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News you can use
- Tips to prevent barn swallow nests this spring
- Last Call for School IPM Coordinator Spring Classes
- Last Chance Virtual School IPM Coordinator training
- Statewide pest management trainings for school coordinators start in March
- From pests to pollutants, keeping schools healthy and clean is no simple task
Category Archives: Newsletter
Tips to prevent barn swallow nests this spring
Federal law prohibits disturbing barn swallows once they nest, so take preventative action now. Whether you love watching barn swallows up close or dread the mess they leave behind, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert encourages you to take preventative action before the birds begin nesting. The migratory spring season for swallows is underway, and barn swallows will typically enter the southern U.S. until mid-April. Of the eight species of swallows in North America, barn and cliff swallows are considered the most problematic for property owners because they build… Read More →
Last Call for School IPM Coordinator Spring Classes
This post is to remind you that our two AgriLife Extension School IPM Coordinator workshops are rapidly approaching. The Dallas Area class will be next week, March 26 & 27 (Wednesday and Thursday) located at the Dallas ISD Food Support Facility. For those of you in central TX we will be in Round Rock on April 9 & 10, at Reeves Athletic complex. School IPM Coordinators are required by law to receive 6 continuing education credits for school IPM every three years. For a new IPM Coordinator you… Read More →
Last Chance Virtual School IPM Coordinator training
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is announcing a one-time only virtual state required school IPM coordinator training on Dec. 12, 2024, from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. This class will cover integrated pest management basics, what are the current licensing and posting requirements for all personnel on school property including AG Science programs. Participants will learn about the TX school IPM rules along with requirements for using pesticides on school property. We will also cover the rules regarding the use of green, yellow, and red category pesticides and… Read More →
Statewide pest management trainings for school coordinators start in March
New laws in effect for school districts, coordinators to be aware of The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has announced the schedule of integrated pest management, IPM, trainings for school district coordinators for 2024. In order to help school districts adhere to new rules passed by the Texas Department of Agriculture, TDA, that went into effect in January, AgriLife Extension will offer in-depth two-day regional trainings and at least one six-hour training. Janet Hurley, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center… Read More →
From pests to pollutants, keeping schools healthy and clean is no simple task
Parents send their children to school to learn, and they don’t want to worry about whether the air is clean, whether there are insect problems or whether the school’s cleaning supplies could cause an asthma attack. But a research collaborative, of which I’m a member, has found that schools might not be ready to protect students from environmental contaminants. I’m an extension specialist focused on pest management. I’m working with a cross-disciplinary team to improve compliance with environmental health standards, and we’ve found that schools across the nation need updates in order to meet… Read More →
SPN: Warm-Season Turfgrass Fall/Winter Preparation
For many Texans, September typically means cooler temperatures, rain showers, and the end of the long hot summer. This change of seasons has an effect on the growth of warm-season grasses like St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass, and bermudagrass. Three management practices to focus on this fall and winter are watering, mowing, and fertilizing. Adjusting these to match the seasonal change can create a strong healthy lawn throughout the fall and into winter dormancy. Watering As the days get shorter and temperatures become cooler, the growth rate of grass slows… Read More →
Uninvited vultures draw community ire: AgriLife provides solutions to human-vulture conflict
What can Texans do when their neighbors are unsightly, smelly and have the habit of relieving themselves wherever they like? If those neighbors happen to be one of the state’s two vulture species, they can call on the expertise of wildlife specialists with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Wildlife Services. “The range and population of turkey vultures and black vultures has expanded over the past decade, leading to increased interactions with humans in both urban and rural settings,” said Mikayla Killam, AgriLife Extension wildlife program specialist with… Read More →
Statewide pest management trainings for school coordinators start in March New laws went in effect that school districts, coordinators need to be aware of
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has announced the schedule of integrated pest management, IPM, trainings for school coordinators for 2023. AgriLife Extension offers two-day in-depth regional trainings and one-day six-hour required trainings at many regional educational service centers to assist individuals who cannot travel but want to learn about the rules from the experts. The in-person trainings will be held across the state. March 2 will be the first one-day training and March 29 will be the first two-day. Registration cost is $240 for two-day trainings or $155… Read More →
Open House November 4, 2022 to Welcome our new Entomologist
Howdy IPM Experience House and School IPM readers! It is with much please to announce that we have hired a new entomologist for the Dallas Center. Mr. Bryant McDowell graduated with his Master of Science in Entomology in 2019 from Texas A&M University. His thesis: Population genetics and the colony breeding structure of the invasive tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva, in Texas will allow him to help Texans with identifying ants. McDowell’s role as the Extension Program Specialist for Urban IPM will be to support the IPM Experience… Read More →
SPN: Licensing, monitoring, and deep cleaning- tips for you.
Howdy Readers, Before I embark on a much-needed vacation I wanted to share a few items with you so you will have some answers while I’m away. The most common question I get is “how do I get a license”. This newsletter article has all the information you need plus a YouTube video with detailed steps. But here is the basic information: Step 1 – Contact TDA to register online – don’t send information to Austin, as it might get lost, but if you apply online they will… Read More →