Integrated Pest Management

1. Integrated Pest Management Controlling Pests Through Environmentally Sound Practices

2. What is Integrated Pest Management? • It is a state mandated pest management program which requires school districts to approach pest management with the least possible risk to students and staff.

3. What is Integrated Pest Management? • IPM is a process for achieving long-term, environmentally sound pest suppression through a wide variety of tactics. • Control strategies in an IPM program include structural and procedural improvements to reduce the food, water, shelter, and access used by pests. • With IPM focusing on remediation of the fundamental reasons why pests are here, pesticides are rarely used and only when necessary.

4. IPM Basics • A proactive plan using education and communication as the foundation to success.

5. Education and Communication • Train staff to know what conditions can cause pest problems and how to properly report them. • Communication about pest issues is essential. • A protocol for reporting pests or pest conductive conditions and records of action taken is the most important part of an effective IPM program.

6. Cultural and Sanitation • Knowing how human behavior encourages pests. • Small changes in cultural or sanitation practices can have significant effects on reducing pest populations.

7. Physical & Mechanical • Rodent traps • Sticky monitoring traps for insects • Door sweeps • Sealing holes under sinks • Proper drainage and mulching of landscapes Are a few examples of how to control pests through physical and mechanical means.

8. Pesticides • IPM focuses on remediation of the fundamental reasons why pests are here; pesticides should rarely be used and only when necessary.

9. Concerns of Pests and Pesticides • Structural and landscape pests can pose significant problems in schools. • Mice and cockroaches can trigger asthma. • Rodents are vectors of disease. • Many people are allergic to insect stings. • The pesticides used to remediate pests can pose health risks as well.

10. Benefits of IPM • More effective, efficient, and long-lasting solution to specific pest issues. • Reduced pesticide use. • Improved children’s health. • Reduced potential for pest-vectored diseases. • Long-term cost savings for school district. • More organized working environment.

11. Pest Basics • Food • Water • Shelter

12. This may seem to be a harmless grain spill, but it is a food source for rodents.

13. Roles That Specific Staff Hold in the IPM Program

14. Role of custodial staff in the IPM program • Awareness of pest conductive conditions. • Clutter • Food & food debris • Voids under doors, sinks and baseboards, etc. • Reduction of pest conductive conditions. • Use of insect monitoring traps • Communication • Report pests through school dude. • Report maintenance needs (school dude it). • Regular communication and follow up with IPM Plan Coordinator. • Sanitation • Cultural changes • Attend annual IPM training. • Participate in annual IPM Inspections • Appropriate pest-response action.

15. Role of Maintenance/Construction • Monitoring for pest conductive conditions. • Develop priority list of deadlines for pest exclusion needs. • Develop protocols and provisions for pest avoidance and prevention during construction and renovation projects. • Attend annual IPM training.

16. Role of Grounds keeping • Keeping all vegetation at least three feet from buildings. • Proper turf management. • Attend annual IPM training. • Pesticide application notification, posting, record keeping, and reporting.

17. Role of Kitchen Staff • Awareness of pest conductive conditions in. • Kitchen • Pantry • Dumpster area • Reduction of pest conductive conditions in these areas. • Check insect monitoring traps. • Communication • Report pests through school dude. • Report maintenance needs (school dude it). • Regular communication and follow up with IPM Plan Coordinator. • Sanitation • Cultural changes • Attend annual IPM training. • Participation in IPM inspections of kitchen.

18. Role Of Faculty • Awareness of pest conductive conditions in classroom/office and staffroom. • Reduction of pest conductive conditions in classroom/office and staffroom. • Monitoring & Communication • Report pests in School dude. • Follow first steps of protocol for ant management before notifying the custodian (clean up any food the ants are eating, kill visible ants, wipe down the area with soapy water, notify custodian only if ants continue to be found after these steps). • Report maintenance needs in School dude. • Sanitation • Making sure students clean up after themselves when food or drink is consumed in the classroom. • Cultural changes • Education • Involve students in classroom pest management (monitoring, sanitation, cultural changes). • Attend annual IPM training.

19. Lets look at some examples of pest conductive conditions

20. Ways to reduce pest conductive conditions • Keep things clean and organized. • Keep food and food debris cleaned up. • Wipe up drink spills immediately. • Remain aware of pest basics, food, water and shelter and prevent providing them in your area.

21. Monitoring and Communication • Keep an eye out for pests. • Report pests through Maintenance Direct (it is an important means for tracking and report building in the IPM Program). • Report maintenance needs of pest conducive conditions through Maintenance Direct as well.

22. Monitoring and Communication Continued • Monitoring is the backbone of our IPM Program. • It provides recent and accurate information to make intelligent and effective pest management decisions. • It can be defined as the regular and ongoing inspection of areas where pest problems do or might occur. • Information gathered from these inspections is always documented.

23. Custodial Responsibilities From IPM PLan 2. Custodial Services Responsibilities Custodial Services staff are responsible for the following: 1) Attending annual IPM training provided by the IPM Plan Coordinator (or designee). 2) Placing and checking sticky insect monitoring traps in staff lounge, cafeteria, and kitchen as per the IPM Plan Coordinator’s instructions. 3) Keeping records of pest complaints using pest logs. 4) Assuring floor under serving counters is kept free of food and drink debris. 5) Sealing up small cracks or holes when reported by teachers or noticed by custodian when this can be done in a short time (e.g. less than 15 minutes). 6) Recording his/her pest management actions in the pest logs. 7) Reporting pest problems that he/she cannot resolve in less than 15 minutes to the IPM Plan Coordinator. 8) Reporting teachers to the IPM Plan Coordinator who repeatedly refuse to reduce clutter and other pest-conducive conditions in their classrooms. 9) Reporting pest-conducive conditions to the IPM Plan Coordinator if the custodian cannot fix them in less than 15 minutes. 10) Confiscating any unapproved pesticides (such as aerosol spray cans) discovered during inspections or regular duties and delivering them to the IPM Plan Coordinator. 11) Following up on issues found in annual inspection report as instructed by the IPM Plan Coordinator (IPM Plan Coordinator will determine which schools receive annual inspections based on pest and pesticide use history).

24. With support and co-operation of all district employees we can solve the IPM Puzzle.