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Picatinny Arsenal’s Child
Development
Center
has earned IPM
STAR
certification after passing a rigorous, 48-point inspection.
The program evaluates school systems and childcare centers for
Integrated Pest Management or IPM, a common sense approach to solving pest
problems with a minimum of pesticide use.
“The Center was very clean
and well maintained, just the right formula for preventing pest
problems” reports Dr. Thomas Green, who conducted the evaluation.
“Staff are exceptionally committed to finding permanent solutions
rather than short-term fixes with pesticide applications.”
For example, at one point miner bees were found nesting in sand on the
playground. After covering the
area with a tarp to heat up the sand and discourage the bees proved
unsuccessful, the sand was replaced with a wood chip mulch.
“But then mold became an issue,” according to Richard Williams,
IPM Coordinator and entomologist for Picatinny.
“So we pulled out the wood chips and put in a rubber mulch
that’s working very well.”
Another example of Williams’ commitment to permanent solutions was an
effort undertaken in 2006 to seal all of the holes in playground
equipment. “We found we were
spending a lot of time treating for stinging insects that used these holes
to nest,” reports Williams. “It
was a major effort to get all the holes sealed and our Department of
Public Works did a great job. Problem
solved.”
Other pests typically found in schools and childcare facilities and play
yards can include ants, mice and cockroaches.
Good sanitation and building maintenance practices can keep these
pests out and deny them the food, water and shelter they need to survive
and thrive.
Williams and the Center staff are
supported by Alleymor Pestmaster, a professional pest management company.
Alleymor technicians visit the facility on a regular basis to
inspect for conditions that might invite pests and make recommendations to
correct those conditions before problems start.
Alleymor staff vary their focus based on the time of year – inspecting
carefully for stinging insect nests early in the season when they can
simply be knocked down, and checking door sweeps and seals in late summer
before mice begin looking for warm places to spend the winter.
On rare occasions when a stinging insect nest requires treatment,
Alleymor is using an aerosol spray containing mint oil.
IPM
STAR
Certification is presented by the IPM Institute of
North America
in partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency Pesticide
Environmental Stewardship Program. The
program is being implemented throughout the Army with support of the
Office of Assistant Chief for Installation Management and the Army
Environmental Command.
Prepared as part of the IPM STAR
Certification Process by the IPM Institute of North America for posting on
its website with permission from Picatinny Arsenal.
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