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News you can use
- Statewide pest management trainings for school coordinators start in March
- From pests to pollutants, keeping schools healthy and clean is no simple task
- SPN: Warm-Season Turfgrass Fall/Winter Preparation
- Uninvited vultures draw community ire: AgriLife provides solutions to human-vulture conflict
- Statewide pest management trainings for school coordinators start in March New laws went in effect that school districts, coordinators need to be aware of
Yearly Archives: 2016
SPN: Summer Tips for IPM
Summer in Texas means high temps and high humidity, it also means schools are busy cleaning, repairing and preparing for the next school year. For many of you this means several projects at once and can be overwhelming. This summer tips are ways you can share with your fellow summer school employees how they can help your IPM/IAQ program while you work this summer. Floor Drains – These are the nastiest places on school campuses, especially when floor drain covers have been repeatedly waxed and little or no water can… Read More →
SPN: Online pest risk school IPM tool helps schools locate pest problems
A new online pest risk evaluation tool will help school integrated pest management (IPM) coordinators around the country assess what pest problems exist in their school and where they are. The tool is featured in an article in the Journal of Extension. Adoption of IPM in a school often happens reluctantly, after IPM practices are mandated or after numerous reports of pests in the school. Many schools contract with pest control companies to do a monthly treatment, but results can be uneven if the source of the pest… Read More →
Penn State and Philadelphia schools fight pests that trigger asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung disease affecting ten percent of school-aged children in the United States. In Philadelphia, this number jumps to almost 25 percent, and in some neighborhoods, nearly 50 percent of school-aged children have been diagnosed. The Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management (PA IPM) program — a collaboration between the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture — is partnering with the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) to reduce asthma triggers in schoolchildren by preventing pests, including mice and cockroaches, from… Read More →
New turfgrass handbook available through AgriLife Extension
Homeowners and professional turfgrass managers now have a new Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service publication available to help them when selecting herbicides, insecticides and fungicides to control common turfgrass pests. Weed, Insect, and Disease Control in Turfgrass was authored by AgriLife Extension turfgrass specialists Dr. Casey Reynolds, College Station; Dr. Matt Elmore, Dallas; and Dr. Young-Ki Jo, College Station; as well as Diane Silcox Reynolds, a postdoctoral research associate. “It’s a pretty extensive document that I think will be useful to those managing turf in Texas,” Reynolds said…. Read More →
SPN: How to obtain a pesticide applicator license in Texas
There seems to be a lot of confusion buzzing around schools these days on who can apply pesticides. First only licensed applicators can make ANY type of pesticide application – even “organic” solutions for pest/weed control is considered a pesticide. The Texas Department of Agriculture has required that only licensed applicators and technicians make applications on schools, childcare centers, or educational institutions since the mid-1980s. Although certification is not required for IPM Coordinators in Texas and other states, it’s an option that many are choosing. Certification is a decision… Read More →
SPN: Mosquitoes and Zika Virus
Mosquitoes By: Wizzie Brown, Extension Program Specialist III – IPM Mosquitoes are a hot news item currently, especially those transmitting a new virus….Zika. (At the end of this article you will find a handout designed to help you educate others about Zika.) Mosquitoes can transmit various diseases to humans and animals such as heartworm in dogs and cats, as well as encephalitis (including West Nile Virus), Chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, malaria and filariasis among humans. Aedes mosquitoes transmit diseases such as Zika virus, Chikungunya, yellow fever and dengue…. Read More →
Crabgrass Germination Advice for Homeowners
Given the warm temperatures in North Texas, Dr. Matt Elmore, sent out a note today alerting us that NOW is the time to treat for crabgrass! I thought this was good information for all our readers, even for those of you who are not in north TX. I have heard about forsythia bush being a guide to planting but never, thought of it as a guide for herbicide applications, great tip from Matt! With soil temperatures rising to the upper 50s and low 60s this week and we may… Read More →
SPN: Glue boards
Monitoring versus control, what you need to know when servicing food areas One of the key components of an IPM program is monitoring. Using some type of glue device that captures pests as they move around an indoor environment is essential. In most building settings, the building envelop is not sealed adequately to keep pests like ants, crickets, spiders, and occasionally mice out. At the same time, in certain areas, monitoring is the only way to know if you have a pest problem. Monitoring is using visual… Read More →
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