“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese proverb When it comes to integrated pest management, we talk, a lot, about prevention. Keeping mice and brown marmorated stink bugs out is preferable to dealing with them once they’re in your house. So remember those…Continue Reading What’s Bugging You? – Missed Opportunities
When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen. – A. A. Milne Last week I wrote a blog post on Tick Bite Prevention – Dressing the Part discussing why we make the recommendations we do. Today I want to address one commonly…Continue Reading Tick Bite Prevention – Dressing the Part – Rubber Boot Myth
Dealing with Mole Problems in Turfgrass Guest post by Paul D. Curtis, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University Moles are small, insect-eating mammals that are highly specialized for living underground. Unlike voles, moles have very small eyes, no external ears, a hairless, pointed snout, and forefeet that are enlarged and turned outward…Continue Reading Dealing with Mole Problems in Turfgrass
“We should have little trouble with vermin if builders would hear and understand the ‘language’ of vermin and do a better job in eliminating their entrances and hiding place.” – Hugo Hartnak, 1939 Pests enter school buildings in one of two ways: they are transported in by students, staff, or delivery truck or they make…Continue Reading Back to School – Keeping the Rodents Outside
THE NATIONAL HEALTHY SCHOOL DAY Organization shares this: Most schools and childcares are closed. They can work NOW towards healthier facilities for all children when they re-open. National #HealthySchoolsDay is April 7 and the theme is COVID19 and the impact on children. . National #HealthySchoolsDay is Tuesday, April 7. “This annual day of focus on…Continue Reading National Healthy Schools Day 2020
This is the third and final post dedicated to tactics of school IPM most appropriate to the current situation of shuttered schools. (If your building is open to provide meals for at-home students, we applaud your efforts!) Post #1 Scouting, Post #2 Exclusion. Sanitation is a third step in structural pest management, as it reduces…Continue Reading Timely School IPM Tip #3: Sanitation
Last week we promoted SCOUTING for pests. Today, we want to emphasize ways to EXCLUDE pests. Exclusion is a fundamental way to reduce pests in buildings. Unfortunately, it’s not always a quick and easy job. Some gaps are easy to see. Improperly fitting door sweeps or gaps along utility lines, for instance. Others, like gaps…Continue Reading Timely School IPM #2: Excluding Pests
Today’s blog post is by Lynn Braband. COMMUNITY IPM EDUCATOR, NYS IPM Program Lynn has major responsibilities in assisting New York State schools and municipalities in the implementation of IPM. Activities have included organizing school IPM implementation workshops throughout the state, surveying schools on the status of their pest management programs, and conducting IPM demonstration…Continue Reading Everything Wants to Prepare for Winter
Originally published on March 24, 2018 – Courtesy of Paul Hetzler, CCE St. Lawrence County Pest management used to be a lot simpler, and more effective. For those bothersome vampire problems you had your basic wooden stakes, cheap and readily available. The well-to-do could afford silver bullets, an elegant and tidier solution. And of course,…Continue Reading Managing monsters: Ladybugs problematic for many this winter
Although summer heat is predicted for New York State through at least the Labor Day weekend, signs of the inevitable change of seasons are upon us. The daylight hours are becoming shorter, territorial singing by birds has decreased greatly, and many animals, including tree squirrels, begin preparing for the long, cold months of winter. In…Continue Reading Everything Wants to Prepare for Winter