PSCIP Addresses Pest Problems in the City - September 2009
PSCIP was formed eight years ago after the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program (PA IPM) at Penn State began looking for community-based solutions to manage pests effectively and safely in indoor environments. PSCIP members include community groups, schools and child development centers, tenant groups, environmental groups, health professionals, pest control professionals, university staff and city and state agencies. The meeting will update partners on the progress of the groups various projects, discuss pest control and pesticide issues, and brainstorm new strategies needed activities and funding sources.
This year’s guest speaker will be Sharon Heath, Director of Pesticide Programs at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Heath is the coordinator of the city’s inter-agency Pest Management Committee and plays an active role in the new NYC Bed Bug Task Force. She will discuss her experiences in promoting IPM through health, housing and policy initiatives in the city. She will also describe their city-wide efforts at rat control, implementation of IPM in public housing and increasing public awareness about safer pest control and its health benefits.
Immediately following the general meeting, Dr. Changlu Wang will discuss his research on bed bugs including their patterns of dispersal, the effectiveness of various monitoring methods and a step-by-step approach to conducting a successful bed bug IPM program. Wang has also surveyed residents of multi-family housing to understand human perceptions and behaviors associated with bed bug infestations. This is a great opportunity to learn about this difficult pest from the expert.
To RSVP to the meeting, bed bug education session, or both, contact Michelle Niedermeier, PSCIP coordinator, at the Philadelphia IPM office, (215) 471-2200, ext. 109, or e-mail pscip@psu.edu. For more information on pests, pesticides and their effects on public health, visit the PA IPM Program’s Web site at http://paipm.org and click on ‘Public Health’. For more information on PSCIP, including meeting minutes, partners in the initiative, and current and future activities, visit Web site http://www.pscip.org.
The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and urban settings. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://www.paipm.org. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.htm.
