October 15th EPA Webinar - Chemicals in Schools: Real Problems, Real Solutions

When it comes to students' health, our kids deserve the best protection possible. These days, elementary and secondary schools have many important safety issues to deal with, not the least of which is to ensure that students are protected from dangerous chemicals where they learn.

Join us for the Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign RCC Web Academy: Chemicals in Schools -- Real Problems, Real Solutions -- to hear from school, community, and industry experts who have all grappled with school chemical management issues and come away from the experience with valuable lessons learned and stories to share.

For more information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/rcc/web-academy/2009/oct09.htm

Is Tick Spit the Cure?

There are a lot of places you might think to look for a cure for cancer, but chances are tick spit isn't one of them. Yet that's where a hunch took Brazilian researchers recently. And what they found may just may be medicine's holy grail....[Full Story]

National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation Partnering with the EPA for School Pesticide Management

Jack Thrasher, Ph.D., Technical Director of the National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation (NTEF) today announced a partnership between the Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “School IPM (Integrated Pest Management) 2015” program....[Full Story].

CDC and NEHA teach IPM

For the past year, the CDC-in partnership with the National Environmental Health Association-has sponsored regional workshops to teach health inspectors and other public employees about the biology and control of insects and rodents. The most recent conference was held in Okoboji, Iowa and featured sessions on vector-borne diseases, IPM, bed bugs, structural pest management, rodents, ticks and health effects of pesticides. Attendees participated in a kitchen and grounds walk-through of a local resort, in which they were asked to identify pest-conducive conditions. For information regarding future workshops, visit the NEHA homepage: http://www.neha.org/index.shtml.

School IPM 2015 PMSP update

Since January 2009, more than 20 sets of comments and suggestions have been received on the School IPM 2015, the national strategic plan for IPM in schools. Many have been incorporated into the upcoming revision to be posted this fall. Additional comments can be sent directly to the editors, Dr. Dawn Gouge dhgouge@ag.arizona.edu or Dr. Thomas Green ipmworks@ipminstitute.org.

'Crazy Ants' Get Under Skin of Gulf Coast Residents

PEARLAND, Texas -- Swarms of foreign "crazy ants" are spreading through Texas and Florida, raising alarms that the tiny, frenetic bugs will rival the fire ants that have ravaged the South, costing billions of dollars in damages each year.

Although the new pests don't pack the powerful sting of fire ants, scientists say they can do as much damage, killing wildlife and shorting out electrical equipment. Crazy ants have an additional trait that is proving especially irksome: They like to hang out where people live and are difficult to dislodge once they get inside buildings [Full Article].

Massachusetts Urges Parents to Ask About School IPM

As the new school year approaches, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) is urging parents to ask whether their child's school or daycare facility it has a current School Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan for safe pesticide use.

"At home and in the classroom, parents are the first line of defense in protecting their children against pesticide exposure," said DAR Commissioner Scott Soares. "Maintaining a school or day care IPM plan is not only required by law, but it is also crucial to insure children's safety."

According to DAR’s Division of Crop and Pest Services, the vast majority of schools and daycare facilities have filed IPM plans with DAR, but roughly 200 schools and 400 day care facilities are not in compliance with the state IPM law [Full Article].

New Giant Rat Found...but not in Schools

A new species of giant rat has been discovered deep in the jungle of Papua New Guinea, and it is one of the largest species ever found. The rat, which has no fear of humans, measures 82cm long, placing it among the largest species of rat known anywhere in the world. The creature, which has not yet been formally described, was discovered by an expedition team filming the BBC programme Lost Land of the Volcano [Full Article].

IPM Makes ABC News

Time out for pesticides at school: Kill bugs without hurting kids
Your kids may be working on their ABCs, but is their school working on its IPM? That’s Integrated Pest Management, an increasingly requested - or required - method of fighting pests without using potentially harmful pesticides. (Or using minimal pesticides.) For decades, schools liberally applied toxic pesticides on their grounds and in their classrooms to beat back bugs and rodents. Exterminators or the school janitor might have sprayed DDT, diazinon or chlordane. If things got bad enough, teachers would (and still could) take matters into their own hands with a can of Raid...[Full Article].

New Resource: Journal of Integrated Pest Management Available Soon

With funding from the North Central IPM Center, the Entomological Society of America (ESA) recently approved the creation of a new internet-based and publicly available journal entitled the Journal of Integrated Pest Management (JIPM). The new journal will provide an outlet for extension-created and peer reviewed publications featuring pest biology and ecology profiles, emerging IPM issues and consensus-based pest management recommendations. Click here to download the ESA's JIPM announcement.