Troublesome Pests In School Buildings

1
Troublesome PestsIn School Buildings

• IPM in Schools Program
• Contact Kenneth Matheny
• Elite Pest Management Inc.
• 1-877-4BADBUG

2
Structural or Indoor Pests in Michigan Schools

• Spiders
• Cockroaches
• Other
• centipedes, crickets, boxelder bugs, aphids,
  millepedes, bats, fruit flies, shrews

• Ants
• Flies
• Mice/Rats
• Wasps
• Headlice
• Silverfish

3
Sanitation any pest, all pests

• Sweep and mop floors
• Drain all sinks and remove any food debris
• Vacuum and/or mop classrooms daily
• Periodically, clean food prep areas thoroughly
• drains, vents, deep fat fryers and hard-to-reach
  areas
• Remove all food garbage from building daily
• Rinse recycling materials
• Seal garbage in bags before placing
• in dumpster

4
Outdoor Waste Management

• No garbage on ground
• Place dumpsters upwind of outside doors, kitchen
  or cafeteria especially
• Remove wastes from site weekly
• Twice/week during warmer weather (insects breed
  faster)
• Close lids
• Clean containers regularly
• High pressure water or brush and soapy water.
• Borax and water to eliminate odors
• Hose or scrub out dumpsters with drains
• Flies can develop in soil soaked with dumpster
  rinse water

5
Non-Chemical Pest Management

• Entry
• Screen
• Patch cracks
• Inspect incoming products
• Food
• Vacuum
• Dispose of garbage
• Replace decaying wood
• Climate
• Moisture
• Clutter
• Shelf paper

6
4 steps of IPM

• Inspect
• Identify
• Take action (action thresholds)
• Evaluate

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If Chemical Treatment Is Needed

• Follow EPA approved label directions
• Use Personal Protective Equipment as noted on
  label
• Maintain a file of labels and MSDS (material data
  safety sheets)

8
Ants

• In food areas, contaminate food other areas,
  nuisance
• If not migrating into building, not detrimental
• If high numbers foraging into building, locate
  and treat outdoor nests
• Differ in habits and food preferences
• May build nest in soil, rotting wood, concealed
  areas outdoor or in buildings
• Feed on starches, meats, fats or sweets
• Honeydew from houseplant pests
• Baits tempt workers into returning to nest with
  poisonous food
• Identify type to determine biology and most
  effective method of management

9
Ants in Michigan schools

• Cornfield
• lt to dk brown, workers 1/10 long very
  abundant outdoors
• Field Ants
• Black, brown, red, or combo, workers 1/8 to
  1/4 long
• Pavement Ants
• Reddish-brown to black workers 1/8 inch long
• Thief Ants
• yellow to light brown
• workers 1/20 long tend to curl up when die
• ID important confused for Pharaoh ants
• Pharaoh ants
• light yellow to red
• 1/16 long
• thorax on workers darker colored

Photo by Jim Kalisch. UNL Entomology
10
Pharaoh Ants
Can nest in any heated building most commonly
found in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and
apartments. Persistent numbers of very small
ants in winter likely Pharaoh
Photo by Jim Kalisch. UNL Entomology

• Do not survive outdoors.
• Nest in small spaces often near dark, warm sites
  near moisture source very difficult to find.
• Produce new nests by budding. When colony too
  large or under stress, moves to new site

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Managing pharaoh ants usually requires
experienced pest control company
Photo by Jim Kalisch. UNL Entomology

• Insecticides and household cleaning products can
  cause BUDDING, create new colonies.
• Use of baits preferred, but homeowner products
  may not be effective
• Professionals have experience and more effective
  products

12
Ways to Reduce Ant Problems

• Weather strip around doors and windows
• Always carry caulk on inspections
• Use mildew resistant caulk in moist areas
• Begin caulking at access point of current ant
  trail
• Vacuum ant trails
• Vacuum up a tbsp corn starch to kill ants in bag
• Spray with detergent and water

13
Techniques for Baiting Ants

• May require Elite Pest Management to identify
  species and habits
• Differ in food preference for baiting
• Sweet, protein or oily attractants
• Food preferences may change
• Differ in nesting and foraging habits
• Affects bait acceptance and management techniques
• In dry areas, may prefer more moist baits
• Bait along foraging trails, but do not disturb
  trails between nest and bait

Place baits out of sight and REACH of children
If competition present, non-target ant may
prevent target ant from feeding Remove bait
stations when not needed or will attract
cockroaches
14
Common Small Flies

• Moth fly (drain fly)
• 1/12 long, dark-colored long black hairs on
  wings and body, fuzzy moth-like appearance
• Fruit Flies
• 1/16 to 1/8 long, red eyes, tan body, striped
  abdomen
• Humpbacked fly
• Also called phorid flies 1/8 long with
  humpbacked body often found running along
  counters or walls
• Fungus gnats
• 1/8 long with slender body and long legs

15
Flies

• May contaminate food in prep or serving areas
• In others areas, nuisance, but large numbers
• indicate sanitation problem
• Eggs laid in
• food waste, kitchen drains, decomposing
  organic matter, ripe fruit and vegetables,
  fermenting water from refrigerators, humidifiers,
  spoiled animal food, damp sour mops or rags and
  other locations, including areas adjacent to
  building
• Identify flies to determine breeding sites and
  effective control measures

16
Where can flies can be found?

• drains
• moist, decaying organic matter
• food residues in trash
• around kitchen equipment
• bottom of pet cages or potting soil
• slimy layer in floor drains and sinks
• near sump pumps and broken sewage lines
• in soil of over-watered houseplants, or high
  organic soil

17
Reduce Fly Populations

• Eat or refrigerate fresh foods
• no ripe (overripe) produce left out
• Separate food waste from other garbage, drain,
  store in sealed plastic bags before disposing
• Flush sink and floor drains regularly
• Rinse materials before recycling
• Keep mops clean and dry

18
Mice/Rats

• Norway rat
• Large, robust, blunt muzzle, small eyes, short
  rounded ears 7-18 oz, adults up to 11
• House mouse
• Smaller, more slender than Norway, eyes small,
  ears prominent, muzzle pointed 1 oz or less, 3
  long
• Deer mouseseasonal problem in fall and winter
  size as house mouse, but bicolored, white bellies
  and feet, large eyes

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Mouse clues

• Sounds at night of squeaks, scrambling or gnawing
• Droppings
• Similar to large cockroaches and bats
• Urine
• pillars of grease, urine and dirt visible under
  blacklight
• Grease marks of dirt and oil from fur
• Runways, not easily detectable
• Tracks footprints or tail marks
• use nontoxic dust to help locate (talc)
• Gnawing damage
• Sightings
• Nest sites
• Mouse odors

20
Rodent cultural practices

• Good Sanitation
• Eliminate food, water and shelter
• Exclude
• Identify and seal all entry points
• Never prop open doors or windows
• Trim shrubs grass and vines and maintain a 12-18
  gravel border adjacent to building foundations

21
Mouse Trap Tips
A pair of mice can produce 50 offspring in one
year

• Rarely go more than 30 ft from nest,
• usually only 10 ft
• Place Glue Boards in 10 ft in diameter around
  mouse signs
• Good climbers live above or below food sources,
  ceilings or crawl spaces
• Best trapping sites where mice spend time
• Note droppings along walls, behind objects, dark
  corners
• Good mouse baits -- peanut butter, bacon, cereal
• cotton ball for nest material
• May require professional assistance to deal with
  high mouse populations

22
B ees and Wasps

• Characteristics
• Bees fuzzy, robust
• Wasps Smooth skinned and shiny
• Identify to learn biology and habits
• Wasp and bumble bee colonies live only 1 season
• Old queen and workers die in fall, new queens
  survive in protected sites
• Build new nest in spring old nest not reused
• Honey bee colonies perennial in same nest location

23
Sting Reactions

• Local burning itching, redness, tenderness or
  massive swelling and itch. Ice or topical
  ointment, remove stinger

• Mild allergic hives or rash, swelling in area
  away from sting, headache, minor
  respiratory/stomach upset, treat with
  antihistamine
• Severe Anaphylactic shock, fainting, immediate
  difficulty breathing, swelling or blockage in
  throat

24
Caution! Wasps and Bees

• Will attack if physically threatened and to
  protect their nests
• Wear protective clothing bee veil and bee suit
• USE CAUTION!

Photos by Jim Kalisch. UNL Entomology
25
Wasp Nests

• If nest not a threat, wait for freeze
• Capture and release or swat individuals
• May nest in ground, tree and shrubs, under
  horizontal surfaces such as eaves, in buildings
  in wall spaces

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Treating Nests

• Exposed nests apply Wasp and Hornet
  ready-to-use aerosol to entrance of nest. Repeat
  if live wasps found
• Ground nests and hidden nests may require
  applications of insecticide by professional pest
  control technician
• If nest entrance in wall void sealed before
  insects dead, insects will be forced indoors
• Professional can vacuum nest if in area where
  insecticides can not be used
• Do not pour gasoline or fuel oil in ground nest
• contaminates environment, use soapy water
• plug entrance hole with dirt after insects killed

27
Cockroaches

• Zero tolerance anywhere
• Can carry pathogens and cause problems such as
  salmonella and asthma
• Prefer to be in warm, moist areas near food and
  water

28
Cockroach Species

• German
• Adults live 6 months, each female produces 28
  nymphs from an egg case, produces 4-8 egg cases,
  new generation every four weeks
• Small, adults less than ¾ long, gold with two
  dark streaks behind the head. Requires moisture,
  usually found in kitchen or bath
• American
• Can live two years, egg case 1-2 weeks, 20 to 80
  egg cases with 15-20 nymphs
• Glue egg case to hidden, moist surface
• Larger and heavier, 1 ½ to 1 ¾ long, reddish
  brown to black

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Defeating Cockroaches

• Watch damp areas or available water (Condensation
  under refrigerator)
• Store all food in sealed containers remove
  garbage daily
• Remove boxes, newspapers, other clutter
• Rinse and invert cups, glasses and soda
• Vacuum cockroaches and egg cases
• HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter to
  reduce airborne cockroach debris

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Non toxic cockroach trap-

• Empty jar with rounded inner lip
• pickle, mayonnaise etc.
• Coat inner lip with vaseline
• Bait with quarter slice bread
• soaked in beer or dog food,
• apples, cookies, etc.
• Wrap outside of jar in paper towel
• Kill trapped insects with dish washing detergent
  and hot water

31
Methods of Professional Cockroach Management

• Traps
• Gel and dust baits
• Insect growth regulators
• Disrupt normal development of immatures
• Very low in toxicity for people and animals
• Slow working
• Desiccating dusts

32
Headlice

• Do not treat furniture, bedding, floor or walls
  inside school with insecticide
• Cannot survive without human host for more than
  two days
• Bedding and clothing should be washed and dried
  at high temperature (150o or higher)
• Place pillow or other non-washable items in
  freezer for several days

33
S piders

• Beneficial insect tolerate if possible
• To reduce numbers, remove hiding places
• Create vegetation-free zone around building
• Knock down webs with broom or hard spray of water
• Remove and destroy egg sacks or spiders when
  found
• Caulk or seal cracks
• Be sure screens ft tightly
• Change outside lights to avoid attracting other
  insects as prey
• yellow lights less attractive than mercury or
  sodium vapor

34
Boxelder bugs

• Most abundant during hot, dry summers
• Live just a few days indoors and do not reproduce
  
• May enter buildings on mild,
• sunny, winter days,
• Prevent by
• Vacuum
• Caulk
• Soap mixture ½ cups laundry detergent ot one
  gallon water in hand sprayer or squirt bottle.
  Check for staining on building materials No
  residual, must hit target

Photo by Jeff Hahn, University of Minnesota
35
Silverfish

• Prefer cool, moist, dark places, 70-80oF, high
  r.h.
• basements, trapped in bathtubs, sinks
• Quick movement, active at night hide during day
• Feed on paper, grains and starchy foods,
• Change environment if possible
• Correct moisture problems, dry out damp areas,
  improve lighting
• Remove stored food, books, paper
• Caulk cracks and crevices