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Join the Schoolbugs listserv to ask questions, learn from others and share successes and challenges.
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What's New This Month
What do you get when you mix asthma, puppets and rock music? The Breathe Easies!
EPA and the Ad Council are excited to launch public service
announcements (PSAs) featuring a new band of puppets who star in online
music videos for kids and caregivers about asthma triggers and how to
prevent attacks.
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| Highlights |
Did you know that you can buy IPM evaluation tools
from the IPM Institute of North America Inc.? Tools include: channel
lock pliers, flat spatulas, Inspector's Field Guides for Pest
Identification, Nite Ize Hip Pock-its and telescoping mirrors. For more
information email Mariel Snyder! |
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| Upcoming Events |
October 15-16, 2013
Texas School IPM Coordinator Training
Katy, TX
October 16th, 2013
IKE Free School IPM Training
Fort Wayne, IN
October 22-25, 2013
NPMA PestWorld 2013
Phoenix, AZ
November 9th, 2013
Austin Insect Rodeo
Austin, TX
November 10-13, 2013
Entomological Society of America (ESA) National Meeting
Austin, TX
November 13, 2013
TIPMAPS Annual Conference
Austin, TX
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| *View this newsletter as a PDF. |
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Greetings from School IPM 2015!
Every day, 49 million children attend school in the United States,
served by nearly seven million teachers and staff. But they're not
alone. Schools are also frequented by a number of pests including
cockroaches, mice, dust mites and more. Asthma is epidemic among
children, impacting nearly 6% of school children nationally with rates
as high as 25% in urban centers. Cockroaches are potent asthma
triggers.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a
prevention-based, highly effective approach proven to reduce pest
complaints and pesticide use by up to 90% in schools and other public
buildings. IPM practices such as sanitation and exclusion also improve
food safety, fire safety and energy conservation. Our newsletter
highlights real-life examples of IPM in practice and can help you start
an IPM program in your school district. For more information, visit www.schoolipm2015.com. |
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Canines on the Trail of Pests
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Canines are more than
just human's best friend. They use their excellent sense of smell to
hunt, find missing people, track escaped convicts, sniff out contraband
and even to detect cancer in humans. Bed bug-seeking dogs have received
attention in recent years, but did you know that dogs can also be
trained to locate termites, screw worms and other pests?
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce received a
grant to study the feasibility of using canines in find citrus canker,
a serious disease of citrus trees. Although the study is still
underway, Tim Gottwald, a senior scientist with the Department says that
so far canines have been 97 to 99% accurate in detecting canker in the
randomized, controlled study. The dogs are owned by J&K Canine Academy,
a nationally recognized behavioral training school based in Florida
that teaches dogs to detect termites, bedbugs, bombs, some cancers and
canker.
There are limitations to
using canines for canker scouting. One challenge is the amount of
acreage. There are more than 540,000 acres of citrus trees in Florida
alone. It may not prove practical to use canines to cover such a large
area. Also, canines lose their accuracy when they become overheated and
begin panting, a concern in Florida's climate.
Dogs and their human
handlers work as a trained team. Oscar Rincon and Jeremy Ecker were
trained at J&K Canine Academy and specialize in indoor pest
detection. They continuously train their canines by hiding live bedbugs
kept in vials with mesh covers to allow the scent to escape. Canines are
rewarded with food if they are able to locate the hidden vials. Ecker
relates that his career choice requires a unique commitment. He
maintains his own colonies of bed bugs for training, allowing them to
feed monthly on his forearms. Bed bugs are not known to spread disease,
but they can cause an uncomfortable reaction in some individuals,
fortunately this is not the case for Ecker.
The National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association (NESDCA)
was formed by pest control professionals as a certifying organization
that assures the highest quality of standards for scent-detecting
canines in residential dwellings, warehouses, office buildings, schools,
hotels and other indoor facilities. Certification involves a pass/fail
evaluation. Handlers and canines are certified together as a team,
neither can be certified individually. Teams must be recertified
annually.
There are different
tests for each type of certification. The number of "hides" the canine
must find depends on the certification type, e.g., termites, bed bugs,
carpenter ants or rodents. Live pests are hidden at least thirty minutes
prior to the start of the test. Two people attempt to distract the
canines to simulate what a real life scenario might entail. Teams have
twenty minutes to conduct their search and are allowed only one
incorrect response. To learn more about the certification process visit
the NESDCA certification rules webpage. |
| Maine's New Statewide School IPM Coalition |
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The role of a
school IPM coordinator is a challenging one, often filled by a school
professional with a full load of other responsibilities. In many
districts, the facilities director serves as IPM coordinator. In small
districts a lead custodian, principal or superintendent may be charged
with the task.
Coordinating
solutions to pest issues can be challenging enough. When that
responsibility is combined with managing a major roof repair or
implementation of new academic standards, it can be especially
difficult. A peer-to-peer support system can be very helpful.
This year, the
Maine chapter of the Educational Plant Maintenance Association (EPMA)
launched the Maine School IPM Coalition to provide peer support for
school IPM coordinators. Modeled after successful programs in other
states, the Coalition provides a network for school professionals as
they work to reduce pest and pesticide risks in schools.
Coalition members
include school IPM coordinators, pest control professionals and
representatives from other organizations and agencies supporting school
IPM and environmental health. The Maine School IPM Coalition was
initiated as part of an EPA PRIA2 grant-funded project led by the IPM
Institute of North America. When Maine EPMA stepped up to lead the new
IPM Coalition, it was a perfect fit. "Maine EPMA provides training,
networking and leadership for the hard-working people that manage
Maine's school buildings and grounds," reports Kathy Murray, Coalition
facilitator and coordinator of the Maine Department of Agriculture,
Conservation and Forestry's Maine School IPM Program, "EPMA is committed
to helping schools implement IPM." In June 2013, the Maine School
IPM Coalition organized several IPM workshops and recruited new members
at the annual three-day EPMA Maine conference.
The Maine Coalition meets monthly to plan activities and share ideas. A series of workshops
will be offered this year. A set of 'monthly IPM messages' to raise
awareness about pest prevention methods among teachers, coaches and
administrators is under development. "We are most excited about our
mentoring program," said Jim Reny, Coalition Leader and EPMA Maine
President, "New IPM Coordinators need help getting quickly up to speed
with IPM. Our peer mentoring program will pair new IPM Coordinators with
a veteran they can turn to for tried and true solutions." More
information about the Maine School IPM Coalition can be found at www.maine.gov/schoolipm.
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The Midwest Consortium - Expanding Verifiable IPM in Public Schools
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In May of 2012, Improving Kids' Environment (IKE) and its
collaborators at The Ohio State University (OSU), were awarded a
two-year grant from the US EPA to promote and facilitate the adoption of
IPM in schools throughout Indiana and Ohio. In addition to setting up
five demonstration schools and shepherding the establishment of School
IPM Coalitions in each state, the project is designed to develop a
series of training programs for school personnel to learn how to
establish and run a school IPM program.
At the end of the
first year, significant progress has been made towards achieving the
goals of the project. All ten IPM demonstration programs schools,
representing nine school districts, have operational IPM programs. Seven
of the nine school districts have committed to taking the program
district wide. The Indiana and Ohio School IPM Coalitions have been
established and expanded their memberships through recruitment at
training events and dissemination of news and helpful educational
materials. While the Coalitions' work remains largely virtual, members
are encouraged to meet and share ideas at the training programs offered
through the grant.
Until now, six
educational programs have been held, providing more than 220 school
district personnel the opportunity to learn about IPM. The largest
training program was held at Pike High School in Indianapolis this past
June with over 70 individuals in attendance. The training offered two
tracks, one for school administrators and one for technicians. Both
groups were treated to expert presentations of practical information on
how to implement an IPM program in their school or district.
Moving forward,
work will continue with the demonstration schools in the attempt to
establish a verifiable IPM program at each school. Additional training
programs are being planned for new locations to make it easier for
school district personnel in the far reaches of each state to attend.
The School IPM Coalitions in each state will continue to recruit new
members by providing incentives such as access to resource materials.
Developing a sustainable structure and leadership for the School IPM
Coalition will also be a priority. For more information, contact Margaret Huelsman.
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