[Online Training] 'Safe' and Sound

Have you ever inspected a warehouse for pests and encountered an insect you don’t remember seeing before? A survey conducted at the 2007 Purdue Pest Management Conference showed that 83 percent of respondents have done just that. And what many pest management professionals don’t realize is that one of those unfamiliar pests could turn out to be the next invasive species.

At Purdue University, we are teaching SAFER inspection practices to PCOs who service clients at risk for accidentally importing an invasive wood-boring species. This acronym — which stands for Search, Ask, Fix, Educate and Report — not only helps protect the country from invasive species, it creates a valuable service that you can deliver to your clients.

SUCCESSFUL INVADERS. Global trade has increased significantly in the past 20 years. By the end of 2005, $10.2 trillion worth of goods were being traded globally per year. Unfortunately, this has created opportunities for many organisms to get a “free ride” to the United States. Solid wood packing materials such as dunnage, crating, pallets, packing blocks, drums, cases and skids regularly are used to prevent damage to goods during transport. This low-quality wood shipped with imports has a good chance of containing wood-boring insects. Some of these creatures, like the emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle, have become significant pests in their new environments.

Invasive wood borers, such as the emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle, are able to pose a real threat to forests because of their ability to out-compete native species. This may be because they are better at finding and using trees than native borers or because they have no natural enemies in their new home to control their populations. They incur management costs estimated at more than $130 billion per year in the United States. When whole species of trees are attacked and killed, these insects can make our cities and forests look bare.

HOW TO HELP. Pest management professionals can protect forests from these wood-boring pests by looking for them in solid wood packing material, which many clients have on their premises. The fact that pest management professionals already are looking for insects and pests makes them far more likely than the average citizen to come across a potential invasive species. According to our survey, 90 percent of PCOs would want to do the right thing if they found an invasive species, but only 14 percent of them knew exactly what to do.

What should pest management professionals search for? When inspecting solid wood packing material for rodent nest sites and occasional invaders, be aware of round or irregular holes in the material; sawdust accumulating under or around the material that cannot be explained; frass in, on or around the material; or insects you don’t recognize resting on or near the packing material. These signs could indicate infested packing material. Another thing to watch for is whether the packing material includes bark. Insects are much more likely to survive the treating process if bark is included in the material. Try to determine if the infestation is active or not. If you remove the sawdust or frass, does more accumulate? Is the frass completely dried out or is it still slightly moist? These are important indications of an active infestation.

PACKAGED PESTS. Once the PCO has determined there is an active infestation, it is time to ask where the material came from. Sometimes it is easy to tell that a product is clearly associated with the solid wood packing material. These products are strapped to the wood or have been encased with the packing material in plastic wrap. In these cases the solid wood packing material likely originated where the product did. Sometimes the packing material has been on the client’s premises for a long time and has just been re-used. This is unlikely to contain a potential invasive insect. Talk to the client and try to determine the origin.

If it is determined that the infested solid wood packing material came from overseas, fix the problem by keeping the potential invasive pest contained in the building. Recommended containment procedures include bringing all the suspicious material indoors, keeping infested material together preferably away from doors and windows, covering all the material with plastic, and closing all exits and windows to prevent escape.

If an actual insect is spotted instead of just signs of an infestation, place the insect in a container and then in the refrigerator. If a report is made, the authorities will then inspect the premises and determine what further actions need to be taken.

EDUCATE THE CUSTOMER. If the customer has an active infestation in solid wood packing material that came from overseas, he or she needs to be educated about the need to report this finding. The decision to report ultimately is up to him/her. All PCOs can do is try to convince the customer why early detection of invasive species is so important. If an invasive species can be caught before it escapes from their premises, there is a much higher probability of stopping it completely and potentially saving a community millions of dollars. A PCO can even turn the act of reporting into positive media coverage for the client. It proves they are aware of the risks associated with global trade and are willing to protect their communities from its consequences by using the best available pest management practices.

CONCLUSION. Knowing SAFER inspection practices when encountering a suspicious insect can be a selling point for PCOs and their companies. With proper training, pest management professionals can market themselves as invasive species specialists. Purdue University has a new online course that can provide just such training. (Go to www.continuinged.purdue.edu/media/pest/invasive/ for a course description.) PCOs can protect the nation’s forests while earning more money for providing a new service.

For instance, a Midwestern pest management professional recently discovered the Asian longhorned beetle on his client’s property and then was awarded the fumigation contract to take care of the problem. Everybody wins.

Ashley Walter is a graduate student at Purdue University’s Department of Entomology.