Practices and perceptions of school integrated pest management by North Carolina pest-management professionals

The use of pesticides in schools is a matter of great concern to many school administrators, parents, students, staff, environmental groups, and legislators because children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of pesticide exposure. To minimize pesticide use and exposure in schools, many states are promoting or requiring adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) programs in their schools. A focus group and telephone survey of pest-management professionals (PMPs) were conducted to aid development and promotion of a school IPM program in North Carolina. Only PMPs with current or anticipated contracts with public schools were surveyed. The objective of this effort was to determine current pest control practices, attitudes and knowledge of IPM, and IPM training needs. Ants, cockroaches, rats, mice, and termites were reported as the most important insect pests. Scheduled pesticide applications are predominantly used to control the pests, although 89% of respondents defined IPM as using action levels and a combination of management tactics. According to PMPs, education, better communication, organization, and administration can greatly enhance the implementation of IPM in schools.