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What's New This Month
Do you know
someone whose sense of responsibility, inspirational leadership, and
exemplary persistence and courage protects children from school hazards
and unhealthy school conditions?
Send your hero's story, name, and email/phone number by February 1, 2014 to
healthykids@rcn.com
The annual Healthy Kids Healthy Schools Hero Award was created as
an annual opportunity to tell the story of the 1937 Texas School
Explosion and to inspire leadership to protect children from the
chemical hazards and unhealthy conditions in today's schools.
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| Highlights |
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Recognizing excellence in asthma management!
Applications are due on
February 3, 2014, 11:59 p.m. EST
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| Upcoming Events |
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December 20, 2013
IPM Coordinator Training
Lubbock, TX
More Information
February 5th, 2013
Half Day Bed Bug Workshop
Rockford, IL
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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. House mice and 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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Childhood Behavior Problems Linked to Common Insecticides
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According to a recent
study, commonly used household insecticides are associated with
behavioral problems in children. The study focused on pyrethroids,
compounds used in more than 3,500 commercial products. Pyrethroids kill
insects by compromising their nervous systems.
In the Canadian study,
779 children between the ages of six and eleven had their urine tested.
Pyrethroid breakdown products were found in the urine of 97% of study
participants. Ninety-one percent had traces of organophosphates, another
class of pesticides with a neurotoxic mode of action.
A 10-fold increase in
urinary levels of one pyrethroid breakdown product, cic-DCCA, was linked
with doubling the risk of behavior problems such as hyperactivity.
There was no association between the levels of organophosphate breakdown
products and behavioral scores.
Pyrethroids use has
greatly increased as organophosphate use has declined. According to the
study authors, the only published study addressing pyrethroids and
effects on children was in New York City where prenatal exposure of 348
mother-child pairs to pyrethroids was examined. The study reported that
exposure was associated with considerably lower scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) Mental Development Index.
Association does not prove causation. The findings do suggest a need for additional research. Please visit Environmental Health Perspectives to read the full research report.
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| Getting the Most from Your Pest Management Professional |
Mike Mascia, quality manager/account manager at Pl unkett's Pest Control, recently shared some tips for schools working with Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) on a North Central IPM Working Group conference call. Mascia has spent
six of his 28 years with Plunkett implementing an IPM program within
Madison Wisconsin city buildings. Here are some of the strategies
discussed on the call:
- Ask Questions: Does the company provide
IPM services for other school districts? If not, you are not likely to
get IPM services. If so, ask to speak to those in charge of managing the
contract in other districts served. What is the response time in the
event of an emergency? Which insects are included in the services
offered? Does the company have a successful track record addressing bed
bugs if they were to become a problem?
- Verify Credentials: Ask the PMP if they belong to the National Pest Management Professional Association
or another state or regional pest management professional association.
Ask about any third-party certifications held by the company or
technicians including GreenPro, ACE, EcoWise the Associate Certified Entomologist or Green Shield Certified programs. Third-party certifications suggest a higher-then-average level of performance and professionalism.
- Establish Clear Expectations: IPM bid specifications and contracts can be helpful. For an example bid specification, see Appendix D of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Integrated Pest Management in Sensitive Environments: A How To Guide. For a model contract, see the University of Florida's example.
- Provide Effective Oversight: It's
critical to train your IPM coordinator to oversee your contractor
effectively. For a concise guide to evaluating contractor performance,
see Albert Greene's example. To learn more about what an IPM coordinator is and their responsibilities, visit the IPM Institute of North America's IPM Coordinator job description.
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No, That's Not a Bed Bug!
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Bed bugs continue to be a cause for concern in schools and
other environments. An untrained eye can mistake bed bugs for other
common pests. Here are some look-alikes that can lead to
misidentification and undue alarm:
 1. Spider Beetle
Spider beetles
are the shape and size of fleas, oval and dark brown. They may appear
bloated and reddish brown, as if they had just fed on human blood. Au
contraire! Spider beetles typically feed on goods found in household
pantries during the night or in dark locations, and are not blood
suckers.
 2. Cockroach Nymphs
Cockroach nymphs
hide in cracks and crevices preferring to stay close to food, warmth and
moisture. They are most active at night. They appear white immediately
after hatching or molting, and quickly turn a reddish brown, much like a
bed bug. However the cockroach nymph is more like the shape of a
cylinder, whereas a bed bug is shorter and oval, or apple-seed shaped.
Exposure to cockroaches can lead to asthma and trigger asthma attacks,
good reasons for using IPM to prevent problems with these pests, and to
act effectively if they appear.
Booklice are
commonly mistaken for bed bug nymphs. They are smaller in size, ranging
from translucent white, to gray or brown in color. They can often be
found under wallpaper and along the sides of windows and window sills.
Their primary food source is fungi, pollen, mold and fragments of dead
insects.
4.Carpet Beetles
Although carpet
beetles are small, round and brown they have distinct wings. Their
larvae look like furry caterpillars. Carpet beetles do not bite, but
allergic people can experience welts if exposed to their tiny hairs. Carpet beetles can damage fabric, furniture, carpeting and clothing that contain natural animal fibers.
5. Bat Bugs
Bat bugs are very
similar in appearance to bed bugs and are best identified by an expert
entomologist with a microscope. The primary difference is the longer
length of fringe hairs located just below their head. Also, as their
name suggests, they feed on the blood of bats, commonly found in attics.
If bats are eliminated and bat bugs left behind, feeding on humans and
pets can occur.
The bottom line: Avoid jumping to conclusions before getting an
accurate identification. For a good on-line description of bed bug
external anatomy, visit FMC Pest Wire's free Guide to Bed Bug Anatomy. 
Adult Bed Bug
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