Integrated pest management (IPM) is nowadays considered the most appropriate approach to pest control. The introduction of IPM in developing countries is however not easy. Experience shows that it is a long-term process. Some experience of IPM programmes are briefly discussed (cotton in Latin America; rice in South East Asia and basic food crops in the Sahel). The attention of tropical entomology should not be focused on IPM only, but also be directed at problems not directly related to IPM. These include the need for better pesticide management, the avoidance of further spread of pests to previously infested area and the control of grasshopper outbreaks in Africa.

The recently developed “International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides” which was unanimously adopted by FAO Member Countries in 1985, can be an important instrument for better pesticide management. To make this code work is a challenge. The control of introduced pests absorbs resources which otherwise could have been used for the control of indigenous pests. Therefore quarantine measures should be strengthened to prevent such spread. Strengthening of Plant Protection Services represents another challenge as these services play a key role in pest control in general and also in implementing IPM. Training in biological control has to be strengthened with emphasis on practical methods which effectively lead to better field pest control. Biological control units have to be set up in countries where they do not exist. There is no fixed level of IPM which should be reached. IPM strategies should fit local conditions and be promoted in conjunction with improved agricultural practices. Priorities for intervention have to be set when developing IPM programmes.

This paper considers the status of pests and pesticides in Mauritius, including pesticide legislation and flow.

Climatic factors, namely altitude, temperature and rainfall, influence the spatial and seasonal distribution and population dynamics of economically important pests as well as their hosts (crops and livestock). The case histories of a few selected pests (leaf miner, fruit flies, stable flies), their control measures as well as research efforts in this connection are reviewed.

An appraisal is also made on some aspects of pesticide legislation along with the distribution pattern of pesticides, in relation to pesticide management. The setting up of a recent Pesticides Management Advisory Committee is regarded as a move in the right direction to safeguard pesticide misuse and abuse. Food crop production is at the expense of huge pesticides input. A series of recommendations are made with a view to improving pesticide practices in the country.