[Rodent Control] Back To School

As summer draws to a close and students head back into the classroom, school districts all across the country are getting their buildings and grounds up to speed.

August is a good time for pest management professionals to provide an education to school officials regarding the important role an Integrated Rodent Management (IRM) program plays as part of an overall Integrated Pest Management program. Too many times, school officials are left scrambling to solve a rodent problem after an unfavorable health inspection all the while answering questions of angry parents. A well-planned IRM can help prevent such problems.

Unfortunately, most school officials are only concerned with seeking the lowest possible bid and think of rodent control as simply setting some traps to get rid of the problem. This is where PCOs need to differentiate themselves from those companies that don’t provide a thorough approach and educate the educator about the benefits of IRM.

MAKING CONTACT. The first step is for a pest management professional to locate the proper contact within the school to discuss an IRM program. Although the facility or building and grounds manager is likely the day-to-day contact, they won’t necessarily make the final call on who wins the business. It’s best to start with the superintendent.

It’s the responsibility of the superintendent, or the school business administrator, to make a recommendation to the school board following a bidding process. A pest management professional should keep in mind that if the school district has contracted pest management work in the past, the dollar amount of the contract is a matter of public record. A PCO can do some research ahead of time to clarify the account’s profit potential before they make contact. Schools can be a good source of income for a business provided material and labor costs are realistic.

To make an informed decision, the differences between a proactive IRM, which includes inspection and monitoring, and a reactive approach of setting traps, must be clearly communicated to all parties involved.

INSPECTION. A PCO needs to communicate to officials that the inspection is critical to a program’s success and cannot be rushed. A good pest management professional will start in the basement or substructure and look for potential entry points such as holes in the building or screening, broken sewer pipes, gaps around conduit or open HVAC or plumbing vents.

Look for areas of heavy vegetation, which provide ample harborage, or evidence of poor sanitation, debris or clutter. Signs of rodent activity will manifest in the form of urine, droppings, rub marks, tracks or damage to goods or structures.

Rodents will move throughout the building, but common areas of rodent activity are any food preparation or storage areas, as well as kitchens, cafeterias, in-school stores, and teachers’ lounge. Any classroom or office with food left out or even in desk drawers is fair game. Sink bases, cabinets, storage rooms, custodial closets are other hiding spots.

EXCLUSION. An IRM is a partnership between the school staff and the pest management firm. Custodians, kitchen and cafeteria workers, groundskeepers and teachers, have a role in eliminating the conditions conducive to supporting a rodent population. Here are some topics a PCO should be prepared to discuss with school personnel:

• Ensure garbage is properly bagged and sealed and thrown into a Dumpster. The Dumpster areas should be cleaned regularly and any spillage picked up quickly.

• Store food in sealed containers. Students should not be allowed to keep food in their desks or lockers.

• Keep exterior doors and windows closed whenever possible. If schools are used by other groups during non-school hours, these same practices should be encouraged.

• Seal all potential points of entry.

• Eliminate vegetation around the perimeter of the building, as this provides ample harborage for rodents.

RODENTICIDE USE = EXTRA CAUTION. A severe infestation may call for the use of rodenticides. School officials typically are leery about using this type of baiting in schools. It’s important for the pest management professional to work with school officials in implementing a plan that will achieve control while adhering to federal, state and local regulations regarding the use of rodenticides in and around school buildings.

Safety of the children is the prime concern. It may be best to use a perimeter baiting technique around the outside of the school building and place rodenticides in secure bait stations near the points of entry.

If baiting must be done inside, school officials might be happy to know a PCO will bait on the weekends or during holidays.

Whether monitoring or baiting, a pest management professional should return frequently to check the stations and accurately record the date and time of service, the action taken and the products used. Diligent record keeping is as important as the actual service provided to make sure the IRM is working.

As the new school year approaches, it’s time for district officials to head back to school to learn how they can keep their students safe with IRM. Class dismissed.

Liphatech would like to thank the members of the Gwinnett County (Georgia) Public Schools IPM Team for their contribution to this article.

The author is national technical support manager for Liphatech.