accuracy in the information provided, the information may change without notice and is not guaranteed to be current. The website content is designed to meet the needs of Michigan’s citizens. We do not guarantee that information on these web pages is suitable for use in other states or countries. In particular, pesticide registrations vary from state-to-state and a legal use in Michigan may not be legal elsewhere.