Tag Archives: bees

SPN: Summer work in the age of COVID-19

No matter where you live these days you have been affected by COVID-19.  Some of us can work from home, while others have been reassigned and some have not been able to work.  However, as June 1st approaches many of us will be returning to our work environments with new social distancing guidelines.  These guidelines also require all of us to change our behavior on how we interact but also how we will need to implement strict cleaning procedures. So how do you maintain your IPM program and… Read More →

SPN: While the humans are away the pests will play

Since March 23, 2020, most TX schools have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, during this time the most common pests of TX have not taken a break from your campuses. Even though our AgriLife Extension offices are closed we are still working from home and insect questions are still coming in. Over the past month we have seen an increase in stinging caterpillars mostly in the San Antonio and Hill county region of the state. There will be a special story on that coming later… Read More →

School IPM Coordinator Training – Houston Area

Day One – Required New Coordinator Training If you’re a new IPM Coordinator and have not yet taken the six-hour mandatory IPM Coordinator training, this class is for you. This class fulfills Texas state requirements for IPM Coordinators under Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 4, Part 1, Chapter 7, Subchapter H, Division 7 School IPM (whether this is your first time, or you just need a refresher course). The course instructors help coordinators understand their role in the school IPM program and help prepare them for TDA inspections…. Read More →

School Pest News, Volume 14, Issue 6, June 2015

Summer is time for deep cleaning at your school It is that time of year, summer! When the students and teachers leave, and school districts across the state are systematically deep cleaning their school campuses. As custodial and maintenance staff work through your campuses here are a few things to remember. The pests we generally see in schools during the summer months include cockroaches, mice, spiders, ants, silverfish, and occasionally crickets. These pests are animals and they like the same things we do, food, water, harborage and safety…. Read More →

School Pest News, Volume 13, Issue 4, April 2014

Moby Rat – How one image spurred a blog post by Dr. Mike Merchant and email chatter with Dr. Bobby Corrigan I can tell you that fishermen aren’t the only ones to exaggerate when it comes to biggest-catch stories. I’ve heard lots of tales. “I swear that cockroach that flew at me was 6 inches long!” “That rattlesnake was as big as my leg!” And, maybe most impressive, “The rats in our neighborhood are as big as cats!” Nearly everyone and their brother’s got a story about the… Read More →

School Pest News Volume 13, Issue 1, January 2014

All Bugs Good & Bad Webinar Series- begins February 7, 2014! The eXtension All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar series is set to begin February 7, 2014. Dr. Kathy Flanders, an entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, says the series is a continuation of the Don’t Bug Me Webinar series with an emphasis on good and bad insects that affect people every day. “This webinar series will feature insects that affect homeowners and gardeners,” says Flanders. “These insects fall into two categories and we hope to provide… 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 →