School IPM 2015 Newsletter: July 2014

School IPM 2015 Newsletter: July 2014 In This Issue What's New? Highlights Upcoming Events Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites! Pestworldforkids.org Revamped Integrated Pest Management and Health Inspections Training Video Now Available! PRI Pesticide Product Evaluator Receiving a forwarded copy?  Know of others who should receive this newsletter? Join the Schoolbugs listserv to ask questions, learn from others and share successes and challenges.   What's New This Month  NYS IPM Program Announces a new School IPM Blog and Twitter account. Weekly blog posts and daily tweets connecting community and educators to the latest in pest management at schools across NY and the  Northeast. The IPM practices from the Northeast IPM Center 's new Best Management Practices for School IPM website will be promoted as well. Visit the blog:  The ABCS of School and Childcare Pest Management http://blogs.cornell.edu/schoolchildcareipm/  Follow the twitter account Highlights The 2014 National Healthy Homes (NHHC) Conference presentations are now available! Please visit the program page of the 2014 NHHC website, where the presentations are located. Photos from the conference and the final program guide are also available.   Upcoming Events  August 6 & 7, 2014  IPM for Colleges, Universities or LEED Buildings  College Station, TX  More Information  August 7, 2014  Bed Bug Workshop  Chicago, IL  More Information    August 24-27, 2014 Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO) National Meeting    Missoula, MT  More Information September 17, 2014 School IPM Coordinator Regional Training Houston, TX More Information October 8-9, 2014 Midwest Healthy Homes & Childcare Conference Indianapolis, IN More Information  October 26, 2014 Education Facilities Management Forum Chicago, IL  More Information October, 2014 Empowering School Integrated Pest Management Orlando, FL More Information November 16-19, 2014 Entomological Society of America (ESA) National Meeting   Portland, OR  More Information March 24-26, 2015 8th International IPM Symposium   Salt Lake City, UT    More Information Quick Links School IPM 2015 Homepage About School IPM 2015 Make a Contribution! *View this newsletter as a  PDF Greetings from School IPM 2015!   Every day, 49 million children attend school in the United States, served by nearly seven million teachers and staff.   But they're not alone.  Schools are also frequented by a number of pests including cockroaches, mice, dust mites and more.  Asthma is epidemic among children, impacting nearly 6% of school children nationally with rates as high as 25% in urban centers.  House mice and cockroaches are potent asthma triggers. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a prevention-based, highly effective approach proven to reduce pest complaints and pesticide use by up to 90% in schools and other public buildings.  IPM practices such as sanitation and exclusion also improve food safety, fire safety and energy conservation.  Our newsletter highlights real-life examples of IPM in practice and can help you start an IPM program in your school district.  For more information, visit www.schoolipm2015.com.  Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites!    Mosquito bites can cause discomfort, but they are more than just a nuisance. Vector (disease-spreading) mosquito species can cause infections such as West Nile virus with potentially severe complications such as encephalitis and meningitis. While an effective management program will not completely eliminate mosquitoes, it can reduce population levels and the risk of mosquito-borne diseases. Identification   Larval and Pupal Mosquitoes Source: eXtension All mosquitoes undergo complete metamorphosis from egg, larva, pupa to adult. Most mosquito species are not strong fliers and are active at dawn, dusk or evening. Only females feed on blood drawn from humans and other vertebrates, needed for egg development, while males normally feed on plant juices. Larvae, called wigglers, and pupae, or tumblers, are often visible near the surface of standing water, although they may dive deeper when disturbed. Mosquito IPM for Schools Generally, the best way to control mosquito populations is to identify and remove sources of standing water before mosquito breeding season. Some examples of key habitats for egg laying and larval development include tree holes, buckets, tires, tarps, unused swimming pools, storm drains and clogged gutters. Eliminate the source: Turn over water-holding tools, such as wheelbarrows when not in use. Eliminate stagnat water in birdbaths, ornamental pools or other outside areas. Cover dumpsters, trash and recycling bins to prevent water accumulation. Remove old tires or drill holes in them to drain water. Cut back or remove dense brush and other vegetation from around buildings. Biological controls, including Bacillus thuringiensis, and even mosquito-eating fish, can be effective for specific environments including ornamental pools. Avoidance tactics: Make sure window and door screens are in good repair. Avoid wearing dark colors. Some mosquitoes are attracted to dark greens, browns and black. Avoid places with high mosquito density and being outside during peak mosquito activity. For outdoor events occurring during peak activity, encourage students and staff to wear long pants and long sleeved shirts. If these measures are not adequate to keep mosquito problems at acceptable levels, you may need to contact your local mosquito control authority to address breeding habitat in adjacent areas out of your control. Chemical pesticide treatments are best used in conjunction with expert advice to ensure optimum results and legal compliance. Repellants are also considered pesticides, and should generally not be applied to students by school staff. To learn more about IPM management for mosquitoes, visit eXtension's School IPM Action Plan for Mosquitoes.    Pestworldforkids.org Revamped The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), which serves as the public outreach division of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), has unveiled its redesigned children's website, pestworldforkids.org  The educational website is designed for students and teachers K-8 and includes pest guides, writing tips for students, science fair kits, and lesson plans which meet standards developed by the National Science Teacher Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. "PestWorldForKids.org is a favorite online destination for many children and a great tool for teachers to use in the classroom," says Missy Henriksen, executive director of PPMA. "A redesign was necessary to make it functional and compatible with today's mobile devices. It's also important to keep our younger audience engaged while learning about the wonderful world of bugs. Our fun, vibrant new look and friendly user interface does just that." NPMA's eBook series, Critter Crafts videos, multiple-choice quizzes and PestQuest episodes are also available on the site. The website is compatible with computers, tablets and smartphones. A second phase of the new site, scheduled to be released later this year, will include an updated games section. "The interactive games are one of our most popular features on the site. We are working to convert some fan favorites from Flash to responsive design and are also developing new games to add to our collection," said Henriksen. To learn more about pestwordforkids.org, contact Missy Henriksen. Integrated Pest Management and Health Inspections Training Video Now Available!   The Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) has released an online training video, called Integrated Pest Management and Health Inspections. The seven-minute YouTube video provides strategies to incorporate IPM into a school's comprehensive environmental health program. The video showcases an on-site inspection of a school in Multanomah County, OR. Although the video focuses on Oregon school IPM regulations, much of the content is applicable nationally. NCAP worked closely with schools and health specialists in Multnomah County to create the content for the training video. Kim Leval, Executive Director of NCAP, says, "We are pleased to offer this resource aimed at better protecting the health of children by finding healthier ways to prevent and reduce pest problems without the use of pesticides.  It is a win-win!" To view the video, click here. NCAP developed an accompanying online survey to gather feedback on content and training needs. Survey data will be used to improve future videos and guide training for IPM best practices. Please consider completing the survey after watching the video. The survey is available here. Funding for the video was provided in part by the Western IPM Center. For more information contact Megan Dunn, Healthy People and Communities Program Director for NCAP.  PRI Pesticide Product Evaluator The Pesticide Research Institute Pesticide Product Evaluator has new subscription rates of $99/yr for an individual subscription and $399/yr for a group subscription. A group subscription for K-12 schools is now only $299/yr. The group subscription allows up to ten individuals to access the Product Evaluator under one subscription and includes a list feature that allows group members to create a customized list of products for their organization. Search by California Healthy Schools Exempt to find pesticide products exempt from California school reporting requirements, such as containerized baits, crevice treatments and disinfectants. These products are flagged with a school bus icon to allow school IPM staff to quickly verify whether a product is exempt from reporting under the California Healthy Schools Act.   Other New Features Pesticide product reviews with details on the pest, application site and treatment results. Search by Bee-toxic to discover which pesticides are harmful to bees and other pollinators. Search by FIFRA Exempt to get a list of Section 25(b) low-toxicity pesticides products that do not require US EPA registration.