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Greater Harmony Between Agriculture and the Environment
School IPM in Phoenix and on Arizona Indian Reservations
Issue
Most schools in Phoenix and elsewhere in Arizona routinely spray their
facilities with pesticides to control an assortment of fire ants, cockroaches,
mosquitoes and bark scorpions. Each month the treatments are repeated
as part of an outdated pest prevention program that doesn't work. Unacceptable
pest populations remain a problem in these schools. At the same time,
while the poisons are applied and reapplied, parents pull their children
out of school for a day or two each month to avoid pesticide exposure.
In April 2000, the Kyrene school district in metropolitan Phoenix tried
another approach and brought in a team of specialists that included
entomologists from the University of Arizona.
What has been done?
Three schools in the Kyrene district were chosen for a pilot Integrated
Pest Management (IPM) project, to control pests while avoiding reliance
on chemical pesticides. The schools concentrated their efforts (and
capital resources) on identifying what the pests were, finding where
they came from and preventing their entry into buildings. The custodial
and kitchen staffs also were mobilized to learn how to spot trouble.
All of the openings around pipes and conduits were sealed, crawl spaces
were closed off, and drains and building slabs were repaired to inhibit
cockroaches. Trees were trimmed back and birds were encouraged to roost
where their droppings wouldn't contaminate walkways and other high traffic
areas. The new program initially came from Indiana University (IU).
IU entomologist Marc Lame had done a pilot study in the Midwest and
wanted to try a similar program in the desert Southwest.
Impact
The IPM final evaluation showed that the schools reduced their pesticide
applications by 90 percent and kept pest populations below 85 percent
of their original levels. The program has been expanded to 27 sites
in the Kyrene School District.
In 2001 a new pilot program began on The Navajo Nation in three Bureau
of Indian Affairs schools. The main pest issues at the sites included
rodents, bed bugs and house flies. The final evaluation showed that
the pilot schools reduced chemical pesticide use by more than 90 percent
and also reduced pest incidence by more than 60 percent. The program
has now been expanded to include all the BIA schools on the Navajo,
Hopi and south Pueblo reservations. A new pilot program also began on
the Gila River Indian Reservation in fall 2002.
The structural IPM program continues to grow: 1) UA faculty are currently
working with the Arizona Structural Pest Control Commission on ways
to provide pest control companies with certification that will recognize
those who practice IPM techniques, and 2) a UA faculty member has been
appointed vice president of the International Urban IPM Association.
Funding
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
Environmental Protection Agency
Contact
Dawn Gouge, assistant specialist, entomology
Department of Entomology
The University of Arizona
37860 W. Smith-Enke Road
Maricopa, AZ 85239-3010
Tel: (520) 568-2273 ext, 223 FAX (520) 568-2556
Email: dhgouge@ag.arizona.edu
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