Tag: rodents

What’s Bugging You? – Missed Opportunities

mottled brown shield-shaped insect on window screen set in a brown metal door

“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

What’s Bugging You? – Mice

picture of the face of a brown mouse over the curled up bodies of two gray mice nested within yellow/green insulation between wooden joists

“The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” ― Willie Nelson On a recent call with my mother, I learned she’d found holes in bags of rice, and so she’d put out traps. She expressed her hope that after catching four mice, she’d dealt with all of them. “Well, probably…Continue Reading What’s Bugging You? – Mice

What’s Bugging You? – Birdseed Pests

photo of mottle brown bird with a red cap sitting on a black screened bird feeder with a red top

Birds spark a deep wonder and endless fascination. They help us understand the living world and our connections to it. – Ian Owens, Executive Director, Cornell Lab of Ornithology February in New York can be a dull prospect. Sure, a fresh blanket of snow can transform the landscape, but shades of brown take over again…Continue Reading What’s Bugging You? – Birdseed Pests

IPM at the Empire State Producers (Virtual) Expo- Week One

The “Expo” is Virtual this year and begins the week of  February 21, 2022 The New York State Integrated Pest Management Program is proud to be part of this annual event. During Week One, Matt Frye talks Rodent Management (Tuesday), Amara Dunn addresses Biocontrol options (Thursday), and Betsy Lamb hosts the Cut Flowers session (Monday)….Continue Reading IPM at the Empire State Producers (Virtual) Expo- Week One

New Resources from our friends at STOP PESTS.ORG

Understanding pest biology (the why and how they do things) is key to reducing pest problems. Pest management can be a real challenge in any structure–maybe more so in multi-family housing. Pests like cockroaches, rodents and even bed bugs travel from room to room and, unfortunately, from apartment to apartment. We asked Susannah Reese of…Continue Reading New Resources from our friends at STOP PESTS.ORG

Back to School – Keeping the Rodents Outside

“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

SIGN UP FOR OUR CONFERENCE: School IPM 2020: Where We’ve Been and What’s Next

A Virtual Two Half-Day Conference When: Mornings of August 11 & 18, 2020 Where: We will be connecting via Zoom. How: Click Here to Register Cost: $15 per person or $25 per school district PESTICIDE APPLICATOR CREDITS AVAILABLE: NYS Pesticide Applicator recertification credits have been awarded for the following categories: Core, 3A, 3B, 7A, 7F,…Continue Reading SIGN UP FOR OUR CONFERENCE: School IPM 2020: Where We’ve Been and What’s Next

Timely School IPM Tip #3: Sanitation

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

Timely School IPM #2: Excluding Pests

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

Timely School IPM #1: Scouting for Building Pests

While pests like bedbugs are inactive waiting out school re-openings, the old standards like cockroaches and rodents can use quiet buildings to their advantage if habitat needs are met.  Food, water and shelter are available in areas such as storage rooms, kitchens, boiler rooms and crawlspaces. If your building is currently unoccupied, pest activity can…Continue Reading Timely School IPM #1: Scouting for Building Pests