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to ask questions, learn from others and share successes and challenges.
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Highlights
Do you know
someone whose sense of responsibility, inspirational leadership, and
exemplary persistence and courage protects children from chemical
hazards and unhealthy school conditions?
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Upcoming Events
February 18-19, 2015
School IPM Coordinator Training
DFW Area
March 24-26, 2015
8th International IPM Symposium
Salt Lake City, UT
April 6-8, 2015
2015 Imported Fire Ant and Invasive Pest Ant Conference
New Orleans, LA
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*View this newsletter as a PDF
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Greetings from School IPM 2020!
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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Adult Male Winter Moth: Robert Childs, University of Massachusetts, Bugwood.org
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Winter Moth
Winter chill is no
deterrent to the winter moth. From late November through mid-January,
winter moths are active seeking mates. Male moths can often be spotted
crowding around outdoor lights after dark. Females are flightless, and
must walk up trees and bushes to deposit eggs. Larvae hatching in the
spring can cause serious damage to trees and ornamental plants by
feeding on buds. This insect is common in some areas of New England, and
has also been sighted in the Pacific Northwest.
Identification and behavior
Winter moth adults
emerge from cocoons in mid-to-late fall. Males are light brown to tan
with hairy wings. Female moths are gray and can often be found harboring
at the base of trees. Females lay eggs in crevices in tree bark, under
bark scales or under lichen. Hatched larvae, identifiable by their pale
green bodies with white longitudinal stripes, work their way into tree,
bush or flower buds and eat their way out, and can continue to feed on
newly emerged plant tissue through early June.
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Winter Moth Eggs - Gyorgy Csoka, Hungary Forest Research Institute, Bugwood.org
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IPM
Winter moth caterpillar
feeding can pose a serious threat to apples, cherries, blueberries and
other fruit crops, as well as hardwoods including oak, basswood and ash.
If winter moth adults are sighted or suspected, inspect vulnerable
plants in late winter for eggs. If a problem is anticipated, sticky
bands placed around the trunks of trees in early fall can intercept
female moths climbing up trees to deposit eggs, and may provide some
measure of control. Check bands frequently from late November through
December; in high populations, the sticky surface can become completely
covered with moths, allowing females to evade capture. Horticultural
oil and other pesticide options are available if populations are high.
Proper timing and good coverage are essential. Maintaining tree health
through mulching, fertilizing according to soil analysis, and
irrigating during dry or drought periods, is important to help trees
recover from feeding damage.
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Urban EPA Online Education Events for School IPM
The US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced several webinars on school
IPM. "Controlling Bed Bugs in Schools via IPM" will take place today,
December 16 from 1:00 - 2:30 PM CST, and will address proactive
strategies to engage and educate the entire school community on how to
recognize and prevent the spread of bed bugs. Sign up here. Two EPA webinars after the New Year will address rodent and nuisance bird management in schools. Registration information for these can be found on the EPA's School IPM Webinar Series page.
The Indoor Air Quality
(IAQ) Master Class series began on December 11, 2014, offered by US EPA
and the School Health and Indoor Environments Leadership Development
(SHIELD) Network. In a series of ten webinars, presenters explore topics
such as HVAC Systems, moisture and mold, IPM and and asthma management
for schools. Each webinar includes a thirty-minute question and answer session. EPA will post recordings of webinars in the series to the IAQ Tools for Schools Web Conferences/Webinars page.
Those who complete all ten one-hour sessions will receive a certificate
of completion for the 2015 SHIELD Network IAQ Master Class (CEUs
pending). Don't miss these great free educational opportunities to
further IPM and IAQ in your schools! The next webinar is scheduled for
January 22, 2015. To learn more click here.
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How Could IPM Have Helped?
San
Ysidro School District, San Diego, California is battling an unresolved
lawsuit over alleged pesticide use, incurring $35,000 in legal costs as
of last month. According to media reports, in 2011, teacher Josie
Hamada took her students to a cherry tree grove on school property to
draw and write about trees. After clearing some weeds, Hamada found
herself contaminated with a blue substance which she suspected was a
pesticide. Students were quickly moved inside to wash up. Health
complaints followed, including at least one student's trip to a hospital
the next day.
School
officials report that no pesticide had been applied by district staff
or contractors, and claimed that notices are posted for every scheduled
application. The district had also sent out 5,000 notices to parents
asking if they wanted to receive individual notification when the school
applied pesticides; only three parents responded.
Media
reports indicate the cherry trees were planted as a memorial to
September 11, 2001 victims. It's unclear from the news stories if the
blue substance was confirmed to be a pesticide, however an informed IPM
coordinator might have suggested a lower maintenance alternative before
the trees were planted. Cherry trees, much like apple, crabapple,
dogwood and birches, are "key plants", prone to insect and disease
problems. In most environments, cherry trees and other key plants
require interventions, including pesticide applications, to keep them
healthy and attractive. Fruit trees also typically shed some of the crop
throughout the growing season, which can provide a food and moisture
source for rodents, flies, yellow jackets and other potential pests.
Weeds can also be a challenge to manage. Barrier fabric and mulch can be
a solution, but can also provide harborage for rodents, and requires
ongoing maintenance to be effective. To real the full story, click here.
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Red Fire Ant Mound
Jake Farnum, bugwood.org
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In
Texas, a student died at Has Middle School in Corpus Christi following
an allergic reaction to fire ant stings he received on a football field.
While the district
has
some IPM tactics in place, their IPM practices for fire ant management
were not complete. The coaching staff was not trained to recognize the
signs of anaphylactic shock. Knowing when and how to inspect a field for
fire ants and how to apply baits effectively are key to fire ant
management.
According
to Janet Hurley, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension, "Your objective should be to find the method or methods that
are most cost-effective, environmentally sound and fit your tolerance
level for fire ants." AgriLife Extension worked with the school IPM
staff to develop a district-wide fire ant baiting program. One year
later the district has reported fewer fire ant complaints and reduced
cost with a broadcast bait program rather than treating individual
mounds, which is time intensive, can require more pesticide use and does
nothing to manage fire ants foraging from mounds on adjoining property.
Properly timed bait applications can be entirely consumed by foraging
ants within hours, limiting potential for exposure to the bait. The
district also adopted a policy to train all staff on how to recognize
anaphylaxis and how to properly respond to an allergic reaction to both
pests and food-borne allergies. Read the full story here. To learn more about fire ants and IPM visit Fire Ants and the Texas IPM in Schools Program.
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