PSCIP Addresses Pest Problems in the City
Concerned citizens as well as city and federal agencies will meet to discuss pest problems and solutions when the Philadelphia School and Community IPM Partnership holds its sixth annual meeting on Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. in Philadelphia.
Online, October 5, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Concerned citizens as well as city and federal agencies will meet to discuss pest problems and solutions when the Philadelphia School and Community IPM Partnership holds its sixth annual meeting on Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the School District of Philadelphia at 440 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia. Following the meeting will be an educational session on bed bugs from 2 - 3 p.m. with Changlu Wang, urban entomologist, from Rutgers University.
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.
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.