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Previous Webinars about Integrated Pest Management

The EPA Center of Integrated Pest Management hosts a webinar series featuring national experts from across the country relaying educational and practical strategies for establishing and improving integrated pest management programs in buildings. We invite you to review the information on the past topics.

Previous Webinars

Review the following information below on previous webinars. Note that recordings of these webinars are included, when available.

Creating Monarch Habitats For Schools and Communities

Monarchs are important pollinators and securing habitats for them is a critical component to the overall ecosystem. This webinar provided insight to the threats to the monarch butterfly, migration trends, and the role we can play in conserving their habitats by adopting integrated pest management practices. Presenters discussed how schools can create a living educational environment that provides a safe habitat for monarchs.

  • Chip Taylor, Ph.D., University of Kansas
  • Karen Oberhauser, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
  • Amanda Pierce, Ph.D., U.S. EPA Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division

Bed Bugs on Tribal Lands

Learn about the bed bug issues and control challenges tribal leaders face. This webinar showcased information on the current technologies to aid tribal communities in combating this unwanted pest.

  • Donald Baumgartner, Medical Entomologist, EPA Region 5
  • Kathie Brosemer, Environmental Program Manager, Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
  • Marcia Anderson, Ph.D., EPA's Center for Integrated Pest Management

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Cockroach Allergens, Baits and the Sweet Science of Glucose Aversion

This science-based webinar on cockroaches featured North Carolina State University’s Dr. Coby Schal, a leading authority on cockroaches. She discussed the science behind the allergens cockroaches produce, explored the pathogens cockroaches carry, and reviewed the important role cockroaches play in childhood asthma. The importance of cockroach identification as a key step in an Integrated Pest Management program was discussed and Dr. Schal delved into the practical aspects of cockroach aversion to certain sugars and insecticide resistance as they relate to your pest management program.

Download the question and answer summary as a PDF Search EPA Archive
 
Featured presenter:
  • Coby Schal, Ph.D, Blanton J. Whitmire Distinguished Professor, North Carolina State University 

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IntereSTING Webinar Topic: Controlling Yellow Jackets and Wasps on School Grounds

What draws yellow jackets and wasps to your school, and what are the best ways to eliminate them? This webinar explores options to help keep students and staff safe from yellow jackets and wasps on school grounds. These insects present risks that range from painful stings to potentially severe allergic reactions. This webinar provided insight on how to identify these pests and the steps you can take to manage them as part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.

A Cornell University study on reducing stinging insects on school grounds was presented along with an overview of the tools needed to monitor, exclude, remove and trap yellow jackets and wasps. The effectiveness  and associated costs of these methods were discussed.  During this webinar a school district highlighted their experience with these stinging pests and the steps they took to prevent future dangerous encounters.

Featured presenters:
  • Jody Gangloff-Kaufman, Cornell University
  • Lyn Braband, Cornell University
  • Mark Hardin, Howard County (Maryland) Public Schools

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Which Came First? The Bed or the Bug? Bed Bugs 201

As bed bugs hitchhike across the country, they increasingly find their way into school residence halls, childcare centers and multi-family dwellings. In this webinar, speakers touched on our history with bed bugs and explored in detail recent improvements in bed bug detection, monitoring and control technologies. 

Our presenters  discussed the importance of an IPM approach to bed bugs and the latest control strategies for a variety of sensitive environments. IPM is an approach that uses a hierarchy of practices, including education, pest exclusion, sanitation, biological controls, mechanical methods, and chemical options, to reduce unnecessary pesticide exposure while providing sustainable bed bug control. 

This webinar focused on what you should and should not do when managing and removing bed bugs.  Suggestions were provided for both interviewing pest management professionals and setting expectations for their services. 

Featured presenters:
  • Marcia Anderson, Ph.D., EPA , The Center for Integrated Pest Management
  • Mike Merchant, Texas A&M Agrilife
  • Jeff White, Bed Bug Central

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Weeds: Nature's Graffiti - How IPM Can Fix That

Weeds of concern and their control varies widely by state. The attitudes of school districts toward weeds also differ depending on whether the weeds are in the recess yard or athletic field. How do school facility managers or contracted turf management firms contend with weeds?

This webinar showed how to observe your school grounds with an eye toward identifying weeds and their locations.  A weed specialist provided IPM based control tactics for common weeds.  In addition, this webinar discussed landscape design solutions such as underlayments and mow strips to address weed issues, and related cow paths and desire lines. A grounds manager recounted his school’s challenges with weeds on the grounds and athletic fields and offered guidance for developing a successful IPM program. 

Featured presenters:
  • Jenny Kao-Kniffin, Weed Specialist, Cornell University 
  • Marcia Anderson, Ph.D., EPA, The Center for Integrated Pest Management
  • Gordon Murray, Facilities Director, Kennebec (Maine) Intra-District Schools

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Feed the Kids, Not the Pests: Effective IPM for Cafeterias and Kitchens

School facilities staff work hard to maintain clean environments and protect the health and well-being of the students. However, kitchen, nutrition, and cafeteria staff know that food handling and preparation areas can be notorious pest havens. In the dark hidden places of school kitchens where there is access to food and water, mice, ants, flies and cockroaches can find everything they need to thrive.

Implementing the smart, safe and sustainable practices of IPM can help alleviate pests in your school kitchens and cafeteria. Good sanitation, maintenance, and exclusion are all good pest management practices. They limit the resources pests need to reproduce, resulting in a reduction in pest problems.

Featured presenters:
  • Allison Taisey Allen, National Pest Management Association
  • Karey Windbiel-Rojas, University of California
  • Mark Hardin, Howard County (Maryland) Public School System

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More Than Just a Firm Handshake - Bid and Contract Guidance for Securing IPM-Based Services for Schools

An IPM program is a critical component to ensuring a healthier learning environment in schools.  Now that you’ve made IPM in your school district a priority, how do you guarantee that your in-house or contracted pest management service providers are following IPM-based practices? We have a plan you can use. EPA developed model school IPM bid and contract guidance. During this webinar, we’ll walk you through the essential elements to include in your bid specifications and pest management contracts. Our experts  discussed the pitfalls of low-bid requirements that arise during the procurement process and how you can maintain your commitment to including IPM requirements in your pest management service contracts.

Featured presenters:
  • Claudia Riegel, PhD, New Orleans Mosquito and Termite Control Board in Louisiana
  • Paul Mitola, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
  • Brad Miller, EPA, The Center for Integrated Pest Management

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Pests of Public Health Importance and the Role of Integrated Pest Management

Recent developments in pest-borne diseases, such as the emergence of Zika virus and spread of Lyme disease, signal the need to continually assess the threat of urban pests to public health. Illnesses carried by insects, rodents, and other pests affect all races, ethnicities, ages, and cultures. Vector-borne illnesses are an ever-present threat and efforts to prevent them are critical to protecting public health. The control of vector-borne illnesses hinges on understanding the agent, how it becomes established in an ecosystem, and ultimately infects a susceptible host. This webinar discussed the primary pests of public health concern, reviewed control strategies and described tactics to reduce exposure in your school district. 

Featured presenters:
  • Richard Pollack, Ph.D., Senior Public Health Officer, Harvard University
  • Pearl English, DrNP, RN, The School District of Philadelphia
  • Marcia Anderson, Ph.D., EPA Center for Integrated Pest Management

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Cockroaches in Your School...You Rarely Find Just One

Wherever there is food and water, cockroaches will thrive. Schools have kitchens, cafeterias and break rooms – all notorious cockroach havens. Cockroaches hide in cracks, crawl spaces, cardboard boxes, between walls, in appliances and in false bottoms of cupboards. They eagerly wait for the kitchen staff to leave for the day, then come out to feast on the spills and debris that are hidden under appliances and in cracks. Cockroaches satisfy their thirst from dripping faucets or sweating pipes, which can then lead to a mold issue in your school. 

IPM experts reviewed simple steps of implementing a comprehensive IPM program. Presenters addressed monitoring, sanitation, maintenance and exclusion ― actions that when performed regularly will result in a healthier school environment and a less likely place for cockroaches to call home. 

Featured presenters:
  • Phil Koehler, University of Florida
  • Janet Hurley, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
  • Fred Koelbel,  Port Jefferson Public Schools, New York

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Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan: Learn How to Develop a Comprehensive IPM Program

Districts with successful IPM programs have everyone in the school community working together for a healthier learning environment. How can your school reach this level of success in managing pests? It starts by having a plan – an IPM plan. Whether you are just starting an IPM program, reinvigorating an existing plan or sustaining an effective IPM strategy – it’s helpful to take stock of your school pest management assets to where you can improve. Strive to institutionalize IPM in your district!

This webinar provided an overview of the principles of effective school IPM and the specific components of a comprehensive school IPM plan. Learn who should be involved in developing and implementing IPM practices in your district. Hear two facility managers discuss what motivated their districts to start IPM programs and understand how administration buy-in and cross-program support led to district-wide success. 

Featured presenters:
  • Tom Greene, Ph.D., President and Co-Founder of IPM Institute of North America
  • Raul Rivas, Director of School Facilities & Security, Metropolitan School District of Pike Township, Indiana
  • Francine Locke, Environmental Director, School District of Philadelphia

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How to Manage Bats Effectively in Your School District

Bats are one of nature’s best insect predators, often eating thousands of mosquitoes and other insect pests in just one night. However, their helpful ways are quickly forgotten when they find their way into school buildings. What are the health issues associated with bats, the legal considerations surrounding their removal, and proven tactics to both prevent and manage them? 

This webinar featured bat specialists from Cornell University and Bat Conservation International as they discuss the positive contributions bats make to the environment as well as the risks they present to students, faculty and staff at schools. Information about how to best handle bat/human conflicts, relocate invading bats, properly clean up bat droppings and prevent future incursions into school buildings was presented.

Featured presenters:
  • John Hermanson, Cornell University
  • Jeremy Theriot, Assention Parish (LA)
  • Ricardo Zubiate, Salt Lake City School District
  • Dianne Odegard, Bat Conservation International

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Protecting Students from Mosquitoes and the Zika Virus at School

These days, we can’t turn to TV, radio, or social media without hearing alarming stories of Zika virus. Mosquito-borne diseases have been responsible for much suffering throughout human history. Today, the diseases they transmit in the United States and its territories, including Zika virus, Dengue, chikungunya virus, and several forms of encephalitis, are continuing threats.

This webinar provided information about the mosquitoes that are of concern to schools and the interim guidance the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers for district and school administrators to help schools keep their students, faculty and staff safe from Zika virus. Also hear firsthand the steps a school district in Florida is taking to reduce mosquito populations in an effort to prevent mosquito-borne illness.

Featured presenters:
  • CDR Joseph Laco, US Public Health Service Environmental Heath Scientist, CDC National Center for Environmental Health
  • Michael Merchant, Ph.D., Urban Entomologist, Texas A&M Research and Extension Center
  • Dan Lisenko, Grounds and Maintenance Manager, Manatee County (Florida) School District

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Back-To-School with IPM

It's that time of year again and everyone can relate to the annual school supply checklist and the hours spent preparing for the upcoming school year. Notebooks - check. Pencils - check. But, how many school staff, parents or students stop to think about whether the school they will return to is a healthy learning environment - free of pests and unnecessary exposure to pesticides? 

This webinar provided an overview of IPM as it relates to sustaining healthy learning environments.

Featured Presenters: 
  • Sherry Glick, EPA, Center for Integrated Pest Management
  • John Bailey, Ph.D., Director of School Plants, Chesapeake (Virginia) Public Schools
  • Mervin Brewer, Assistant Custodial Supervisor, Salt Lake City (Utah) School District

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Termite Mitigation in Schools - A Holistic Approach

Discovering termites in your school can become an expensive problem for facility managers and school administrators. It can also be disruptive to classroom instruction if swarms occur while school is in session. Schools, both new and old, can face drywood and subterranean termite infestations. Regular, informed inspections are needed to determine the location, extent, and cause of termite problems.

Schools have a host a challenges when confronted with a termite infestation. Communication with the school community is essential to address most pest issues, including termites. While it’s not critical for teachers to know the difference between winged ants and termites, the school IPM coordinator should be able to accurately identify ants, as well as both drywood and subterranean termites. It is also imperative everyone in the school community know who to call when there is evidence of a termite infestation. This webinar provided comprehensive look at termites and their prevention and control in schools.

Featured Presenters:
  • Faith Oi, Ph.D., Associate Extension Scientist & Director of Pest Management University, University of Florida
  • Dan Lisenko, IPM Coordinator/Grounds Manager, Manatee County (Florida) School District

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Ants - #1 Pest in Schools

As students line up every day to enter their schools, so do the ants. Why are ants the #1 pest in schools across the country? They don't come to schools for the education. They do show up for the free meals. IPM practices in your school will solve most of your ant problems. If they cannot gain entry or do not find food, they will march to another location. However, fire and carpenter ants are particularly troublesome because they present unique hazards to human health or structures. This webinar provided strategies for identifying and eradicating and preventing ants from entering your school grounds.
 

Featured Presenters:
  • Dawn Gouge, Ph.D., Urban Entomologist with the University of Arizona, will introduce IPM for ants, common pest ants, and how to control them in your school.
  • Lawrence 'Fudd' Graham, Ph.D., Entomologist with Auburn University, will discuss management of fire ants that plague schools in the southern U.S.
  • Dan Suiter, Ph.D., Entomologist with the University of Georgia, will show us how to identify and control carpenter ants that devour buildings from the foundation up.
  • Frederick Remelius, Director of Operations at the Upper Merion Area (PA) School District, will discuss his district’s ant challenges and the IPM practices they implemented.

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Stop School Pests & iPestManager – School IPM Educational Programs

These new resources, developed through EPA School IPM grants, are intended to help schools initiate and grow their IPM programs thereby providing students, faculty, and staff with healthier learning environments. This webinar showcased two online resources available to assist schools with training staff on IPM practices and integrating a student learning component.

Dr. Dawn Gouge of the University of Arizona described the Stop School Pests program, a standardized, peer-reviewed, national IPM training program for school communities. Training materials include online and in-class teaching materials for all school community groups including administrators, facility managers, pest management professionals, IPM coordinators, landscape and grounds staff, custodians, maintenance staff, nurses, food service staff and teachers. Proficiency exams allow students to print certificates upon successful completion of the courses.

Janet Hurley of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension introduced the iSchool Pest Manager, an online hub for school IPM materials. It provides easy, searchable access to a multitude of school IPM documents using computer, tablet or smartphone.

Featured Presenters:
  • Dawn Gouge, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Associate Specialist – Urban Entomologist, University of Arizona
  • Janet Hurley, Extension Program Specialist on School IPM, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

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Vertebrate Turf Pests on School Grounds

It's a beautiful spring day and you are watching a girl's field hockey game. Suddenly, the ball disappears into a hole in the middle of the field. Across the way, a soccer game suddenly stops as a youngster trips on a hole in the turf. In both cases, the fields seemed in perfect condition only a few days prior. What happened?

It is sometimes easy to overlook the little varmints busily working below ground to access the roots, grasses, and insects found in many school's turf. Vertebrate turf pests, including moles, voles, pocket gophers, prairie dogs, and groundhogs, are found across the country. This webinar shared presenters' experiences in investigating and resolving conflicts with these pests and how you can incorporate vertebrate pest prevention and control in your school district’s IPM program.

Featured Presenters:
  • Stephen Vantassel, Ph.D., Vertebrate Pest Specialist with the Montana Department of Agriculture
  • Samuel Smallidge, Ph.D., Wildlife Specialist with New Mexico State University
  • Richard Kramer, Ph.D., President of Innovative Pest Management

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IPM for Turf Pests on School Grounds 

Whether school turf management has been part of your job for years or you're just starting out, this webinar will describe how you can implement IPM practices into your turf management program. This webinar will provide insight for improving the quality and playability of your athletic and recreational fields. This webinar will leave with an increased understanding of the importance of IPM in turf maintenance, cultural and physical control options, record keeping and key turf IPM issues that can be addressed and applied to your program.

Featured Presenters:
  • Kim Pope Brown, Pesticides Safety Education Coordinator, Louisiana State University
  • Alec Kowalewski, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Turf Specialist, Oregon State University

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Pest Prevention by Design in Schools

It's easy to find yourself dealing with pest issues in the moment.  However, much can be done to target the source, rather than the symptoms of pest infestations. This webinar will help you learn how to better incorporate pest prevention by design principles in your school district’s IPM program.

The Pest Prevention by Design Guidelines Exitprovide architects, engineers, builders and the green building community information on designing pests out of buildings. For example, where a school may traditionally address a rat infestation with rat poison, the guidelines would recommend sealing the gap in the door frame that let the animals enter in the first place, putting a better lid on the dumpster out back, or removing the English ivy from the landscaping (a preferred rat habitat). By following these recommendations at the design or retrofit stage of construction, we can keep pests out, thereby improving indoor air quality and saving money over the life of the building.  

Featured Presenters:
  • Chris Geiger, Ph.D., IPM Program Manager, City of San Francisco
  • Robert Corrigan, Ph.D., Rodent IPM Specialist, RMC Pest Management Consulting

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Bed Bugs in Schools

Bed bugs continue to hitchhike into schools across the nation, creating challenges for the administrators, facility manager, and school nurses. This presentation discusses the challenges bed bugs present and your important role in protecting students and staff. Successful bed bug management requires a proactive strategy and begins by engaging and educating the entire school community on how to recognize and stop them. Explore with us your role in a bed bug action plan and see a working district wide bed bug plan in action. Round out your bed bug education by reviewing control tactics that are consistent with the smart, sensible, and sustainable guidelines of a school IPM program. Join us and become empowered to help keep bed bugs out of your school!

Featured Presenters:
  • Marcia Anderson, Ph.D., EPA, The Center for Integrated Pest Management
  • Stephen Kells, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Extension Entomologist, University of Minnesota
  • Steven Morlino, Executive Director of Facilities, Paterson (NJ) Public Schools

This webinar is one in a series of EPA presentations offering information on IPM to help school districts adopt a proactive approach to pest control. The presentations are geared specifically to the school community: facility managers, buildings and grounds managers, staff, nurses, administrators, and IPM coordinators. Our IPM webinar series has already reached more than 1,200 school officials, representing more than 12 million students across the country. IPM is a smart, sensible, and sustainable approach to managing pests that takes action to address the underlying causes that enable pests to thrive.

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Writing an IPM Policy for Your School District

Providing a healthy learning environment for students, teachers, and staff that's free of pests and eliminating the unnecessary use of pesticides can be challenging. The most successful IPM programs are found in schools with district-level IPM policies. This webinar provided detail on the development, approval and implementation of a school IPM policy. Presenters reviewed the purpose, goals and components of a well-constructed policy. A school superintendent discussed what led his district to adopt IPM and how it progressed from administration buy-in to district-wide adoption. A facility manager discussed the value of cross-program support for a school IPM policy and strategies to gain broad buy-in throughout the district. 

Featured Presenters:
  • Kenneth McPherson, School IPM Coordinator, EPA Region 6 (South Central)
  • Seth Miller, Ph.D., Assistant Superintendent, Westville (Illinois) School District
  • Mervin Brewer, Assistant Custodial Supervisor, Salt Lake City (Utah) Schools

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Managing Head Lice in Schools

Back-to-school is the time of year when head lice are most common. Nearly every school has faced an outbreak at one time or another. Staff and administrators must work in conjunction with families at the first signs of an infestation to prevent its spread throughout the school community. Presenters reviewed head lice epidemiology, public health significance, diagnosis, school protocols and control strategies that are consistent with the smart, sensible and sustainable practices of a school IPM program.

Featured Presenters:
  • Richard Pollack, Ph.D., Senior Environmental Health Officer, Harvard University
  • Nichole Bobo, Director of Nursing Education, National Association of School Nurses
  • Deborah Pontius, Health Services Coordinator, Pershing County (Nevada) School District

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How to Conduct a Pest Assessment at Your School

Regular pest management assessments and walk-throughs are key to a successful IPM program. This webinar explored why and how to do systematic inspections, known as crawl-throughs, to recognize pest-conducive conditions and the calling cards left by pests. Valuable information on the importance of pest inspection, identification, monitoring, and recordkeeping was discussed during this webinar. 

Featured Presenters:
  • Stephen Vantassel, Vertebrate Pest Specialist, Montana Department of Agriculture
  • Dean Walendzak, Environmental/Energy Program Administrator, Monroe County Community School Corporation

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Keeping Your School Free of Stinging Insects

Stinging insects, mainly yellow jackets and wasps, present risks from their painful stings to potentially severe allergic reactions. This webinar provided information on how to identify these pests and the steps you should take to manage them as part of your school IPM program.  In addition to a discussion of the Cornell University study on reducing stinging insects on school grounds; an overview of the tools needed to monitor, exclude, remove and trap yellow jackets and wasps was provided. The webinar concluded with a discussion of a school district's experience with these pests and the steps they took to prevent exposure to stinging insects. 

Featured Presenters:
  • Justin Schmidt, Entomologist, University of Arizona
  • Lynn Braband, Community IPM Educator, Cornell University
  • Mark Hardin, IPM Specialist, Howard Co. (Maryland) Public School System

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Contending with Vertebrate Pests Around Schools

This presentation discussed the challenges that large vertebrate pests present and some tried-and-true ways to deter them from your school buildings and grounds. The webinar included a brief overview of IPM and how the control of vertebrate mammals around schools should be a part of an overall IPM program. Specific problems with squirrels, raccoons, foxes, deer and feral cats were discussed along with solutions to the difficulties caused by these opportunistic pests.

Featured Presenters:
  • Stephen Van Tassel, PhD, University of Nebraska, author, consultant and wildlife expert
  • Mark Hardin, IPM Specialist of Howard Co. (Maryland) Public School System
  • Marcia Anderson, Ph.D., EPA, The Center for Integrated Pest Management

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Dealing with Nuisance Birds around Schools

All over the nation, birds of all shapes and sizes attempt to make schools a their favorite hangout. Their arrival can lead to sanitation issues, added facility degradation, distracted students and health problems. They can cause headaches for everyone from teachers to facility managers. This presentation discussed the challenges that avian pests present and some tried-and-true ways to deter them from your school buildings and grounds. The webinar included a brief overview of how bird management should be a part of an overall IPM program. The health and related sanitation issues caused by birds were presented followed by a discussion of issues with birds and buildings, focusing on bird exclusion tactics for school facilities. Specific problems with sparrows, starlings, pigeons, vultures, osprey and gulls were discussed along with solutions to the difficulties caused by these opportunistic avian pests. Management tips for Canada geese were also provided.

Featured Presenters:
  • Mark Hardin, IPM Specialist, Howard Co. (Maryland) Public School System
  • Dan Lisenko, Grounds and Maintenance Manager, Manatee Co. (Florida) Public Schools
  • Lynn Braband, Community IPM Educator, Cornell University
  • Marcia Anderson, Ph.D., EPA, The Center for Integrated Pest Management

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Keeping Rodents Out of Your School

Rodents and their control can present significant challenges for schools. Mice and rats can cause physical damage in and around buildings and pose health risks to students and staff. School facility and buildings/grounds managers joined Drs. Robert Corrigan and Claudia Riegel as they discussed the health significance of rats and mice in schools and how to identify their food sources, harborages and signs of activity. An introduction to rodent control practices including waste management, sanitation, exclusion, and chemical options followed. The final segment included a discussion of protecting non-target populations, safety tips for school environments, personal protection, and special considerations for structural foundations, playgrounds and sports fields. 

Featured Presenters:
  • Robert Corrigan, Ph.D., Rodent IPM Specialist, New York City Board of Health and Mental Hygiene 
  • Claudia Riegel, Ph.D., Director, of New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board

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Bed Bugs in Schools

Bed bugs continue to show up in schools across the nation. Their arrival can cause headaches for everyone from the administration to the nurse and facility manager. This presentation discussed the challenges bed bugs present and your important role in protecting the students and staff.  Few pests evoke such strong emotional responses and present such a management challenge. Successful bed bug management requires a proactive strategy and begins by engaging and educating the entire school community on how to recognize and stop them.

This webinar is one in a series of EPA presentations to help school districts adopt a proactive approach to pest control by offering information on IPM.

Featured Presenters:
  • Dini Miller, Dodson Pest Management Lab, Virginia Tech
  • Susan Jennings, Public Health Liaison, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs
  • Marcia Anderson, Ph.D., EPA, The Center for Integrated Pest Management

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The Basics of School IPM

This webinar provided an overview of school IPM and what is involved for starting or reinvigorating an IPM program in your school district. 

Featured Presenters:
  • Tim Stock, IPM Specialist with Oregon State University
  • Mark Hardin, IPM Specialist for the Howard County (Maryland) Public School System
  • Marc Lame, Ph.D., Clinical Professor at Indiana University

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Creating Tick Safe Schools Using IPM

Learn about this increasingly important pest and what you can do to reduce the risk to students, faculty and staff in schools.

Featured Presenters:
  • Thomas Mather, Ph.D., University of the Rhode Island Center for Vector Borne Diseases
  • Marcia Anderson, Ph.D., EPA, The Center for Integrated Pest Management
  • Kathy Murray, Maine Department of Agriculture
  • Christine Dunathan, Friends Community School (College Park, MD)

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​Rodents I – Prevention and Control 

Rats are unwanted pests in our facilities. This webinar is part of a two-part rodent management series - the first session will focus on behavior and tracking of rodents. Pest managers are using new technologies to track, control, monitor and remove rodents from buildings. Experts discussed the most recent research on rodent management and how various technologies can assist with rodent control.

Featured presenters:
  • Bobby Corrigan, Ph.D., President, RMC Pest Management Consulting
  • Claudia Riegel, Ph.D., Director, New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board

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Rodents II – Prevention and Control 

EPA hosted part two of its rodent webinar series focusing on prevention and exclusion. We can certainly outsmart rodents while effectively removing them from our environments. Experts discussed specific actions for rodent controls ranging from utilizing natural predators to integrating fertility controls.

Featured presenter:
  • Bobby Corrigan, Ph.D., President, RMC Pest Management Consulting 
  • Matt Frye, Ph.D., Community IPM Extension Area Educator, Cornell University
  • Rebecca Dmytryk, President/CEO, National Association for Wildlife Emergency Services

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Mosquitoes – Right Trap, Right Place

If you build it, they will come…Vector control for mosquitoes is a science. There is a strategy to trapping, monitoring, identifying and sorting the mosquito types in your area. This webinar discussed the importance of matching traps to the specific mosquito species you intend to catch and monitor. Experts introduced the topic by focusing on the importance of mosquito monitoring. Discussions included information on how to develop a plan for trapping, identifying, and monitoring the mosquitoes in your area and determine a course of action for addressing specific mosquito populations. The goal of this presentation wass to provide sound surveillance and testing BMP’s by detecting the time, location and duration of viruses in the avian and mosquito population, and identify trends, patterns and hot spots to prevent and protect the health of the community.

Featured presenters:
  • John-Paul Mutebi, PhD., Research Entomologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Chuck Lubelczyk, MPH, Vector Ecologist, Maine Medical Center Research Institute
  • Kathy Murray, PhD., IPM Entomologist, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
  • Martin Reyna Nava, Technical Operations Manager Medical Entomologist, Harris County Public Health Mosquito and Vector Control Division

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Head Lice – An Expert Panel Discussion

It’s time to be nit picky. Especially when it comes to head lice. This webinar was a panel discussion with three experts on lice, pest management and school protocols for addressing lice in schools.

Featured presenters:
  • Richard Pollack, Ph.D., Senior Environmental Public Health Officer, Harvard University 
  • Shirley Gordon, PhD, RN. Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University  
  • Emily Poland, RN, School Nurse Consultant, Maine Department of Education

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Fleas – Pet Annoyance and Public Health Issue 

Flea markets are cool, just not when they make you itch. Fleas are a pest control issue and certainly a medical concern for humans and pets. Presenters provided an overview of fleas and their biology, risks to pets, introduction to domiciles and effective control strategies. You will learn how not to FLEE when you find fleas.

Featured presenters:
  • Marc Lame, Ph.D., Clinical Professor, Indiana University
  • Edward Wakem, DVM, American Veterinary Medicine Association 

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