CASE STUDIES IN SCHOOL IPM - Download all as PDF
BUNCOMBE COUNTY SCHOOLS
Contact person: Mr. Clark Wyatt
Number of Schools: 43
Pest Control: Contracted to Dodson Pest Control
Important Pests: Ants, Mice, Cockroaches, Fleas, Lice
The IPM Program:
Buncombe County Schools shifted from monthly pesticide sprays to IPM 6 years ago (1997). A parent complained that her 2 children suffered health problems when custodians misapplied foggers in a school during routine pests control getting both teachers and parents concerned. Dr. Mike Waldvogel(Urban extension specialist, North Carolina State University), helped the school system to formulate an IPM contract and a request for bids emphasizing IPM procedures and practices i.e. inspection, pest identification, non-pesticide technologies, structural and procedural modifications to remove conducive conditions, and use of least toxic compounds and reduced risk pesticide formulations and application methods when needed. Dodson pest control won the bid. After inception of the IPM program, any chemicals available to custodians were removed from the schools.
Logbooks (pest sighting logs, IPM plan, MSDS sheets etc) were placed in the cafeterias and main office of each school. On each scheduled monthly service visit to a school the PMP checks the logbook, addresses the pest problems and inspects the school. In case of an emergency, the school calls Clark, who in turn calls the PMP. The quality of service is ascertained by periodically following the PMP to see how he works and by the number of calls schools make for pest control.
Education:
- Presentations to promote IPM at the Principals meetings, maintenance employees, faculty meetings (1/month), and cafeteria employee’s meetings; meetings with child nutrition director, assistant superintendent etc.
- Situational: problem reports present opportunities to explain IPM. Clark once followed an ant trail from outside to the exposed snacks in a teacher’s desk drawer. This convinced the teacher to store the snacks in a pest proof container.
- Letters and memos send to let schools know about the IPM approach.
Challenges:
- Health inspectors can become a hindrance to IPM because they do not understand how IPM works. A school can be cited if cockroaches are seen in traps, yet traps are essential for detection and monitoring pests. The contractor should explain to health inspectors the function of monitors and traps in IPM.
- Most pest problems even in cafeterias and teacher’s lounges are introduced. Students sometimes bring cockroaches into the schools in their backpacks. Roaches were seen crawling out of a student’s bags during breakfast in the cafeteria. Thereafter students were asked not to bring their backpacks into the cafeteria.
- It is difficult to convince the school community that surface sprays do not solve
pest problems. But with education, this problem is being solved.
Cost:
There is one contract for the entire school district renewable annually. Indoor and outdoor pest control services are contracted at $55/school/month.
Comments:
There are many advantages of IPM over traditional pest control:
- Reduced pesticide use and storage also reduces the liability
- They save money because no chemicals, traps/monitors are purchased
- Pest control is done during regular school hours, therefore the PMP is seen working and solving pest problems.
- Records show that pest problems are seasonal. At the beginning of spring and summer, the number of pest reports increase. The onset of winter comes with rodent problems, as mice try to find warmer nesting sites indoors. With preventative maintenance (sealing cracks and crevices, and installing door sweeps etc.) and good sanitation pest problems can be anticipated and averted before they happen.
- IPM has reduced the number of calls from 60-80/month to 3-4/month. Clark and other maintenance employees have peace of mind and can focus his energy on other pressing issues.
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