INTEGRATED
PEST MANAGEMENT
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In 1993, the US EPA published Pest Control in the School Environment,
sparking national interest in a technique called integrated pest
management (IPM). IPM is the coordinated use of pest and environmental
information with available pest control methods to prevent unacceptable
levels of pest damage by the most economical means, and with the
least possible hazard to people, property and the environment.
A number of local school districts have adopted the technique
with stunning results, and a number of states have moved to require
or encourage the use of IPM.
The Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) in Indiana
has been among the leaders in school IPM adoption. Under an EPA
grant with the National Foundation for IPM Education, MCCSC, in
cooperation with Indiana University and Purdue University Cooperative
Extension, has implemented an IPM program in their schools that
focuses on long term pest prevention by reducing the source of pest
problems.
Each school is evaluated to determine its potential for pest problems
and the appropriate pest prevention activities, which stress removing
food, water, and shelter for pests and excluding them from getting
into schools. When prevention is not fully effective, pesticides
are used but often in more targeted, spot treatments. In addition
to custodians and staff who are traditionally responsible for pest
control, MCCSC involves students and teachers in keeping the school
free of pests. They are taught the importance of keeping the school
free of clutter and food crumbs and to place food and trash in sealed
containers. This common-sense approach is working for MCCSC. Their
pest control costs have decreased by 35% and their use of pesticides
has decreased by 90%. Spraying and fogging have been completely
eliminated and replaced with baits and traps, which present less
exposure to pesticides. This success caught the attention of the
Indiana Governor, earning MCCSC the State’s Excellence in Pollution
Prevention Award.
Farther south, the state of Texas has intervened to mandate the
use of IPM in its schools. To assist school districts in implementing
this directive, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service has prepared
a series of videotapes to educate school districts about IPM. The
five-tape series includes a general introduction for students, teachers,
and parents; instructional videos for school maintenance and food
service staff; and managerial videos for administrators. These videos
emphasize sanitation and exclusion to prevent pest problems before
using pesticides.
Through efforts such as the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship
Program (PESP), EPA continues to encourage schools to implement
IPM. Recently, New York City Schools, the nation’s largest school
district at 1.2 million students, has agreed to join schools such
as MCCSC and partner with EPA to reduce their pesticide risk.
For information about IPM in schools, visit the EPA Region IV
School IPM website at www.ifas.ufl.edu/~schoolipm/.
To order the Texas IPM video, call the Texas Agricultural Extension
Service at 408/845-3849, and ask for VHS 2087.
For copies of EPA’s booklet, Pest Control in the School Environment,
contact the National Pesticide Telecommunications Network at 800/858-7378.
To learn about the public & private sector’s work to reduce pesticide
risk, visit the PESP website at www.pesp.org.
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