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What's New This Month
A new brochure on
IPM for schools and day care facilities is now available. It discusses
all aspects of IPM, including pesticide safety.
To view the brochure, click here
Order forms can be found here.
We welcome your posting any of the brochures, utilizing parts or all of the content, swapping the Syngenta logo with yours, etc.
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Highlights
"IPM-Solutions
for a Changing World" is the theme of the 8th International IPM
Symposium to be held March 23-26, 2015 in Salt Lake City Utah USA at the
Salt Palace Convention Center.You are invited to submit a proposal for a
session describing your program, activity, or research that addresses
effective and efficient pest management. The symposium
sessions will be divided into tracks based on commodity or setting and
will address various aspects of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) across
disciplines and around the world.
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| Upcoming Events |
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March 12, 2014
Bed Bug Ordinance 101
Chicago, IL
More Information
March 13 & 14, 2014
Osborne Organics, Systems Approach to Natural Lawn and Turf Management Training
Oconomowoc, WI
More Information
March 19, 2014
Deer Resistant Landscaping
Whately, MA
More Information
March 27-29, 2014
Green Schools National Conference
Sacramento, CA
More Information
April 6, 2014
Tick-borne Disease: Awareness, Prevention and Treatment
Framingham, MA
April 8, 2014
Lawn to Lake Sustainable Landscaping Care for Schools
Grayslake, IL
More Information
April 26-27, 2014
USA Science and Engineering Festival
Washington, D.C.
May 18-21, 2014
National Conference on Urban Entomology
San Antonio, TX
August 24-27, 2014
Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO) National Meeting
Missoula, MT
More Information
November 16-19, 2014
Entomological Society of America (ESA) National Meting
Portland, OR
More Information
March 24-26, 2015
8th International IPM Symposium
Salt Lake City, UT
More Information |
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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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New Pest Control Product Evaluator Unveiled
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How do you
identify which pesticide products are low hazard? Read the label? MSDS?
What other sources of information need to be checked? How can you best
organize all of the information to rank all of your options?
The Pesticide Research Institute (PRI) Product Evaluator
is an online, subscription-based hazard-ranking tool designed to
simplify the process. The tool provides information on human health and
environmental toxicity for over 18,000 pesticide products.
How it all started
The Evaluator grew
out of PRI's work with the City of San Francisco as the reviewer of
pesticide products for San Francisco's list of approved pesticides,
following the San Francisco Hazard Tier guidelines.
PRI saw an opportunity to automate much of the work, using their
databases on the chemical properties, toxicology and water pollution
potential of active ingredients, and also invested in staff time to do
the necessary label and MSDS reviews. The result is the PRI Product
Evaluator that makes pesticide product hazard information more broadly
available to a larger audience.
The Hazard Tier
system denotes the level of hazard: Tier I = greatest hazard and Tier
III = least hazard. Having the Hazard Tier rankings for multiple
products allows for comparison of one product against another to find
the one that best suits the IPM program.
The Product
Evaluator also solves the problem of pesticide product cancellations or
transfers that remove products on an "approved list" from the market.
With more than 1000 pesticide products entering and leaving
the marketplace or transitioning to new manufacturers in any given
year, staying current on product information is a challenge that can now
be easily managed with the new tool.
Streamlining the process
The PRI Product Evaluator is designed as a central resource for IPM professionals, LEED Accredited Professionals,
facility managers, pest control operators, nurseries, golf courses,
retailers and others to find low-hazard products. By pooling nominal
fees from many users, PRI aims to build a support base to keep the
product database current and complete.
Reports Dr. Chris
Geiger, San Francisco Department of the Environment, "In the past, I had
to either hire a reliable consultant to research pesticide hazard data,
or spend many hours combing various online databases. Now, I can just
push a button."
PRI's initial
priority has been to ensure that comprehensive reviews are available for
products used in structural pest control, landscape maintenance,
invasive weed management, and turf pest management. The initial set of
reviews is due to be complete by April 1, 2014.
Features
- The database
includes a selection of "exempt" products containing minimum-risk
(Section 25(b)) ingredients and not requiring a Federal registration,
but potentially useful as low toxicity alternatives in an IPM program.
- The PRI Pesticide Product Evaluator uses the LEED-compliant San
Francisco Hazard Tier Review System to assign a ranking to pesticide
products. These rankings allow building managers and LEED APs to verify
the eligibility of a pesticide product for use in a LEED-certified IPM
program.
- Gardeners
will appreciate quick access to information on products targeting lawn
weeds, slugs and snails, garden weeds, aphids and more. Users of the
mobile app can freely access PRI's Pest Management Bulletins for more
information on low-impact pest management methods through the app.
- Users can search by Hazard Tier, active ingredient, pest, site, use type, and/or chemical classification and even print out a detailed report from the tool's product information page.
- For
organizations with a Group Subscription, groups can create a list of
favorites accessible to all members in order to create an "approved"
list for the organization to which any member can contribute.
- Operators
interested in becoming EcoWise or Green Shield CertifiedSM will also
find this tool to be an asset when it comes time to finding and choosing
low toxicity Hazard Tier 3 products.
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PRI is in the process of developing the PRI Pesticide Product Evaluator iOS Mobile App, which will be available by Apri  l 1, 2014 through the Apple App Store.
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| Mailbag |
In response to our January articles about
head lice and cockroach action thresholds, we received feedback from
readers and some good questions. We've assembled an FAQ in response.
Head lice detection, or, it's complicated!
Q. Is screening for head lice in schools a useful role for school health professionals?
A.
Published studies have not demonstrated a benefit to general screening
of all school children for head lice infestation, e.g., at the beginning
of the school year. Not all school health professionals are properly
trained or have the necessary magnification tools to effectively confirm
active infestations. False alarms result in needless stress, worry and
treatment. However, children may benefit from school health professional
attention at the start of the school year to establish a relationship,
and to assess asthma, abuse, scabies, rashes or other causes of concern.
Q. Should all
parents of children in classrooms where a head lice case is confirmed be
notified and provided with information on signs and symptoms, and
strategies to eliminate head lice?
A.
Parents of children with a suspected or a confirmed case of head lice
need to be discreetly informed and provided with information so that
they can take steps to confirm status and treat if needed. The
information provided should be accurate and complete, including how best
to confirm if their child has head lice. There are no published studies
that document the effectiveness of informing parents of children who
may have been in close contact, vs. informing only parents of children
exhibiting symptoms. Notifying parents other than parents of the child
with head lice may result in unnecessary treatments.
More detail on cockroaches and thresholds
Q. Which cockroach species?
A. The
German cockroach is the primary "domestic" species most frequently
taking up residence within schools and childcare facilities. American
and Oriental cockroaches and other species are less likely to establish
breeding populations unless specific conducive conditions exist, such as
access from sewer systems or very high moisture levels. So the
thresholds apply primarily to German cockroaches, but a detection of
other species in mechanical rooms, utility rooms or other areas where
moisture and access to plumbing such as floor drains, merits an
inspection for these other conducive conditions.
Q. How big is a zone
and at what unit of time is the threshold being measured? Is it a count
per day, per week, etc.? In which specific areas do the thresholds
apply?
A. Use of
thresholds presumes regular monitoring and an effective reporting
systems for complaints including cockroach sightings. A single adult
cockroach captured on an insect monitor, or reported as a complaint in
food service areas, restrooms, classrooms, offices, locker rooms or
utility areas is grounds for additional inspection and monitoring in the
area where the detection is found. These are "pest vulnerable areas"
where food, moisture and harborage can typically be found.
Visually
inspecting for droppings in and around harborage areas, including
cardboard and unsealed cracks and crevices, and food sources, such as
cockroach-edible debris in hard-to-reach places, should follow a
detection. Placing additional insect monitors in these areas can help
determine if the initial detection was isolated or a sign of a growing
problem. Detection of egg cases (ootheca) or immature stages signals a
resident population and need for more aggressive action.
Q. What does a spot treatment entail? Which areas should be addressed and how?
A. The
reader also recommended against using the word "treatment" to refer to
both chemical and non-chemical approaches, as most readers will infer
the former. A spot "response" involves addressing a localized area where
a problem is suspected or has been confirmed.
Actions can
include thoroughly cleaning and then where possible, sealing cracks and
crevices including gaps between fixtures and walls, gaps where plumbing,
conduit or wires penetrate walls, etc. Compressed air can be used to
flush cockroaches out of these areas. Set up a sticky trap perimeter or
vacuum up any cockroaches as they emerge.
Finally, if
reasonable non-chemical measures fail to resolve a problem, gel, liquid
or dry flowable baits can be applied in or near these areas. Use a bait
within a bait station, or apply gel to a removable surface such as The
Crevice®, so that bait can be easily removed once the problem is solved.
Spray-applied liquids are generally less effective and are not
necessary or recommended for cockroaches. These increase potential for
exposure, repeated treatments lead to a buildup of residue, and these
applications can interfere with baits by repelling cockroaches from
treated areas. Remember that it is always prudent to require that any
pesticide applicator in schools be properly licensed and/or certified.
This is a legal requirement in many but not all states, and essential to
ensure applicators meet minimum requirements for training.
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Additional Head Lice Treatment Options
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In addition to the De-Licer® and Lice-B-Gone® lice and nit removal aids mentioned in our January eNewsletter,
alcohol-based Ulesfia®, and oil and alcohol-containing
Hair-Clean-1-2-3® are options parents may want to consider.
Hair-Clean-1-2-3 is sprayed onto dry hair and left for 15 minutes prior
to lice and nit removal with a metal comb. Ulesfia is available by
prescription and approved for use on children six months old or older.
Products containing alcohol can be flammable and should be used with
caution. The LiceMeister® Comb and NitFree Terminator™ are two metal
combs designed specifically for efficient removal. Google any of these
brand names to locate more information including source of supply.
Many other
pediculicides (pesticides which kill lice including permethrinor
pyrethrins) do not kill the eggs, and so require retreatment after seven
days. Most labels warn against using these products on broken skin,
which is not feasible given that lice-related itching leads to
scratching.
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Lice
have three pairs of legs and are grayish-white in color. Nits are oval
white cylinders that are about a sixteenth of an inch long. Lice prefer
to lay their eggs near the ears and the back of the head.
The adult German cockroach is typically one-half to five-eighths of an
inch long and is light brown in color. They are best identified by their
small size and two dark parallel lines that run from the back of the
head to the wings. Although their wings are fully developed, unlike the
American cockroach, they cannot fly. The German cockroach is usually
found in kitchens near dishwashers, stoves or sinks, preferring to hide
in cracks and dark places where it is warm and humid.
1. Spider Beetle
2. Cockroach Nymphs
