CASE STUDIES IN SCHOOL IPM - Download all as PDF
ELKIN CITY SCHOOLS
Coordinator: Mr. Ron Mack
Pest Control: In- house by Ron who is a certified Pesticide applicator.
Number of Schools: 3
Major pests: Ants and cockroaches.
Why Change to IPM?
Ron never liked using pesticides around children. Even before inception of the IPM program, he’d wait until students had left an area or building before applying any liquid insecticides. Knowing that pesticides are risky to young children, through pest control conferences and workshops he attended accelerated his switch to IPM in 2004. In addition, IPM is a more effective pest control approach and safer for the building occupants.
IPM Program:
Sanitation and building maintenance and repair are highly emphasized to prevent infestations. Ron is the maintenance director and also coordinates the IPM effort at Elkin city schools. Therefore it is easier to get repairs and maintenance done whenever necessary. Education and awareness about the IPM program and the IPM approach Ron takes IPM to science classrooms at Elkin City Schools. He collaborates with science teachers to promote awareness and student participation in the IPM program. He also requested a seminar on IPM in Schools for the entire school from the School IPM program at NCSU. At the beginning of the school year, he writes and distributes a letter to each employee and teachers to make them aware of IPM and their role in the IPM program.
Challenges:
It is challenging to educate staff and secure their participation in the IPM program. They expect a pesticide to be sprayed whenever they report a pest problem. So it seems strange when they see Ron coming in to inspect and recommend sanitation changes, or storing food, candy etc. in sealable containers or sealing gaps and holes where pests might be entering a building, and using baits whenever necessary. But once they understand the need for IPM,
Go to Granville County Schools >