You are here.
Trainings Offered on Less-Toxic Pest Control for Homes and Workplaces - October 2006
October 6, 2006
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Several organizations in the state are learning about an ecological approach to managing all types of pests in the workplace and at home, thanks to the Pennsylvania IPM Program.
Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a safe, economical and scientific approach to managing pests. IPM integrates knowledge of pest identity and biology with pest monitoring so that action, if needed, can be taken at just the right time. In addition, IPM uses a combination of management tactics that are more likely to be safe and effective.
Michelle Niedermeier, community IPM coordinator for the Pennsylvania IPM Program, explains that IPM can be used anywhere. “IPM can be used to control pests at work, home, in backyards, gardens, forests, and farm fields.”
Recently, Niedermeier spoke at the Philadelphia Healthy Start Case Conference, educating caseworkers about IPM in the home. She cited a study that tracked 316 urban minority women in New York City. “The women wore an air sample monitor for two consecutive days during the third trimesters of their pregnancies,” she explains. “One hundred percent of the participants had detectable levels of three different insecticides. Blood samples were also take from mothers and newborns at delivery. All had detectable levels of three insecticides, indicating that pesticides had been transferred from mother to fetus during pregnancy.”
Niedermeier says studies like this raise concerns, because insecticides have been shown to have adverse effects in laboratory rodents and impaired fetal growth in offspring. “There’s also evidence that insecticides in human umbilical cord plasma can cause low birth weight, shorter length and smaller head circumferences. Small head size has been found to predict cognitive ability.” Niedermeier ends each training with information on how to reduce exposures and explains how to read a pesticide label to find out how toxic an item is.
Niedermeier also gave a presentation to chemists at Rohm & Haas Co., a chemical manufacturer located in Spring House, Pa. Representatives of the company asked Niedermeier to speak during one of their monthly safety meetings. “People were mostly concerned with ants, stink bugs and ladybugs,” said Niedermeier.
Niedermeier begins each training by explaining what IPM is and what to do in a pest situation. “The first step is finding out what the pest is, its lifecycle and what it eats. A case of mistaken identity may result in ineffective actions. Also, knowing about a pest’s lifecycle is helpful in preventative measures,” she says. “For example, weeds reproducing from lasts year’s seed can be prevented with mulches. You can also learn what the pest needs to survive and remove these from the surroundings. It all comes down to the need for food, water, and shelter and how best to eliminate these.”
Also, Niedermeier recommends monitoring to find out how many pests there are before deciding what to do. “In some cases a certain number of pests can be tolerated. Conversely, there is a point at which you must do something. In any situation, there will be several options to consider, including repairing screens and caulking to repair leaks, or using baits, sticky traps or least-toxic bug sprays as a last resort.”
Finally, Niedermeier says to ask yourself if your actions had the desired results. “Were the pests managed to your satisfaction, and were there any unintended side effects? What will you do in the future to prevent this pest situation?”
The IPM trainings can be tailored to a group’s needs, and include relevant handouts, Web sites and other resources. For more information on trainings or to schedule one for your group, contact Niedermeier at (215) 471-2200 Ext. 109 or by e-mail at mxn14@psu.edu. You can also visit PA IPM’s Community IPM Web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/community.html.
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 urban settings. 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://www.paipm.org. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/newsrelease.html.