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News you can use
- 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
- SPN: Warm-Season Turfgrass Fall/Winter Preparation
- Uninvited vultures draw community ire: AgriLife provides solutions to human-vulture conflict
Category Archives: Newsletter
School Pest News, Volume 12, Issue 6, September 2013
Imported Fire Ants the Cause of Death in Texas By Maggie Lawrence, Auburn University The biting, stinging fire ant is a nuisance most people are far too familiar with, but few recognize the life-threatening danger these small pests pack in their punch. Recently, a Texas teen died after numerous fire ant stings during a junior high football game in Corpus Christi. Allergic reactions to fire ant bites are rare, but require quick thinking and proactive first aid work. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist, Janet Hurley, works… Read More →
School Pest News, Volume 12, Issue 5, August 2013
Why is IPM so important? Most of us in our everyday lives don’t give pest control a second thought. We only react after we see a roach or a mouse run through our house. Yet in our professional surroundings, some of us are asked to follow Integrated Pest Management (IPM) either by law or voluntarily. IPM is a strategy that provides quality pest control using the least hazardous chemicals and techniques. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycle of pests and their interactions with the… Read More →
School Pest News, Volume 12, Issue 4, June 2013
AgriLife Extension Hires a New Turfgrass Specialist Dr. Casey Reynolds has been named the new Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state turf specialist and will begin July 1, according to Dr. Travis Miller, Texas A&M University soil and crop sciences associate department head in College Station. Reynolds will be headquartered in College Station in the department of soil and crop sciences. “We are very pleased to have Dr. Reynolds join our team,” Miller said. “Turfgrass is a commodity that most Texans enjoy, whether in their home lawn or… Read More →
May is Asthma Awareness Month
Asthma Awareness Month provides a time for us to work together to improve the lives of children and families living with asthma and with your help, to build better awareness around this important public health issue. Asthma affects over 25 million people in the U.S., including 7.1 million children. Almost 13 million people report having an asthma attack in the past year. While EPA continues to strive for cleaner air and a healthier environment through regulatory actions such as the Power Plant Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, there… Read More →
Bexar County efforts get urban kids ‘rooted’ in science, agriculture
“Okay, what’s the difference between a butterfly and a moth?” asked Natalie Cervantes, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service youth gardens coordinator for Bexar County, during her recent “Butterflies of the World” presentation to fourth-grade students at Wilshire Elementary School in San Antonio. “Today I’m telling the kids about butterflies and insects and their role in the environment as pollinators,” Cervantes said. “We’re concentrating on native Texas butterflies because those are the ones they’re most likely to see.” Cervantes was at Wilshire as part of AgriLife Extension’s Youth Gardens… Read More →
School Pest News,Volume 12, Issue 3, May 2013
When is a pesticide not part of the school IPM program? Janet Hurley and Don Renchie According to the U.S. EPA, a pesticide is a chemical used to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests. Often misunderstood to refer only to insecticides, the term pesticide also applies to herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and various other substances to control pests. Many household cleaners are considered pesticides as well, by the EPA, but are typically exempt from school IPM programs. Recently there has been confusion over some public health products that are… Read More →
School Pest News Volume 12, Issue 2, April 2013 – Bees
Honey Bees: Swarm VS. Colony By: Wizzie Brown While honey bees are beneficial- producing honey, wax and pollinating crops- there are certain situations that may require extermination of bees (colony location, hypersensitvity, etc.). Aggressiveness may be related to the type of bee (European or Africanized), whether it’s a swarm or a colony, or conditions of the environment (i.e. vibrations) In any case, all bees are capable of stinging and care should be taken when they are around. Swarms: Bee swarms consist of a group of bees clustered together…. Read More →
News in Brief on Turf Pests and Fire Ants
Turfgrass knowledge online (Dr. Mike Merchant) Maintaining a healthy lawn does not have to be difficult, but does require know-how. There are a number of excellent online resources at Texas A&M AgriLife to help you get the lawn you want. Integrated pest management starts from the ground up…literally. Nowhere is this more evident than your lawn. The foundation for good turf pest management is good lawn care. And if you want advice on the best varieties, proper soil preparation, correct fertility, and watering, you should head out right… Read More →
School Pest News, Volume 12, Issue 1, February 2013
Kitchen Shelving and Pests: What’s the Connection? School kitchens have all of the essentials for pests including food, water, and harborage. Pest proofing for kitchens includes reducing clutter to reduce harborage, cleaning thoroughly to eliminate food sources, repairing leaks and conducting regular inspections for signs of pests. Storage shelving in kitchens and food storage also plays a role. The ideal shelving includes wire racks. Solid wood, metal or plastic shelves allow crumbs and other food debris to collect; wire racks allow spills to fall through to the floor… Read More →
School Pest News, Volume 11, Issue 7, December 2012
School IPM in Texas: How to Stay in Compliance with TDA. With 4.8 million students, Texas has the second largest student base among US states according to the Texas Education Agency. And with 1,237 school districts and charters and 8,435 campuses Texas has more school systems than California. Over 83% of Texas school districts, are public school districts, which are required by Texas law to adhere to the school IPM rules. School IPM in Texas began in 1991 with the passage of a law requiring that pests in and around… Read More →
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