What is an economic threshold?

• A. Point where pest damage exceeds cost of control
• B. Level of pests that must be eradicated
• C. A regulatory limit on pesticide use
• D. The minimum price of crop yield

Answer: (A)

An economic threshold is the pest population level at which the expected damage from pests would justify the cost of taking control action. It’s the decision point used to balance when control is economically worthwhile: below this level, the cost of spraying or other control would exceed the anticipated savings from reduced damage, so you monitor; once you reach or exceed it, applying control is likely to be worthwhile. This concept helps minimize unnecessary pesticide use while preventing economic losses, and it’s a core part of IPM. It’s different from eradicating pests, regulatory limits, or crop price alone. In practice, the economic threshold works with the economic injury level—the point where damage costs equal control costs—to time actions so you don’t reach that worse level.