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School Pest News, Volume 12, Issue 1, February 2013

Posted on February 25, 2013 by janet.hurley

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 where they can be swept up during regular cleaning. Any shelving should be on lockable wheels to ease moving for cleaning and inspection. Place shelving perpendicular to the wall, not parallel, to facilitate cleaning and minimize obstructed view of the seams where walls meet floors, which are the most common travel corridor for pests.

The lowest rack should be at least 12 inches off the floor. “At the very minimum the IPM person will need to be able to inspect under the racks and behind the items at least 16 to 18 inches—this way you can see if mice are nibbling on items or if there are droppings,” suggests Janet Hurley, school IPM extension specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Food items should be removed from corrugated cardboard shipping boxes before shelving. Cardboard should be immediately removed to recycling containers outside the building. Leaving items in cardboard containers can create a primary means of transport for pests into the building, limit ability to inspect, and provide a favored hiding place for many pests, including mice and cockroaches. “Watch out for cardboard,” says Hurley. “The more you have, the harder it is to inspect.”

Specially designed canned food racks are also available which can be loaded from the back, so older cans move to the front and get used first. These racks also help reduce potential for worker injury from lifting heavy boxes of cans onto shelves.

The American Institute of Baking (AIB) Consolidated Standards for Retail Establishments includes food storage design and food safety measures to help kitchens pass inspections. Many tips that are useful for food safety are also a part of IPM, such as cleaning up spills promptly, emptying trash containers regularly, cleaning drains and fixing leaks.

The San Francisco Department of the Environment published Pest Prevention by Design, which details building design tips to facilitate easier pest prevention and management. Included in the document is a section on institutional kitchen design beginning on page 67. (Written by Jodi Schmitz, IPM Institute of North America)

Tawny crazy ant name proposal hits streets

The crazy ant first discovered in Texas by PMP Tom Rasberry, may be getting a new common name. As Dr. Merchant reported in an earlier blog post, the way for a new name was opened with the recent publication of research firmly identifying the ant variously known as the Rasberry crazy ant, hairy crazy ant or Caribbean crazy ant (depending on what state you are from). As it turned out, the ant was decidedly NOT the Caribbean crazy ant, Nylanderia pubens, but another species originally described from Brazil, Nylanderia fulva.

Entomological Society of America’s (ESA) committee on common names approved a new common on February 15, 2013, name that has received lukewarm support. The last step before formal acceptance of the official common name (which Dr. Merchant and most entomologists will likely start using) is for the proposal to go before ESA membership for comment. The proposal is located at http://www.entsoc.org/PDF/2013/names/tawny-crazy-ant.pdf, and does a pretty good job of detailing the background of the controversy and listing authorities who both support and oppose the new name.

If you are an ESA member, this is your last chance to let your voice be known. Please submit any comments by March 13, 2013 to Greg Dahlem, the committee chair, at dahlem@nku.edu.

Rasberry Crazy Ant aka Tawney Crazy Ant

Interestingly, there are colleagues of ours from Texas A&M who both support and oppose the new name. Dr. Bart Drees (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension) supports the name change, and Dr. Roger Gold (Texas A&M University) opposes it, along with (not surprisingly) the Rasberry family. Dr. Gold thinks “tawny” a little dull, and argues that a more descriptive name is needed. He suggests “Brazilian crazy ant,” to commemorate where the ant was first discovered. I think I like Brazilian crazy ant better than tawny crazy ant; but Dr. Merchant and I have another name to propose. We suggest we call it the “troublesome crazy ant.” I’m sure that’s one name most of the people who encounter this tiny invader could agree on. (Written by Mike Merchant, Urban Entomologist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – adapted by Janet Hurley)

Pyrethroid label requirements tweaked again

Last year Dr. Merchant posted a story about the new pyrethroid insecticide label requirements being sent to pesticide manufacturers by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (We also had a story in the Dec. School Pest News). The requirements were designed in 2009 to reduce the risk of drift (wind carried contamination) and runoff (stormwater-carried contamination) of these commonly used insecticides. Since last spring, when pesticide manufacturers were officially informed of the new standards, the EPA has continued to dialog with both regulators and the pest control industry. The results of this dialog are now out, and the final product is a big improvement, in my opinion.

At issue were applications needed to control certain overwintering insects like brown marmorated stink bug and kudzu bug, both of which aggregate on the sides and eaves of structures prior to entering the home or other building. Under the 2009 rules, outdoor applications to the sides of structures were limited to crack and crevice applications or building foundations up to a height of three feet only. In addition, all outdoor applications to impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches and structural surfaces (such as windows, doors, and eaves) were to be limited to spot and crack-and-crevice applications, only.

After consultation with the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), the Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO) and the State FIFRA Issues Research and Evaluation Group (an EPA advisory group also comprised of regulatory officials), the EPA agreed to make further changes to the original label requirements to allow for better control of overwintering insects.

While restrictions on insecticide applications to impervious surfaces and prior to expected rainfall have not changed, there are some big changes on applications to structures, as published in a January 10 letter to pesticide manufacturers. The three changes are summarized as follows:

Now applications of pyrethroids may be made to the exterior of buildings where the treated surfaces are underneath eaves, soffits, windows or doors that are protected by coverings, overhangs, awnings or other structures that protect the residues from rainfall;
application bands up to one inch-wide may be applied to cracks or other potential pest entry points;
and applications may be made using a coarse, low-pressure spray to portions of surfaces that are directly above bare soil, lawn, mulch or other vegetation.

The purpose of these requirements is to prevent pyrethroid pesticides from entering storm water and getting into streams, something that is most likely when pyrethroid sprays land on impervious surfaces like asphalt or concrete.

In addition to giving back to PMPs, the ability to use pyrethroids against overwintering pests these new regulations should help applicators control nuisance and public health mosquitoes that frequently rest on the sides of buildings and around doorways. This was, in my view, a potentially serious public health issue with the 2009 rules.

So what will be the big change to the way your company applies pyrethroids after the dust is all settled? The new labels will prohibit power spraying driveways and over sidewalks, garage doors and any vertical building surfaces over pavement. Assuming the manufacturers follow these guidelines closely, labels should allow low-pressure sprays to the sides of structures over vegetation or soil and in sites protected from the rain, in addition to cracks and crevices.

Congratulations to the EPA and to those regulators and NPMA experts who took the time to look for ways to keep the pyrethroid label requirements reasonable while continuing to protect the environment. This is one of those examples of how the system sometimes works in everyone’s favor. (Written by Mike Merchant, Urban Entomologist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension)

School Pest News, Volume 11, Issue 7, December 2012

Posted on December 16, 2012 by janet.hurley

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 school buildings be managed using integrated pest management. This was one of the first laws in the U.S. requiring schools to implement integrated pest management (IPM) as part of their maintenance programs. In 2007, the Legislature updated the law and provided more specific regulatory guidelines. Texas is one of the few states that requires IPM Coordinators in all public schools and mandates that they attend a six-hour training course on the basics of IPM principles and specific state regulations. The Texas Department of Agriculture, the regulatory agency for school IPM, has required an additional six hours of school IPM training since 2009. In 2005, the legislature revised the school IPM rules, standardizing inspections to ensure fairness and that schools would know what they must do to comply with the law. In 2010, the Texas Department of Agriculture implemented a new inspection process for schools. School inspections are now computer-based, utilizing 60 yes or no questions to determine the degree of implementation of IPM requirements in the school. The IPM coordinator for the school district should be able to answer yes to all of them. Schools that answer no to one or more questions are considered in non-compliance. The rules and the inspections parallel one another. Anyone who can follow the rules and understands the principles of IPM can pass a TDA inspection. Unfortunately, many of the school IPM coordinators have little experience with school IPM rules and they are not always prepared for an inspection.

AgriLife Extension school IPM classes, teach the defining principles of IPM, proper inspection methods, pest identification, use of non-chemical control tactics, and basic pesticide science. In addition, coordinators must become familiar with Texas school IPM regulations and a large portion of the training covers materials needed to pass a TDA inspection.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension faculty tasked with providing school IPM training found, by experience, that equipping IPM coordinators to properly comply with school IPM regulations within a one-day training was not always effective. In 2002, Extension incorporated a two-day school IPM training class to see if additional training would improve school IPM coordinator success in meeting state requirements. As of 2010, the second day of training typically has the same amount of attendees as the first day, additionally the second day allows Extension faculty to instruct class participants on recordkeeping, developing thresholds and other finer points about IPM in a school system.

The non-chemical, preventative components of the school IPM program (sanitation, exclusion, monitoring etc.) reduce pest infestations and allow for early pest detection – so schools can use less pesticide and still do a good job of managing pests. The benefits are improved indoor air quality; greatly reduced potential for students, teachers and staff to be exposed to pesticides; and improved pest control. Many schools report lower costs of pest control. The Extension school IPM program team provides schools with individual assistance with developing and improving their school IPM programs when requested. Many school districts that attend Extension training request individual site visits afterwards to help them prepare for TDA inspections and assistance in IPM adoption. This service is no cost to the school district.

Many school districts struggle with the implementation and adoption process. Often, the IPM program is viewed as “just the pest control program” – with practitioners and administrators failing to grasp the holistic nature of effective school IPM programs. Schools that recognize that what goes on in and around the schools impacts pest survival and population growth inside school buildings. It is important for pest control technicians to understand that there is more to a school pest control contract than making a pesticide application.

Whether you currently have a pest management service provider or have in-house employees who conduct pest control, here are some tips you can use to stay in compliance with the Texas school IPM rules.

Monitor and Inspect:The school IPM rules require that all school districts have a monitoring

Monitoring to asses pest presence is essential, proper pest identification can help with determine the best way to eliminate a pest

program. This program should consist of placing sticky card monitors in areas known for frequent pest problems; such as kitchens, teacher lounges, wet areas, special needs classrooms and other areas identified by either the IPM Coordinator or facility inspections. The school IPM rules clearly state that the IPM coordinator must be able to perform a facility inspection. However, this inspection does not have to be conducted solely by the IPM coordinator. Prior to taking on a new account, every pest management professional should walk the facility. Licensed applicators should inspect both indoors and on the exterior building perimeters looking for pest entryways and noting other conditions conducive to the development of pest problems.

Thresholds and Written Guidelines: In 2009, the school IPM rules were updated requiring the district to have an IPM policy adopted by the School Board, and a written IPM plan, including thresholds specifying when pesticides are needed. Under TDA’s definition of integrated pest management (IPM) {TAC, Title 4, Part 1, Chapter 7, Subchapter H Rule § 7.114}, school IPM Coordinators and contractors must understand target pests and their biology. Schools are responsible for writing a school IPM plan which sets forth the recommended treatment protocol and provides direction as to when and where pesticides are to be used. With the aid of Extension professionals and Urban Entomologists from around the country, AgriLife Extension has developed several pest management plans and a sample written IPM program with thresholds, which can be found on the school IPM website, (under the resources heading). Routine application of a pesticides in a wet area, bus or other area, not specified in the school IPM plan, leaves the district and pest management professional open to TDA interpretation of whether the district is, or is not following school IPM regulations.

Documentation and recordkeeping: According to TDA, the number one violation for technicians, commercial and non-commercial applicators is failure of the applicator to write their name and license number on the service ticket. The service ticket is the pesticide application record and it is the binding document that tells your customer what was done, when it was done, and who did it. For schools this is very important. The school IPM coordinator must furnish copies of these records to the TDA inspector as a part of the school IPM inspection process. The second most common violation is not receiving an adequate copy of either the Yellow or the Red Category justification form. The best strategy is, every time your applicator uses a Yellow or Red Category product, call the IPM coordinator, fill out the form, and submit it to the coordinator. This allows them to include it in their IPM records.

The rule does not require this, but this small step makes a big difference in how well school districts are able to maintain recordkeeping compliance with TDA regulations and stay out of trouble.

Posting and Notification: No matter the account, posting 48 hours in advance of an indoor treatment is the law in Texas. Be sure that you and your staff are getting pesticide application notices to the school IPM coordinator, the business manager of chief administrator of your accounts in time for the required posting to be accomplished. Letting building occupants know when pest management staff will be serving an account is good business practice, not just a rule that you are required to follow. For outdoor pesticide application, the 2009 rule requires that you post a sign at the time of treatment. If you are using Green Category products, the sign must be put up at the time of application but it can be removed once the application is completed. For Yellow Category products (typically herbicides with a Caution signal word, and pyrethroids) the sign must be put up at the beginning of the application and it must remain in place for 4 (four) hours after you have finished the application. Finally, when Red Category products are used – those that have a Warning or Danger signal word, State limited use, restricted use or regulated herbicide – posting notifications must be in place at the time of application and must remain in place for 8 (eight) hours after the application has been completed.

In the months to come, Dr. Mike Merchant and I will be sharing additional information about the school IPM rules in TX. Over the past ten years we have learned a lot about school IPM not just in Texas, but nationally. There is still much to do, to keep our schools safe from pests and pesticides. Everyone involved must work together to have effective school IPM programs, and safe, healthy schools. (Written by Janet A. Hurley)

New Pyrethroid Label Requirements (for Non-Agricultural Outdoor Pyrethroid Products)

Patty Alder, NCSU, Training Coordinator, Structural Pest Management

In an effort to reduce the potential for runoff and drift that can result from applications of pyrethroids, the EPA has revised the “Environmental Hazard Statements” and general “Directions for Use” sections for pyrethroid non-agricultural outdoor products. Pyrethroids include pesticide products such as “Talstar” (bifrenthin), “Tempo” (cyfluthrin), “Suspend” (deltamethrin), and others. The EPA revisions also apply to “combination products” such as: “Temprid SC,” and “Transport WDG and “Transport ME.” The new requirements also apply to consumer end pyrethroid-containing pesticides, such as “Ortho Home Defense Max” (bifenthrin), Bayer Advance Home Pest Control (cyfluthrin), and others.

With changes to pyrethroid labels it’s important to read the label before you buy the product, use the product or dispose of the product. Remember the Label is the Law

The new environmental hazard statements are specific for different formulations (i.e., liquid, dust, granular, and ready-to-use products). The general “Directions for Use” included in this labeling initiative are considered to be best management and good stewardship practices.

Let’s take a look at some of the new changes:
Requirements for Granular Formulations labeled or intended for outdoor residential uses:

“Apply this product directly to the lawn or garden area. Water treated area as directed on this label. Do not water to the point of run-off.”
“Do not make applications during rain.”

Requirements for Liquid, Dust, and Ready-to-Use Formulations products labeled or intended for outdoor residential uses:

“Do not water the treated area to the point of run-off.”
“Do not make applications during rain.”

Additional Application Restrictions For General Outdoor Surface and Space Sprays, except for outdoor fogging devices:

“All outdoor applications must be limited to spot or crack-and-crevice treatments only, except for the following permitted uses:

Treatment to soil or vegetation around structures;
Applications to lawns, turf, and other vegetation;
Applications to building foundations, up to a maximum height of 3 ft.

Other than applications to building foundations, all outdoor applications to impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches and structural surfaces (such as windows, doors, and eaves) are limited to spot and crack-and-crevice applications only.”

Although the label changes do not apply to turf (such as athletic fields and golf courses), these new label changes will affect the way you conduct pest management using pyrethroids. The one restriction that will probably impact your usual pest management techniques the most is the limitation of structural sprays to impervious surfaces. If you need to do a perimeter treatment, you are still allowed to apply the product up the foundation wall (to a maximum height of 3 feet) and on the soil and vegetation around the building. The major change applies to outdoor applications to impervious surfaces like sidewalks, driveways, windows, doors, and eaves. For example, in an area where a driveway meets a garage door, you are limited to either a spot treatment (an area no larger than 2 square feet) or a crack-and-crevice treatment in that area because both areas (the garage door and the driveway) are considered impervious surfaces.

Most likely, if you’re applying an exterior perimeter spray, you’re dealing with a pest like ants, millipedes, ladybird beetles, or another equally persistent pest. In those cases, a crack-and-crevice application to those impervious structural surfaces like garage doors, windows, eaves, etc., will provide the most benefit anyway, as those areas are often points of entry for these pests. So, here’s the good news: if you follow the new label requirements, you’ll be using the product in a more efficient manner and the potential for runoff will be reduced. A win-win situation!

(Patty Alder assists school in North Carolina with their IPM programs, along with Dr. Mike Waldvogel)

School Pest News, Volume 11, Issue 6, October 2012

Posted on October 31, 2012 by janet.hurley

Calculate Your School District’s IPM Budget and Pest Risk

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension school IPM extension specialists Mike Merchant and Janet Hurley have created an online IPM risk calculator to help schools estimate pest risk and IPM costs. The calculator includes an online questionnaire that leads the user through an IPM inspection, much like the inspection Hurley conducts when she visits a school.

After data from the inspection are entered, the calculator generates a “pest risk report card” with a letter grade from A to F. A graph indicates the top five possible sources of pest entry, food, water or harborage that need to be addressed, such as exterior garbage areas, external doors or windows.

“The calculator teaches you why each problem contributes to the pest problem,” says Merchant. “For instance, the distance of the dumpsters from the building can affect the proximity that rodents have to the doors. So it’s a teaching as well as a data collection tool.” A score is also given for each predominant pest in the area, such as rats, mice, cockroaches and mold, along with a comparison of the school’s score to the probability of each pest in that zip code.

The budget tool allows IPM coordinators to enter items needing repair or replacement, and cost per item. Because IPM costs can be higher initially and decrease over time, it is vital for school officials to get an accurate picture of long-term costs and benefits. The risk assessment tool can also be useful in identifying a pest problem area, what it will take to repair or fix the problem. The cost calculator can help determine what are physical repairs and costs, as well as identifying what are behavioral problems that will also need to be addressed.

AgriLife Extension expert: Proactive lawn weed control best bet

Proactive herbicide weed control for lawns is the key to remaining weed-free when the turf turns green in the spring, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist said.

The most important thing for homeowners when it comes to weed management is to have some predictability on what they may have problems with,” said Dr. Paul Baumann, AgriLife Extension state weed specialist.

Dandelions are a curse many lawn owners must deal with annually. The key to broadleaf weed control is being proactive, according to Dr. Paul Baumann, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state weed specialist.

“That’s pretty easy because you can just think about what problems you have had in the past: grassy weeds such as grass burrs or crabgrass or broadleaf weeds such as dandelion or the purslanes or something like that,” he said. “And once we know that information, we can oftentimes take a preventative approach in terms of management.”

Baumann addressed a variety of weeds and control methods at the recent turf and landscape field day at Texas A&M University. Also presenting a new possible method of control was Jon Smith, a Texas A&M graduate student currently working for Scotts Miracle-Gro, who discussed a new Canadian bioherbicide for the organic-minded homeowner.

A primary part of any weed-management program is starting with a good healthy lawn, Baumann said.

“Do the things you need to help the grass grow,” he said, which includes proper fertility based on a soil test, insect control and disease control.

“Anything that weakens the turf makes it less vigorous and less competitive with whatever weeds that are going to come up or the survivability of weeds that have already come up,” Baumann said

“I always use the adage that you can’t fertilize your way out of a weed problem,” he said. “You have to do something remedial once you have the problem. But a good fertility program will minimize the need for a weed-control program, because our warm-season perennial grasses are very competitive and usually out-compete most of the weeds that might become an issue.”

Dollar weed is another broadleaf, but it is one of the tougher ones to kill, according to Dr. Paul Baumann, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state weed specialist.

However, if weed control is needed, Baumann said there are many products available for the control of crabgrass, grass burrs, junglerice or goosegrass that can be applied in late winter or early spring, in time to activate before germination of those weeds in late spring or early summer.

“The key is a proactive plan to get those products on before the weeds become an issue in turfgrass – especially the grassy weeds,” Baumann said. “Grassy weeds are extremely hard to remove chemically from a grass crop once they are up. Your options are very limited, because you are trying to selectively kill a grass weed in a grass crop. Therefore, the use of a pre-emergence herbicide is the best choice for these weeds.”

However, he said, if broadleaf weeds are the problem, whether they are annual broadleaf weeds like slender aster or henbit, chickweed and burr clover in the winter time, that’s a whole lot easier fix.

There are a number of broadleaf herbicides that can be applied foliar in a remedial approach, Baumann said. A foliar application can take the weeds out of a turfgrass situation without hurting the grass, whether it is in a dormant period and the winter broadleaf weeds have shown up or during the summer growing season.

“Broadleaf weeds are really not an issue for us, with a couple of exceptions like the tougher ones to kill such as dollar weed, dichondra and Virginia buttonweed,” he said. “Then you are going to have to use some specific products and probably more than once.”

Chickweed is a winter time weed that is easy to control with a broadleaf herbicide, according to Dr. Paul Baumann, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state weed specialist.

During the field day, Smith talked about a new product that is expected to be available for the natural or organic lawn owner.

The Canadian bioherbicide, he said, has been studied throughout the Midwest and North, and now in the South, to see if it is safe to use on warm-season grasses in Texas. The product is being developed by Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.

The herbicide is based on a naturally occurring fungus, commonly found in the environment, Smith said. It was discovered in Canada on thistles that were bleached white.

To develop the herbicide, the fungus is fermented on barley grain and then the granular product can be spread either on wet foliage or onto the soil for weed control, he said.

“Right now we are experimenting to see what weeds it works on,” Smith said. “We know it works on dandelions, clover, English daisy, and we are testing others.”

The herbicidal activity of this product leads to chlorosis of the leaves. After seven days, the leaves will begin turning white and by 14 days, they dry up and begin to disappear, with complete kill occurring at about 21 days.

“This is an experimental product that Scott’s has been working with for the past several years and has recently received registration with the Environmental Protection Agency,” Smith said. “It will appeal to those who like to use natural and organic products to control weeds.”

School Pest News Volume 11, Issue 5, Septemember 2012

Posted on September 26, 2012 by janet.hurley

Don’t Invite Pests to Breakfast

Students learn better when they eat breakfast, and for many schools, that means a breakfast-in-the-classroom program. Studies have shown that students who eat breakfast at school have better attendance, are less likely to be tardy and exhibit fewer behavior problems than those who don’t. Can you serve breakfast in the classrooms and keep pests out? Evidence suggests the answer is yes.

Lake Worth Independent School District (ISD) in Lake Worth, Texas has run a successful breakfast program for more than 15 years. Every morning, kitchen staff prepares bagged breakfasts for students, including juice, milk, crackers, and yogurt or donuts. The bags are then put inside large plastic totes and placed on carts outside each classroom five to ten minutes before school starts. After calling roll, the teacher collects the cart from the hallway and distributes the bags.

When children have finished eating, all trash is placed back in the tote and left on a trash cart outside the classroom door. Custodians collect trash from the hallways, usually no more than an hour or two after breakfast, and take it outside to the dumpster. According to Jeff Thomas, director of operations and IPM coordinator for Lake Worth ISD, “If the food was left in the classroom trash, it would be an open invitation to any roaches and rodents in the area.” Ideally, no food or food scraps will be left in the classroom after breakfast. Any teachers who keep leftover food are required to use airtight containers. Any beverages are kept in a small refrigerator in each classroom.

Handy IPM tips include:

Keep paper towels or wipes in each classroom so students and teachers can clean desks after breakfast.
Classrooms where food is eaten may need to be vacuumed or mopped more frequently.
Consider shampooing carpeted classrooms in the winter and summer. Depending on the children’s age and the menu, carpets may need to be shampooed more often.
Custodial and food service staff should work together to ensure that food is both nutritious and easy to serve, eat and clean up. For example, consider serving bagels or tortilla wraps instead of muffins to reduce crumbs.
If a cockroach or rodent problem occurs in a classroom, a full-court press needs to be applied to inspect, monitor, seal entry points and harborages, trap rodents, and thoroughly HEPA-vacuum up droppings, cockroach cast skins and other pest debris. Cockroach baits can be used in areas inaccessible to children if needed to resolve the problem. As a last resort, breakfast may need to be moved to another location temporarily.

Training staff is critical. According to Thomas, “Nearly every time a teacher put in a work order for a pest problem, we discovered food stashed in a cupboard or drawer. From time to time a teacher will forget and throw breakfast leftovers in the classroom trash can. I try to remind all the teachers regularly that they have a vital role in preventing pests.” He recommends occasionally attending faculty meetings and handing out IPM fliers to staff.

Lake Worth ISD also details the measures taken to discourage pests in their breakfast and lunch programs in their IPM plan, which is updated regularly. “With consistent and repeated communication and reminders to staff, it’s feasible to have breakfast in the classroom while still practicing IPM,” says Thomas.

US School IPM “Report Cards” Show Progress

In 2006, a national school IPM working group was formed to coordinate and accelerate school IPM adoption in US public schools. Since then, over $4.4 million has been leveraged from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture, USDA IPM Centers, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state lead agencies and others to support school IPM. School IPM demonstrations and regional school district coalitions have impacted over 4.5 million students and 400,000 staff. The national working group, composed of four regional working groups and coordinated by a steering committee, has grown to more than 240 members.

In 2008, the Working Group distributed surveys to develop a baseline understanding of pest management practices in order to track progress over time. Surveys were sent to knowledgeable leaders in each state who could best report on the status of school IPM programs in their state. This year, with support from a 2010 US EPA Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act (PRIA 2) grant, a follow-up online survey was distributed to state leaders. Thanks to the efforts of the many state leaders, results were obtained from 37 states in 2008 and 49 states in 2012. Results show progress for school IPM implementation in the last four years, including:

States reporting a statewide, coordinated IPM effort with multiple agencies and institutions engaged jumped from five in 2008 (10% of respondents) to 21 in 2012 (42% of respondents).
The number of school staff who attended IPM trainings was more than three times higher in 2012 than 2008. Additionally, the number of school districts that provided internal IPM training programs increased from 44 in 2008 to 906 in 2012.
Schools reported an average of eight different types of IPM communications (e.g. newsletters, listservs, webinars) that were distributed to school districts in 2008, and an average of 21 in 2012. This amounted to a total of 165 communications in 2008 and 737 in 2012. The total number of school districts receiving these communications also saw a significant increase, from 1,793 in 2008 to 3,530 in 2012.
Nationally, public funding budgeted for school IPM increased from $14,500 per state in 2008 to over $33,000 per state in 2012.

The Working Group is also collecting responses on two additional surveys—a coalition survey and a school district survey. Coalition school districts will complete the survey as a training exercise, and update it periodically to gauge progress. The school district survey is intended to measure progress towards the goal of implementing IPM in all US public schools by 2015; it is being emailed to public school districts in partnership with leaders in each state. Results will be used to update the action plan in School IPM 2015, the pest management strategic plan for US schools. More information on the School IPM 2015 initiative can be found here.

Fast Facts about Mosquito Prevention and Control around Schools

Posted on August 23, 2012 by janet.hurley

Here are a few facts that you can use and share with those in your district about mosquitoes, mosquito control, and West Nile virus.

The most important single thing a school district can do is make sure school grounds are not contributing to your local mosquito populations. Check water catchment basins, storm drains, low areas, and equipment storage yards, athletic and playground equipment, especially, for places where water might be caught and held. Drain or treat with Bt dunks, or Altosid granules–both Green category insecticides.

Mosquitoes typically rest in vegetation or other shaded sites during the day. If you have areas of vegetation or doorways where mosquitoes are a noticeable problem, consider treating such sites with a residual pyrethroid spray. This would be a Yellow category treatment and should be limited to known problem areas. Insecticides like deltamethrin, cyfluthrin, bifenthrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin can provide up to six weeks control on vegetation or building surfaces. They can be applied via hand-held pump sprayer, backpack mist blower, or power sprayer to doorways and trees, shrubs and ornamental grass around buildings and entryways. Do not allow students or staff into treated areas until sprays have thoroughly dried. Remember students cannot enter an area that has been treated with a Yellow Category product for 4 hours.

If the city or your district wants to apply ULV insecticides for pretreating sporting venues, posting and notification requirements must be followed and Yellow category justifications filed, as with any use of Yellow category product. ULV treatments usually use synergized pyrethrins (Green for products with less than 5% piperonyl butoxide), resmethrin or permethrin (Yellow). Mosquito control with such sprays is short-lived (few hours to a day) and should be conducted only when wind is less than 5-10 mph.

When it comes to IPM for mosquitoes, don’t forget educating students, parents and staff. The district should consider notifying parents and students advising them to wear repellent to school or evening sporting events. Use of repellents on school grounds is something each school district must decide on. Personal use of repellents is not prohibited or really addressed by state school IPM regulations; however, they are addressed through the Department of State Health Services who considers repellents as part of an over the counter medication. If you have done so, visit with your district’s head nurse make sure she/he is aware of your IPM program and the efforts you, your staff and your pest control contractor are doing everything they can do to help prevent mosquitoes. The Texas Department of State Health Services and many local mosquito control authorities have useful educational fliers and websites (see below) that parents should be aware of. School districts have a useful role to play in getting mosquito awareness information out to our communities. Consider linking this information in your school district’s website. Check out McKinney ISD for theirs http://www.mckinneyisd.net/

Some quick facts about mosquito life cycle, breeding, and water sources:

Once mosquitoes find a suitably polluted puddle of water, they lay eggs. Eggs take about a day to hatch and the larvae 5-8 days at 30 degrees C (86 deg F). Once they pupate it’s another 36 hours before the adult emerges. So its 10-14 days typically for development. Standing water must remain for about that length of time before it is likely to breed mosquitoes.
Clean water is not so much an issue, but if rain water is mixed with leaves and/or soil and sits in the sun for a week or so, it gets pretty attractive for mosquitoes. In addition, water where fish are present, such as a pond or permanent stream is not usually a big source of mosquitoes.

Remember the 4 D’s

DUSK/DAWN- Stay indoors at Dusk/Dawn. This is the time of day that mosquitoes are most active.
DEET-Use insect repellents that contain Deet when going outside, especially at times closer to dawn or dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
DRAIN – Remove all areas of standing water. Examples are pet dishes, birdbaths, and water dishes under potted plants. Repair faulty French drains. Remove debris from rain gutters. Mosquitoes will breed in this debris since it is normally damp under the debris. Remove all piles of dead leaf material from under trees and shrubs. This also is a breeding site.
DRESS– Avoid being bitten by mosquitoes by wearing light colored long sleeved shirts and long pants when going outside.

RESOURCES

The Dept. of State Health services has been sending out emails to school nurses and administrators. However, at AgriLife Extension we are also providing you this information to ensure everyone knows what you can do.

Need a mosquito management plan – check out this link http://www.extension.org/pages/20999/school-ipm-action-plan-for-mosquitoes

Need a poster, flyer, or other information to hand out to teachers, parents or students, including a sample letter you can send home to parents – check out our link https://schoolipm.tamu.edu/forms/public-health-pests-information-resources/

Need additional information about West Nile Virus or other infectious diseases – check out the Dept. of State Health Services website at http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/arboviral/westnile/information/special/schools/default.asp

Dr. Mike Merchant has a couple of very good YouTube videos on mosquito prevention and control – talk to your IT department about allowing you to view these very short informative videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEqv3h03cSY&feature=bf_prev&list=PL601F08778CC0167C

For Frequently Asked Questions about aerial spraying for mosquitoes, see http://citybugs.tamu.edu/2012/08/14/faqs-about-aerial-spraying/

Mosquito Safari is an Extension website with general information about mosquito identification, biology and control, including an interactive tour of common mosquito breeding sites, great site to share with teachers, parents and students. http://mosquitosafari.tamu.edu/index.swf

West Nile virus fears prompt diligence in schools. Common question: Can students use mosquito repellents at school?

Posted on August 20, 2012 by janet.hurley

With Dallas officials having declared a state of emergency in regards to West Nile virus, Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel are being flooded with calls from area school integrated pest management coordinators seeking information to allay parents’ and teachers’ mosquito concerns once school starts.

Areas like this corner of a building can have stagnant water build up. Watch areas like this, trash cans, and sports equipment around your campus.

“It’s a valid concern, but one that’s manageable,” said Janet Hurley, AgriLife Extension state school integrated pest management specialist headquartered in Dallas County. “State law mandates that public school districts in Texas, all 1,030 of them, must have a trained integrated pest management coordinator on staff. They are trained to deal with situations such as the mosquito problems we are seeing in many parts of the state now.”
Hurley explained that integrated pest management uses a number of practices to control pests in the safest, most effective way possible that has the least amount of impact on the environment.

“AgriLife Extension is the lead agency among several agencies that can provide the training for IPM coordinators,” she said. “And the Texas Department of Agriculture is the regulatory agency that is responsible for doing on-site inspections to ensure the mandate is being met and the school or school district is in compliance.”

“A big question has been whether mosquito repellents can be used by students in school,” she said.

According to Michael Kelly, Texas Department of Agriculture structural pest control service coordinator at Austin, “Given the need for parents of school children to have the option of protecting their student from the possibility of a vector-borne disease, parents may apply mosquito repellents to their children and mosquito repellents may be kept in the nurses office in the event that reapplication is necessary.

“It would be up to each school district to determine whether or not they want to allow the practice of keeping mosquito repellents, sent by parents for their children, in the nurse’s office,” he concluded.

Hurley said the announcement from the Texas Department of Agriculture is important, because the repellent issue had some school districts worrying about breaking school pesticide rules. She said Kelly’s comments should allay concerns in favor of protecting students when school starts.

Cecil Fueston is McKinney Independent School District’s Integrated Pest Management Coordinator and one of a number of area coordinators working with Hurley. He said good communication both within the district and within the community is the key component to a successful pest control program.

“It’s very important to develop a working relationship with city and county health officials especially now with the mosquito concerns,” he said. “In my case, I know when and where the city traps mosquitoes, when they test the mosquitoes, where they fog, and what product they are using,” he said.

“It’s equally important to keep campus staff informed. I do this by feeding them information like fact sheets, FAQ sheets and by informing them on conditions to look for and report immediately so they can be corrected.

“As part of our IPM program, we inspect regularly for conditions that allow mosquitoes to breed. We visit each school every third day and emphasize eliminating standing water, water leaks, plumbing leaks and excessive shrubbery against and around buildings.

“We trim bushes back off of the buildings to reduce mosquito hiding places. We focus ‘up and under.’ That means getting the bushes trimmed from the ground up and removing the dead stuff underneath. Multiple-inch layers of dead leaf material provide excellent harborage sites for mosquitoes and must be eliminated.”

Fueston also removes debris from rain gutters, so water will not collect, and adjusts downspouts for proper drainage.

He said one often overlooked area outdoors, especially now as football two-a-day practices are underway in many areas, are the contraptions and training equipment the teams use.

“Here for example, all football teams use old tractor or truck tires for strength training,” he said. “The tires lay out on the practice field the entire season. Water collects in these tires and must be removed. I drill four to six half to 3/4 inch holes in each tire, so they can’t hold water; problem solved.”

In keeping with proper integrated pest management practices, Fueston is cautious where pesticide use is concerned.

Under normal circumstances, pesticides are among the last resorts used to control a pest outbreak after more preventative measures have proven ineffective, according to Hurley.
For more school-related integrated pest management information or to download the CDC Fight the Bite flyers go to: https://schoolipm.tamu.edu/forms/public-health-pests-information-resource/

Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu

CDC Adopts New Repellent Guidance for Upcoming Mosquito Season

Posted on August 16, 2012 by janet.hurley

Americans have more options than ever to use in protecting themselves from mosquito bites. Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance about effective mosquito repellents available in theUnited States. The updated guidance includes addition of two active ingredients – picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus – which have been shown to offer long-lasting protection against mosquito bites. Repellents containing DEET continue to be a highly effective repellent option and are also included in the CDC guidelines.

Picaridin, also known as KBR 3023, is an ingredient found in many mosquito repellents used in Europe,Australia, Latin America andAsiafor some time. Evidence indicates that it works very well, often comparable with DEET products of similar concentration. One product, containing 7 percent picaridin, is being distributed in theUnited Statesfor the first time this year. The other repellent is oil of lemon eucalyptus (also known as p-menthane 3,8-diol or PMD), a plant-based mosquito repellent that provided protection time similar to low concentration DEET products in two recent studies. It is available in a variety of formulations throughout theUnited States.

“We’re very excited that the number of options people have to protect themselves from mosquitoes and therefore West Nile Virus has increased,” said CDC Director Julie L. Gerberding. “Products containing DEET, picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are all excellent choices. The important thing is that they remember to protect themselves from mosquito bites when they’re going to be outside. We want people to enjoy their spring and summer free of West Nile Virus.”

Mosquito season has already begun in some parts of the country. With mosquitoes comes the risk of West Nile Virus infection and other infections spread by mosquitoes. Just one bite can lead to an infection that could cause serious illness or even death. While people over 50 are more likely to become seriously ill if infected with WNV, people of any age can become mildly to seriously ill. Most people who contract West Nile Virus do not show any symptoms. However, about 20 percent of people experience symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea and vomiting and an estimated 1 in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. The severe symptoms can include high fever, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss and paralysis.

DEET, picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are all registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates these products. Repellents registered with EPA have been evaluated for both safety and efficacy when used according to label instructions. DEET Answers a fact sheet developed by the EPA and CDC

CDC recommends that people use repellent anytime they go outside, especially during prime mosquito biting hours, between dusk and dawn. People should follow the label instructions, and if they start getting bitten re-apply repellent. CDC Fight the Bite prevention posters helps you make your staff, students and others aware of what they can do.

CDC works with state and local health departments, federal and other government agencies, as well as private industry, to prepare for and prevent new cases of West Nilevirus infection. CDC coordinates ArboNet, a nation-wide electronic database that gathers information about West Nilevirus in humans and animals, in order to guide prevention and response activities. To learn more about how to protect yourself and your family from West Nile Virus, please visit www.cdc.gov/westnile. More information on the guidance is available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/RepellentUpdates.htm.

Adopted from CDC Press Release

School Pest News Volume 11, Issue 4, August 2012

Posted on August 10, 2012 by janet.hurley

Cricket invasion hits parts of East and Central Texas By Steve Byrns, AgriLife Extension

The current cricket invasion many are experiencing in parts of East and Central Texas isn’t particularly unusual, but the timing is, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service entomologist.

Dr. Michael Merchant, AgriLife Extension urban entomologist at Dallas, said he’s had a number of reports from Central and East Texas folks concerned with the high number of crickets they’re seeing this year.

“I attribute this to early warm temperatures and recent rains that serve as a trigger for cricket flights,” Merchant said. “This is the earliest cricket infestation that I can recall though. We usually have cricket swarms following our late summer and fall rains.”

Merchant said cricket outbreaks are among the most predictable pest occurrences in Texas. Most of the invaders are black field crickets belonging to the Gryllus assimilis complex.

“We usually see this phenomenon in August and September when our typical summer drought is broken by rainfall and cooler temperatures,” Merchant said. “That’s happened earlier this year, leading to the high numbers we are seeing now.”

Merchant said field crickets are outside insects which don’t breed or live indoors, so the chance of damage is minimal.

“During severe outbreaks, like some are having now, they can become a nuisance around homes and businesses due to the sheer numbers. They swarm up walls, over sidewalks and eventually die, causing an unsightly mess and foul odors,” he said.

Merchant said home and business owners can greatly reduce the onslaught by turning off outdoor lights that attract the insects. He said bright outside lighting is the leading cause of high cricket concentrations.

“If it’s practical, just turn off your outside lights as early in the evening as possible or replace the bulbs with low-pressure sodium vapor lamps or yellow incandescent ‘bug lights’ which aren’t as attractive to crickets as brighter light sources.”

Merchant said it’s also important to seal all entry points to your home, especially those near bright lights. He recommends using steel or brass wool as a temporary barrier, because it’s easily stuffed into weep holes, cracks and other entry points, but doesn’t hinder needed air flow.

“Insecticides should only be considered as a last resort due to safety and environmental concerns, and even then only as a partial solution to the problem,” Merchant said. “Insecticides should be used with reduced outdoor lighting for best results. Crickets drawn to bright lights will continue to cause problems no matter how much insecticide is used.

“The good news is the heaviest mating flights, which is what these infestations are, only last a week or two. If this naturally occurring invasion gets on folks’ nerves too bad, I recommend they catch a few for bait and go fishing!”

For more information on crickets and other insects go to http://citybugs.tamu.edu

What’s really killing Texas trees? By: Robert Burns, AgriLife Extension

Hypoxylon is a fungus that is usually considered a weak pathogen — not aggressive enough to take over healthy, unstressed trees, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service forestry specialist. Once the signs of the fungus infection are obvious, as here, the tree is already dead.

Although drought is often the cause, trees can die for other reasons besides lack of soil moisture, said Dr. Eric Taylor, Texas AgriLife Extension Service forestry specialist, Overton.

“Drought is the primary contributor to tree kill, but it may not be exactly the way you might be thinking,” Taylor said. “You may find this hard to believe, but relatively few trees likely died directly from dehydration in 2011. Instead, the 2011 drought severely weakened mature trees, making them susceptible to opportunistic pathogens like hypoxylon canker and insects like pine bark engraver beetles.”

He said that in most instances, the trees that died in 2011 were already stressed from a number of pre-existing environmental factors such as overcrowding, growing on the wrong site, age, soil compaction, trenching or inappropriate use of herbicides. If not for these factors, a large proportion of the trees that died might have recovered from the drought.

“This is an important concept to remember because our best defense against drought is to promote a tree’s health and vigor through proper care and management,” Taylor said.

This is not to play down the importance of water to tree health, he said. Water, particularly soil moisture, is critical for all a tree’s physiological processes. Trees require water to make and transport food, take in and release carbon dioxide, conduct biochemical reactions, build tissue and more.

“You name it, the tree needs water to do it,” Taylor said.

Though moisture stress may be the trigger,many trees likely died from insect damage, invasion of fungi and other diseases, and even heat stroke, according to Taylor.

“Much of the recent tree deaths and general decline might also be attributed to the extreme and prolonged heat of 2011,” he said. “Extreme temperatures, not only during the day but also in the early evenings and night, have negative impacts to tree physiological processes.”

Taylor said although it is the lack of water that’s at the root of tree death by heat stroke, there’s more to it than the tree being thirsty. As do humans, trees sweat to cool themselves off. Only with trees, the process is called “transpiration,” and it’s water evaporating primarily from leaves that dissipates heat.

Inadequate soil moisture coupled with hot air temperatures means a tree’s ability to transpire is limited.

“As a result, the cells in leaves and small branches can ‘cook’ to death,” Taylor said.

This “cooking” results in cell and protein breakdown, the generation and/or buildup of toxins, lesions and eventually death of the tree, he said.

As for tree deaths from macro fungi on hardwoods such as hypoxylon canker, it’s stress brought on by drought and heat that creates opportunity for the disease, not the direct effects of moisture shortage, Taylor said. Hypoxylon is a white-rot fungus that is usually considered a weak pathogen — not aggressive enough to take over healthy trees.

“It is only of consequence when the trees are under severe stress and wood moisture drops significantly,” he said. “Often, the first symptom that may be observed is the dying back or thinning of the crown.”

As the fungus develops underneath the bark, it causes the bark to pop loose and slough off, exposing a mat of grey, tan, olive green or reddish-brown powdery spores,” he said.

“By the time the spores become visible, the tree is dead,” Taylor said.

For more information about the identification and prevention of hypoxylon canker, go to http://txforestservice.tamu.edu , he said.

Another odd sign occurring this year is the dropping of seemingly healthy, green leaves, according to Taylor. One explanation for green leaf dropping is that the tree lost part of its root system during the 2011 drought.

“When spring came, there was enough food reserves for the trees to leaf out, but the root system was no longer sufficient to provide enough water to all of the leaves that developed,” Taylor said. “Now the trees are compensating by dropping some of the leaves in order to provide adequate moisture to the residual leaves.”

But don’t start your chainsaw yet, he said. If this is the first year that a tree’s dropped leaves, it may eventually recover, according to Taylor.

If the drought continues or intensifies, homeowners can reduce tree stress by paying attention to over-crowding, proper pruning, minimizing damage to the stem and roots, and proper watering.

For existing landscapes, proper watering during a drought is the best way to reduce water stress.

“A rule of thumb is to begin supplemental watering if significant rainfall has not occurred in the past seven to 10 days,” he said. “Begin sooner if it’s extremely hot and humidity is low.”

Taylor recommended using a soaker hose or by trickle or drip irrigation, and water just outside the drip line of the tree’s crown. (The drip line is the area on the ground directly under the farthest-reaching branches.)

“It is not necessary to encircle the entire tree, especially if a very large tree” he said. “A good watering on half or one quarter of the root system can be very beneficial. Do not concentrate the water at the base of the tree. Doing so can lead to root diseases.”

The water should soak into the soil without run off. If the water runs off or puddles, reduce the flow rate. Water until the moisture has soaked in to the soil to a depth of at least 8 to 10 inches.

The best time to water is during the early evening and at night, Taylor said. This is the time when trees normally catch up and replenish the water they loose during daytime activities like photosynthesis.

During the drought, plan on watering trees once a week. Be forewarned though. Large trees drink from a big bucket, Taylor said.

There’s more than just water involved in maintaining healthy trees. In August, Taylor is conducting a four-part course on woodland management with urban landowners in mind. See http://today.agrilife.org/2012/07/10/private-woodlands for more information.

Proactive Action Plans Discourage Bed Bug Problems By: Jodi Schmitz, IPM Institute of North America

Bed bugs are on the radar at many school districts. More than 1,000 people registered for US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2’s June webinar, “Bed Bugs go to School.” The presentation covered basic facts about bed bugs and tips for keeping them from becoming a problem in schools.

Bed bugs remain a growing problem nationally. However, breeding populations of bed bugs have not been reported in schools. Rather, bed bugs are “introductions,” arriving in staff and student belongings including clothing or book bags. Unless a school is a boarding facility, or also serves as a shelter where people are staying overnight, schools do not offer feeding opportunities at night which are critical for establishing bed bug infestations.

Long before a bed bug is found, school districts should create a policy and action plan for responding to a bed bug detection. All staff should be aware of their responsibilities in the event of a confirmed bed bug specimen. A policy and plan can help avoid confusion and overreaction when a bed bug is discovered.

There is no need to close the school or send any students home when a bed bug detection is confirmed. Instead, districts should have a comprehensive procedure in place, which includes:

Discretely remove the affected student from class so the school nurse can check the student’s clothing and belongings. Remember that bed bugs are very seldom found on the body.
The nurse or school principal should contact the student’s parents or guardian to inform them of the situation. The student should not be excluded from school activities.
Send additional bed bug information home with the child, including basic information about bed bugs and how they are controlled.

Schools should educate students, parents, faculty and staff about basic bed bug biology and habits and how to recognize all life stages of bed bugs. Let parents know the school has a bed bug action plan in place and send an awareness flier home to educate them on how to avoid sending bed bugs to school with their children.

Tried and true IPM approaches can discourage all pests, including bed bugs, cockroaches, rodents and ants from setting up shop:

Inspect rooms regularly. Tools of the IPM trade include a magnifying glass, strong LED flashlight, plastic zip-bags or clear tape for collecting specimens, a probe (like a cut credit card) and tools for removing outlet and light switch covers.
Encourage staff to reduce clutter by at least half, focusing on anything that hasn’t been used in the last two years.
Clean and vacuum regularly. For classrooms where bed bugs have been confirmed, vacuum up a small amount of talcum powder to discourage any bed bugs that are inside the vacuum from crawling back out.
Isolate all student belongings in clear plastic bags or bins, especially if there has been a bed bug detection in a particular classroom.
Reduce items brought back and forth from home to school. Identify items that can be left at school or at home until the end of the year.

Pesticide treatments are not needed in typical school environments. A dryer can be used to heat belongings to the lethal temperature for bed bugs. For boarding schools, dormitories or other educational facilities where people sleep at night, a variety of heat treatments are very effective including hot boxes to treat infested furnishings, books, etc., whole-room hot air generators and application of steam to potential harborages. Avoid steam treatments to electrical outlets or fixtures.

Bed bug dogs can be effective tools, but can also be expensive and performance can be variable. Given schools are typically not harboring breeding populations of bed bugs, canine inspections have limited value. If used, children should not be in the school while the dog is working to reduce distractions for the dog team.

EPA has developed a collection of additional information on bed bug prevention and management, including tips on hiring pest management professionals, identifying and treating bed bug infestations, and common bed bug myths.

Or follow this link to our Bed Bug Management Plan http://www.extension.org/pages/61823/school-ipm-action-plan-for-bed-bugs

Mosquito-proof your yard

Posted on August 9, 2012 by janet.hurley

The year 2012 is turning out to be one of the worst years in north Texas for West Nile virus since the disease crept into the state in the late 1990s. As of last Friday, there were 115 total human cases of West Nile virus (fever and neuroinvasive forms included) in Dallas County alone. And the summer, and peak WNV season, is far from over.

Do-it-yourself Options

There are several simple things everyone can do to fight back against mosquitoes.

When going outdoors, using a personal repellent remains your’s and your family’s primary, and most secure, line of defense. My summer intern, Jeremy Farmer, wrote on this subject a few weeks ago, so if you didn’t catch that post, check it out. But many of us get caught without repellent when stepping outside for a short trip to retrieve the mail or newspaper. Also, health department officials note that indoor mosquitoes may be another source of bites in some WNV cases.

So besides repellents, what can you do to reduce the risk of mosquito bites for yourself and your family in your backyard and indoors? It turns out that there are several relatively inexpensive steps anyone can take to reduce mosquito risks around the home.

Look for standing water in and around your backyard. Before you dismiss this as something YOU don’t have to worry about in YOUR backyard, go outside and take a hard look. If you or your neighbors are washing the car or running irrigation systems, there is always possibility of standing water in small containers, drainage catchment basins, and city storm drains next to your home. Also, check overflow dishes in potted plants and neglected bird baths. After summer showers make sure that buckets, wheelbarrows and children’s toys are emptied. It only takes a little soil, compost or a few leaves, and water that stands for 1-2 weeks, to breed mosquitoes.
Drain or treat standing water. Standing water in sewer lines or catchment basins can be treated with mosquito dunks or an insect growth regulator called methoprene. Methoprene granules or briquets last the longest, but both products will kill mosquito larvae when you can’t drain the water from a breeding hole. Remember, koi ponds, streams or creeks with fish generally don’t need treatments–fish do a pretty good job in most cases of controlling pest mosquitoes.
Ridding your yard of breeding sites is not the full answer, because mosquitoes will disperse into your yard from neighboring properties. Use an aerosol or propane fogger to clear mosquitoes temporarily from a yard. Having a picnic this weekend? One of the short-lived insecticides like pyrethrins or resmethrin can be applied to shrubbery, tree foliage and shady areas around the home to kill resting mosquitoes. Effects of such sprays can last for a few hours to a couple of days.
Use your garden sprayer to apply pyrethroid sprays to treat shady areas around the house, especially around entryways where resting mosquitoes are more likely to come indoors when you enter and leave the home. Sprays like lambda-cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin and others can provide several weeks of mosquito killing power on soffits and wood siding. Applications made to brick are a little tricky and may need to be reapplied more frequently.
If you are ready for more drastic action, several manufacturers make hose-applied pyrethroid insecticides for general backyard insect control. While I’m not generally a fan of broadcast applications of insecticides to the backyard (because of possible effects on beneficial insects), these products can provide extended control of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Sprays should be applied to shady lawns, shrubs, trees and shady areas of the house exterior where mosquitoes hide during the day.
Note: Pyrethroid insecticides are very effective at mosquito control, but should be used carefully. Only use during the peak time for disease risk (July-September in most areas of Texas), and follow all directions on the label carefully. To minimize the risk of these products to butterflies and honey bees, apply in the evening just before dark. And don’t apply pyrethroids on windy days or when rain is expected. To learn more about using pyrethroids safely, click here.

Hiring a Professional

If the thought of do-yourself-bug battling isn’t for you, consider using a professional. Many pest control companies in metropolitan areas offer mosquito control services. A professional can offer applications and pesticide formulations that reach higher into trees (where WNV mosquitoes hide) and work better on porous surfaces like brick. This may be the best alternative for many of us.

Ask about the various options offered by the company. Mister systems are more expensive, and require constant attention to minimize the impacts of the sprays on beneficial insects. They should only be used when mosquito season is at its peak. Residual treatment of plants and outdoor surfaces is generally effective for 4-6 weeks, and more economical than mister system installation.

Finally

If this post seems a little more insecticide-oriented than usual, there’s a reason. Mosquitoes, especially this summer, are serious business. Despite care to rid my own yard of all possible breeding sites, the mosquitoes in my, and my neighbors’, yards have been abundant this year. This summer I’m diligent (more than usual) about using repellent whenever I go outside, even for a few minutes, and I’m ready to use longer-lasting insecticides in my (normally insect-rich) back yard. One thing’s for sure. The beneficial insects will return to my yard after mosquito season. I want to be around to enjoy them.

Pest Identification is Vital to IPM

Posted on August 3, 2012 by janet.hurley

“Proper pest identification is very important, because if you don’t know what kind of pest you’re dealing with, it’s very difficult to come up with a successful management plan,” says Janet Hurley, school IPM extension program specialist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Ants are a good example. Insecticide baits are available for many but not all species, and each bait product is effective for a limited list of species. With some types of ants, such as odorous house ants and carpenter ants, it is best to locate and treat the nest directly. In species such as pharaoh and Argentine ants, however, treating the nest with a spray like a pyrethroid can cause the ants to bud, or create multiple new colonies.

Hurley encourages IPM coordinators for school districts to have access to a microscope, jeweler’s loupe or high-powered magnifying glass during inspections. “Some schools have science labs with microscopes that IPM coordinators can use for pest identification,” says Hurley.

In many states, those who aren’t well-versed in pest identification can contact their county extension office. “Seasoned county agents should have some knowledge of pest identification,” says Hurley, “but those who don’t still have access to extension entomologists.” Most extension agencies are able to accept digital photos for identification, or pest samples can be sent in a vial or small container containing some rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. Websites such as bugwood.org or bugguide.net house libraries of insect images and make great aids for pest identification. Commercial identification services are also available, such as IdentifyUS, LLC, founded by Dr. Richard Pollack. IdentifyUS provides identification of both physical specimens and digital photos, as well as guidance on pest management.

Several pests that often get confused are bed bugs and bat bugs, blacklegged ticks and dog ticks, and common species of ants. Below is a brief guide to help with identification of these pests. If you are still unsure about what kind of insect you’re dealing with, always check with an extension agent, entomologist or other expert before taking action.

Bed Bug Cimex lectularius (Image credit Gary Alpert, Harvard University, Bugwood.org)

Bed bugs are broadly flattened, oval-shaped insects with greatly reduced wings. They are unable to fly or jump, but can move very quickly. They have segmented abdomens. They are light brown to reddish-brown in color before feeding, but become swollen and mahogany red after a blood meal. Eggs are white and newly hatched nymphs are translucent, becoming increasingly brown in color as they mature. Some individuals may exhibit skin rashes and other allergic reactions to bed bug bites, but not everyone exhibits symptoms after being bitten. Bed bugs typically leave small blood spots behind after feeding. Studies show that bed bugs can survive without feeding for up to a year, but they typically try to feed every five to ten days.

Western Bat Bug Cimex pilosellus (Image credit Susan Ellis, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org)

Bat bugs feed primarily on the blood of bats, but will feed on other warm-blooded animals including humans if bats are not available. They will not become established on humans as a regular host. Bat bugs look very similar to bed bugs, possibly requiring microscopic examination to distinguish between them. A key difference is that the fringe hairs on the upper covering of the thorax (pronotum) are longer in the bed bug.

American Dog Tick (Wood Tick) Dermacentor variabilis (Image credit Susan Ellis, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org)

Dog ticks are predominantly found in the US east of the Rocky Mountains and are part of the family of ticks called hard ticks, which have a scutum or hard shield on their backs. Adults have eight legs and are brown to reddish-brown in color with a grayish scutum. Unfed males and females are about 3/16 of an inch long, and females grow to about ½ inch long after feeding, about the size of a small grape. They can be carriers of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Nymphs feed on small rodents and adults prefer dogs or medium-sized mammals, including humans. They are most often found in the spring and early summer along animal paths in grassy, shrubby areas adjacent to wooded areas or forests.

Blacklegged Tick (Deer Tick) Ixodes scapularis (Image credit Scott Bauer, USDA ARS, Bugwood.org)

Blacklegged ticks are common in the northeastern and upper midwestern US and can be carriers of Lyme disease. They are also hard ticks. Unlike the dog tick, adult blacklegged ticks have no white markings on the scutum. They are about 1/10 of an inch long and dark brown to black in color. Females are often orange or red behind the scutum. Adults feed on large mammals, primarily white-tailed deer. Engorged ticks, or those that have had a blood meal, look significantly different from unengorged ticks, appearing swollen with a light grayish-blue colored abdomen. When identifying an engorged tick, it is helpful to focus on the legs and upper part of the body, which do not change upon feeding.

Argentine Ant Linepithema humile (Image credit Alex Wild, alexenderwild.com)

This is the most accomplished invasive species or “tramp” ant. It arrived in the US in the 1990s and is the predominant pest ant in California. It is also found along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. Argentine ants have only one node (also called a petiole; a small bump between the thorax and the gaster, or abdomen), which is distinct but small and is never hidden by or fused with the abdomen. They are almost completely hairless, and are about 1/10 of an inch long. During the summer, multiple Argentine ant colonies may merge to form large supercolonies. They are monomorphic, meaning all ants within a colony are the same size.

Black Carpenter Ant Camponotus pennsylvanicus (Image credit Susan Ellis, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org)

Carpenter ants have only one node and a tuft of hair at the tip of the gaster. The thorax, when viewed from the side, is evenly convex with no obvious bumps and ridges. They are generally large in size, ranging from ½ inch to more than ¾ inch long, and are polymorphic, meaning the colony includes several different sizes of ants that have different jobs. These include winged reproductive ants that overwinter and emerge in the spring. They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests, but they do not eat wood like termites.

Fire Ant Solenopsis geminate (Image credit Pest and Diseases Image Library, Bugwood.org)

Fire ants have two nodes between the thorax and gaster. Their antennae are composed of ten segments, with the last two forming a distinct club. They have a visible stinger. They do not have any spines on their thorax. Thief ants have the same basic characteristics but are smaller, with fire ants greater than 1/10 inch long and thief ants less than 0.07 inches. Like carpenter ants, fire ants are polymorphic.

Pavement Ant Tetramorium caespitum (Image credit Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org)

Pavement ants have two nodes, which are attached to the front of their abdomen rather than the top. They are dark brown or black in color and are about 1/10 of an inch long or slightly larger. They have distinct ridges on their face, which give a striped appearance, and no antennal club. They have a pair of small spines on the thorax close to the nodes.

Article written by Jodi Schmitz, IPM Institute of North America

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