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IPM
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Fort Stewart’s Child and Youth Services Fort Stewart, GA |
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The installation includes
seven facilities for pre-school and school-aged children at both Fort
Stewart and nearby hunter Army Airfield. Fort
Stewart is the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi, covering
nearly 280,000 acres in southeast Georgia, just outside of Savannah. IPM stands for Integrated Pest
Management, the smart way to prevent pest problems.
“IPM stands on four legs,” according to Dr. Thomas Green,
entomologist and director of the IPM Institute, who conducted the
evaluation at Fort Stewart. “Those
are: know your pests, monitor and inspect regularly for pests and
pest-friendly conditions, take action only when necessary, and when you do
have to act against pests, use the least hazardous option.” Knowing your pests is one of
the key components of a training program Captain Hee Kim, installation
entomologist, has assembled for Fort Stewart Child and Youth Services
staff. Mr. Craig Crumbley,
installation pest management coordinator, and Captain Kim collaborate to
implement and oversee the IPM program at the facilities. The training is much
appreciated by staff. “We
take this training home with us because we have found so many innovative
things,” reports Leah Cabey, director of one of four child development
centers at the installation. “We
know what’s a pest and what’s not.” For example, a few pavement
ants out on the sidewalk are not pests – they’re beneficial insects,
working to keep our landscapes free of debris.
Fire ants in the playground, on the other hand, demand immediate
action to prevent stings – especially to sensitive individuals who might
have an allergic reaction. For many pests, the solution
is simply to keep them out. “Mice
for example, can squeeze through a hole the size of a pencil diameter,
says Green. “By putting
“sweeps” on the bottom of exterior doors that close the gap between
the door and the sill, both mouse and insect problems can be reduced by up
to 65%!” Staff can also get
credit towards their required 24 hours of annual training for learning
about IPM, an added benefit. IPM -
Prepared as part of the IPM |
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