My efforts with the New York State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program address the management and reduction of environmental, health and economic risks from pests and pest management techniques, including pesticides. My work encompasses pests of communities, schools, homes, municipal facilities, hospitals, parks, and all non-agricultural settings. Through research, demonstration projects, written and electronic materials, and personal outreach and interaction, I engage a variety of audiences in the use and promotion of IPM as an ideal approach to pest problems that can reduce the risks of exposure to pesticides as well as reduce the possibility of economic losses or health problems associated with pests.

Public awareness of pesticide exposure risks, especially in the home and community environment, has increased greatly in the past ten years. However emerging diseases and pests, such as cockroach-induced asthma, West Nile Virus, and the epidemic of bed bugs, along with the limitation of the types of pesticide tools available have created critical needs in community pest management. Integrated pest management (IPM) outreach can help meet these needs by providing effective and safe ways to manage pests. Sensitive areas, such as schools, child care facilities, public housing, and hospitals are national priorities for IPM research, education, and outreach because these areas typically include at-risk populations. This program effort is needed because the practice of community pest management, in and around buildings and in the outdoor human environment, must become safer, more sustainable, and more environmentally sound, yet remain economical and effective. Every person is potentially affected by the risks of pests and pesticide use in the human environment. However, sensitive populations, such as children, are often the focus of community IPM programs. My efforts in New York and the Northeast region are important contributions to the large and growing body of expertise and information that is bringing about change in management of risks associated with pest management in communities.

I focus on the promotion of integrated pest management IPM). In 2007 I gave 13 lectures to a variety of audiences: academic, professional, and layperson, totaling about 830 people. I also consulted with individuals, organizations, schools, and municipalities on more than 70 occasions for a variety of pest issues. IPM was promoted in multiple settings, including schools, child care facilities, homes, parks, athletic fields, offices, food service areas, and historical properties. I lead a project for the development of protocols for bed bug prevention and management in New York City homeless shelters, which will also apply to other types of congregate living situations. I cooperated with a colleague to test the efficacy of a fungal entomopathogen against lone star ticks, the most prominent tick in the Northeast coastal regions. I participated in workshops that helped network academics and professionals, educate pest control practitioners and health care providers, and promote IPM technology. My program has a continuing focus on outreach and education for the emerging pest issue of bed bugs. I have interacted with staff from many public schools in New York, helping facilities managers develop and implement IPM programs in their schools, or providing diagnosis and control recommendations for specific issues. I also serve on two county-wide pesticide phase-out committees, where IPM is replacing the need for routine pesticide use on municipal properties.

In 2007, a team of professionals, who work with and are interested in bed bugs, met to discuss bed bugs. These professionals have since networked and rely on input from each other to help solve bed bug problems. A strategy for bed bug prevention is being created for NYC. This effort will directly benefit up to 30,000 people in homeless shelters in NYC alone. In addition, the protocols will apply to public housing, group homes, SROs and dormitories. Bed bugs are a growing problem, with no socioeconomic boundaries. My outreach has helped raise awareness and promote management strategies while reducing the economic and health impact of bed bugs and their control. A guidebook for IPM of wasps and bees is being developed that will help a variety of people make better decisions for wasp and bee management. I coordinate a project to develop a web-based IPM resource for trees and shrubs that will be accessible to a wide range of audiences, yet focused on management of pests specific to New York. This will be among the first of its kind and will compliment the Cornell pesticide guidelines. I fielded over 60 phone calls from New Yorkers and others about pest problems, with an emphasis on bed bugs. As a result of my work, schools and municipalities are continuing to improve the quality of pest management and the pest control industry, as well as environmental and health advocates, are being engaged in the concept and practice of sensible pest management.

Integrated Pest Management