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Fly Control Information on Hotline - April 2003

April 10, 2003

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - Now residents and producers alike can get their questions answered about fly control problems by calling a toll-free hotline.

The Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program (PA IPM) recently added information about fly control and animal IPM to their popular 1-800 PENN IPM hotline. Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible. Tactics used in an animal IPM program include scouting for pests, monitoring, using appropriate controls for the situation and best management practices.

Dr. Gregory Martin, PAS, Penn State Cooperative Extension Poultry Agent in the Capital Region, says the hotline will be updated through the growing season and will cover a seven county area. "The hotline will have contact information, so both residents and producers alike having problems with flies can speak to an expert in their area and schedule an on-site assessment if needed," Martin explains.

Fly control problems are becoming an important issue due to the increasing pressures of township growth into suburban and rural areas. "It's a challenge, because many pesticides are being phased out as part of the Food Quality Protection Act. Coupled with decreasing effectiveness of presently available pesticides, producers and consumers are looking for alternatives to controlling pests," says Martin.

To address some of these problems, a committee comprised of representatives from the PA poultry industry, Penn State's Entomology and Poultry Science departments, Penn State Cooperative Extension Agents and PennAg Industries called SWAT was organized (partially funded by PA IPM). A rapid response team to answer public calls and aid in the identification of potential problems in production areas, SWAT also offers educational assistance to the complainant and the neighboring farms under scrutiny and on-site assessments of the pest problem, Martin explains. New items concerning fly control will be added later this year to the hotline and the PA IPM Web site for producers and consumers.

Fly control is just one topic in which callers can receive the latest pest and pest management information. Last year, the toll-free hotline received over 3,500 calls from growers and producers needing the most recent phermone trap capture counts for their region, up-to-date disease development information and other pest information, as well as tips on pest management tactics. Information on such crops as Christmas trees, sweet corn, potatoes, tomatoes and ornamental plants in addition to information on scheduled pesticide applicator training sessions is included on the hotline.

These messages are updated frequently during the growing season -- sometimes as often as daily during critical management periods -- and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Pest management specialists from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Penn State's entomology and plant pathology departments, and county offices of Penn State Cooperative Extension contribute their time and expertise to keep the information current and useful.

The system also includes a "fax-on-demand" function. When available, the caller simply requests a fax and indicates his or her fax number. The system then will send a fax containing in-depth information about the crop, graphs of insect activity over time and other data. The same toll-free number can be used to find periodic updates of the winter schedule of pesticide applicator training meetings.

The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu.