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IPM
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Dubuque Community School District, Dubuque IA
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To view press release, click here. How long does it take to put together a good school IPM program? Not very long, if you have the right folks in the right places committed to make the change. Dubuque Community School District (DCSD) has a long history, founded in 1856-1857, but only a short tenure under Integrated Pest Management, or IPM. The IPM program was initiated in 2003 following a cockroach complaint in a high school that made the local press. The pest control company contracted to service the schools sprayed pesticide to the baseboards in the school. Baseboard spray applications are an old technique that creates pesticide exposure risk for staff and students, and are no longer considered the most effective or the least-toxic method of cockroach control. DCSD buildings and grounds staff realized it was time to make a change, and contracted with Voss Pest Control to provide service on an as-needed basis. Voss does not spray pesticides inside school buildings – yet is able to effectively resolve pest problems that can’t be dealt with by in-house staff. A case in point was a recent complaint about cockroaches at one of the high schools, which probably arrived in a student backpack. Jim Brimmer, assistant manager of buildings and grounds, was contacted by the school’s head custodian about the problem. Working together, they were able to find a leaking pipe that was providing the pests with access to drinking water. After the leak was fixed, the cockroaches disappeared. The lesson: without access to water, cockroaches that make their way into the school cannot survive and thrive. In another instance, Brimmer took the initiative to call Bob Setter, entomologist and termite IPM specialist at the University of Iowa, to look into options for managing termites found at one school. Following Mr. Setter’s advice, Jim and the staff at Voss Pest Control identified the extent of the infestation and settled on a treatment limited to the affected area. Post-treatment monitoring indicated the treatment was effective. Voss operates under an IPM approach for all of its accounts. “Every insect is different,” says Roger Voss, company owner. “You have to find out how it came in, was it attracted by something? For example, carpenter ants generally only go after moisture affected wood. So maybe you have a maintenance problem to deal with that will solve the problem.” Voss relates that IPM is a successful way to do business; “We always do a thorough inspection and try to find the cause of the problem. It takes more time and care up front, but we have very few call backs.” Dubuque’s 1700 staff and 10,000 students occupy 18 schools and four support buildings, including two high schools, three junior highs and 12 elementary schools. The IPM program operates under an official policy adopted by the board of education in December 2003 with the active support of superintendent John Burgart. The policy is unique in that it includes some very specific language addressing pest-conducive conditions: cardboard boxes and other clutter are to be eliminated throughout school buildings, and food-related appliances are banned from classrooms. “I insisted on some of these provisions,” relates Brimmer. “I know the new rules didn’t make everyone happy – but we’ve seen results in greatly reducing our pest problems and pest control costs. In one instance, the clutter we cleaned out filled four full-size dumpsters, just from one 33,000 square foot building!” An annual, district-wide auction provides an opportunity to dispose of unused equipment and supplies that might otherwise become homes for pests. DCSD has made non-chemical controls a mainstay for managing pests. Trash can liners help to contain trash, keeping dumpsters cleaner and reducing yellowjacket problems. Soda in bottles is encouraged over cans, because unlike cans, bottles can be recapped before placement in recycling bins, reducing attractive odors and liquids. Pipe chases are kept clean and have been sealed where cockroaches might use them for safe harbors and transit throughout school buildings. Sticky traps are placed in problem areas, to alert custodians to any cockroach activity. Traps are also used where rodents are a problem, eliminating the need for rodenticides. Staff training has been another key tool in the battle against pest and pesticide risks. Drs. Mark Shour and Carol Pilcher, entomologists with Iowa State University, conducted training sessions for head custodians and school nurses and administrators. Dr. Shour explained which pests are the most common in schools, what kinds of conditions encourage pest problems, and what everyone can do to keep pests out of school buildings. The required training did not meet with a warm initial reception, according to Shour. “They went in screaming and hollering, but came out happy,” he recalls. “They couldn’t believe we could talk about bugs for so long.” Shour is making the most of his new converts to school IPM. Mark Burns, now principal at Washington Junior High School, was introduced to IPM at the first training session presented by Shour. Burns is now educating others, presenting on Dubuque’s IPM program at a workshop hosted by Shour at Iowa State University in Ames in March 2004. His presentation is available on Iowa State’s school IPM Web site, http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/schoolipm/ Both high schools have baseball fields and Senior High School hosts football and track competitions at facilities there. The maintenance program for athletic fields includes periodic fertilizer applications, overseeding and aeration to keep the turf thick and healthy and resistant to invasion by weeds or other pests. In addition to IPM, DCSD staff are tackling chemical risks on other fronts. A massive cleanup of school science rooms (“Rehab the Lab”) was undertaken in 2003, eliminating many hazardous and rarely used chemicals from school buildings. Now a committee reviews any new chemical requests before an order is placed. Signage is being improved wherever hazardous chemicals are stored and used. |
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