Dynamics of a switching pest management model with fear effect, group defense and intraspecific cooperative hunting

Crop losses caused by pest outbreaks remain a persistent threat to global food security and sustainable agriculture. To address this challenge, this study proposes a switching pest management model with fear effect, group defense, and intraspecific cooperative hunting. The model integrates chemical control (spraying pesticides) with biological control (releasing natural enemies) to overcome limitations associated with single-method approaches. Through the application of the comparison theorem and Floquet theory, threshold conditions are derived for both the global asymptotic stability of pest-extinction periodic solutions and the permanence of the system. Numerical simulations validate these theoretical results and the influence of key parameters—including the maximum natural enemy release rate ( \(\delta _{\max }\) ), direct mortality rate ( \(h_{1}\) ), and fear coefficient ( k )—on system dynamics are revealed. This study provides a theoretical framework for optimizing integrated pest management strategies through behavioral regulation, thus contributing to reduced reliance on conventional insecticides.