Heather Cantino,
Rural Action
Safe Pest Control Program ipm@ruralaction.org

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IPM in schools: intro

Strategies for safe home pest control

Three steps to safer pest control: Intro for Teachers

Teacher education poster

School kitchen poster

There is a new way of getting rid of pests.

It is called IPM (for Integrated Pest Management). IPM is used in many schools, hospitals, and homes around the US. The EPA and National Education Association recommend it, because it gets rid of pests without using toxic sprays.

Three steps to safer pest control

1.
Look, count, and think:
What is the pest? Where is it? How many of them are there?
Use sticky traps or glue boards to find out how many and where.
Why is it here? What does it like about this place?

2.
Treat the problem.
Spraying is unnecessary and can be dangerous! Instead, IPM tries to keep pests from getting the food, water, and shelter they need.

• Vacuum and trap pests.
• Fix leaks which provide water for roaches, termites, and carpenter ants.
• Seal cracks to keep out cockroaches, ants, and mice. Use steel wool in large gaps.
• If chemicals are needed, use baits with ingredients that don’t get into the air.
• Place baits only in problem areas, where pests can find them easily.

3.
Look, count, and think again: Did the treatment work?
If not, what else can we try? Here are some things you can try at home.
Start with areas where pests are the worst problem.

• Keep them out! Seal cracks with paint, caulk, steel wool and weather-stripping; patch holes in window screens with clear caulk.
• Get rid of clutter—Clean thoroughly.
• Mop to get rid of food that roaches and ants like; flush drains regularly.
• Vacuum up pests and their eggs, along with food and dust (which provide hiding places for pests).
• Clean and pest-proof garbage storage.
• When you recycle: rinse cans before storing; do not store paper for long periods.
• Paper bags and cardboard boxes make great hiding places for roaches and their eggs.
• Store food properly: Use jars with rubber seals or plastic containers with snap-top lids. When you shop, check food for poor seals. Try to use food within three months.
• Freeze flour, rice, and cereal for four days to kill moth or beetle larvae.
• Put pet dishes in a moat of water or cover them tightly when your pet is done eating.
• Trap pests. Use sticky traps for roaches and pantry pests, snap or glue traps for mice.

KEEP SNAP TRAPS AWAY FROM CHILDREN AND PETS!
DON’T USE TRAPS OUTDOORS!

When chemicals are needed, use baits. Place baits where pests hide and along the routes they travel. Use baits that contain boric acid, fipronil, or hydramethylnon [Combat, for example], which don’t get into the air.

Say goodbye to these pests:

FLEAS

Many flea control products, including flea collars, 
contain chemicals that can hurt pets and children.

Vacuum, including upholstery and pet bedding. Do this at least weekly for a light problem, every day for a bad infestation. Vacuuming will not pick up some stages of flea from rugs, so repeat daily for a few days. To kill captured fleas, freeze vacuum bag, put in sun for a day, or vacuum up a tablespoon of cornstarch.
Steam clean for severe flea problem. This kills adult and larval fleas and stimulates eggs to hatch--follow up with daily vacuuming for at least a week. 
Restrict pet sleeping areas or vacuum regularly; comb pets regularly; rinse comb or brush in soapy water; wash pet bedding often in hot water. 
Outdoors: flood pet sleeping area with water or spot treat with Precor, an insect growth regulator, or with insecticidal soap. 
Use desiccants (which dry up insects) such as d.e. (diatomaceous earth) Ask for food grade, not swimming pool type. Apply sparingly with dust mask; re-enter room when settled. Use only where it won't be stirred up. Vacuum from rugs and upholstered furniture after a few days. 
Use least toxic chemicals as last resort: Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs, such as Precor), spot treat with liquid type only; limonene and linalool for dogs and dog bedding (not for cats).

HEAD LICE

All head lice pesticides are toxic, especially to children, and are 
easily absorbed through skin. They do NOT kill lice nits/eggs.

Don't share hats, combs, lockers, or blankets. Head lice don't jump or fly--they stay on hats, combs, and bedding until they make contact with a new host. 
Vacuum regularly, especially upholstered furniture.
If you find lice or nits, comb, comb, comb! every 5-7 days. Nits are oval, yellow, gray, or tan, attached to one side of hair, and not easily picked off. Use metal lice comb with good lighting. Some combs have magnifiers attached. Comb sections of wet or oiled hair, beginning at scalp; pin checked sections aside. (Salad oil makes hair easier to comb and rinses out in two shampooings.) Wipe comb often with tissue; place tissue in soapy water; flush when done. Give your child a book or video or play a game to make the time go by faster! Shampoo; dry. Check hair, removing any stray nits with tweezers or nail scissors. Clean comb with toothbrush; boil metal comb for 15 minutes. 
Wash recently used bedding and clothes in hot water, dry in hot dryer, or freeze for a day, or seal in plastic for two weeks (only after combing, not every day). 
Check heads regularly (daily during outbreaks, weekly at other times).

CLOTHES MOTHS

Common moth repellents are toxic to breathe.

Wash clothes before storing (moths are attracted to dirty clothes). 
Air in hot sun (heat kills moths). 
Beat, especially under collars (shaking dislodges moths and eggs). Store in airtight containers; seal with tape; add cedar chips to help keep moths away. Vacuum closets (dust provides food and shelter for moths).

CARPENTER ANTS

These large black ants leave sawdust-like droppings below nests. 
Repair gutter or roof leaks that cause dampness necessary for ants. 
Locate nest; treat the nest only with diatomaceous earth or boric acid; 
seal up openings. 
Store firewood away from house. 
Trim branches away from house.

TERMITES 

Choose an exterminator who will use baits only.

IPM References

Common Sense Pest Control, Olkowski et al, Taunton, 1991 Available at http://www.birc.org Anything by Debra Lynn Dadd:  Nontoxic,Natural, and Earthwise, 1990,  Home, Safe Home, Putnam, 1997