Tag Archives: IPM

SPN: Welcome Back to Campus: let’s not bring in unwanted guests

Where has the year gone? Our campuses are bracing for full student and staff occupation, but are you ready for the pest invasion as well?? Did you know that schools have four more times occupants than office buildings for the same amount of floor space? (Schools for Health.org) And yet we don’t always think about how to manage these areas to keep pests like ants, cockroaches, bed bugs, ticks, fleas, mice, rats, and a whole lot more out of our buildings. In this newsletter are some tips everyone… Read More →

Apply fall preemergence herbicide to avoid spring weeds

As soil temperatures cool, now is the time to plan for preemergence herbicide applications to eradicate common cool-season weeds like annual bluegrass and lawn burweed, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert. Chrissie Segars, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension turfgrass specialist, Dallas, said homeowners looking to improve the look and feel of their lawns by preventing annual weeds and burs should prepare to apply fall preemergence herbicides. Preemergence herbicides are designed to disrupt the germination and emergence of unfavorable plants. Other fall and winter management practices like proper irrigation will… Read More →

EPA Healthy Schools Newsletter Debut

Howdy everyone, Region 6 EPA sent out a Healthy Home and Schools newsletter.  It’s four pages of useful information June 2020 Healthy Schools CF Topics include: notes for nurses, information for custodians, Sunwise information to protect everyone during summer, plus ways to stay safe at home with simple tips to keep the house healthy too. While I have your attention, let me introduce you to the newest page on the school IPM website – Recorded Webinar Events on this page are several recordings of webinar events that you can… Read More →

SPN: Focusing on grounds and turf areas

April showers brings weeds, fire ants and few other pests that can impact your outdoor areas.  Even though most of us are limited on traveling, our home lawns, as well as our public spaces still need to be maintained, if we don’t additional pest issues like rats and snakes will move in. This issue will focus on several fact sheets that have been developed by Extension Specialists to help you manage your outdoor surroundings. WHAT IS THAT MOUND??? We have all seen them, a mound in the yard… Read More →

What’s that blob in my playground?

Are you seeing a lot of odd looking blobs of yellow,  pink, white, or even orange looking foam substance? You are not alone. And no it’s not some animal vomiting, this is Slim Mold. Slime molds belong in the phylum Myxomycota in the kingdom Protista. They are not a true fungus. These organisms exist in nature as a “blob” (plasmodium), similar to a amoeba. And they engulf their food, mostly bacteria. The slime mold that typically appear on mulches are from the genus, Fuligo septica  . The brightly… Read More →

School Pest News, Volume 15, Issue 9 September 2015

There is no “I” in IPM; it’s all about Team. By: Janet A. Hurley Integrated pest management (IPM) is like football. In football, it takes a team to win or lose a game. No single person is the breaking point. Successful IPM requires people management and teamwork. A solid IPM program requires several groups of people to work in conjunction with one and another, and to practice the basic principal that no one person is responsible for everything. Taking ownership of one’s actions and helping others is a… Read More →

School Pest News, Volume 13, Issue 11, November 2014

The Importance of Educating Staff about Your IPM Program By: Janet A. Hurley, Extension Program Specialist II Integrated pest management (IPM) is a process that requires cooperation among all school staff members, faculty and students and pest management professionals within a school district. IPM is a strategy of managing pests using multiple control tactics that provide the best control with the least cost and environmental impact. IPM is based on thorough knowledge of the pests and the technologies used to control them and can be performed by anyone… Read More →

2014 Annual Statewide School IPM Coordinator Conference and Meeting of TIPMAPS members

November 13-14, 2014 Omni Corpus Christi Hotel Corpus Christi, Texas Since 2009, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension with the support of others has hosted an annual conference for school IPM coordinators, pest management professionals and other interested parties looking to learn more about integrated pest management (IPM). This year we are teaming up with the Coastal Bend Pest Control Association to host the annual day and half conference at the Omni Corpus Christi Hotel, in downtown Corpus Christi on the waterfront. This conference is open to anyone needing continuing… Read More →

School Pest News, Volume 13, Issue 5, May 2014

SUMMERTIME MEANS DEEP CLEANING; WHY GO GREEN? Deborah J. Young, Ph.D., Colorado Center for Integrated Pest Management The Healthy Schools Campaign, a project that started in Illinois has done extensive research on the benefits of green cleaning for schools. Why go green? 1. Green Cleaning Helps Students Stay Healthy and Learn: EPA estimates that children miss more than 14 million school days each year due to asthma exacerbated by poor indoor air quality. Green cleaning can help reduce the environmental hazards produced from certain chemical combinations. 2. Green… Read More →

School Pest News, Volume 12, Issue 9 December 2013

Using the holiday break As the year comes to an end and students are out of school for two weeks. For most of us it’s a time to be with family and friends; however, before you go on break there are few items you should look into. 1) Winter is the time for colds and flu. Use the break for extra cleaning and disinfecting. According to the CDC, there is a big difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning with soap and water is adequate to remove dirt and… Read More →