North Carolina farmer Frank Baumgartner is at war. Week after week, his crops are ravaged by a pest that has no corresponding pesticide and is difficult to impossible to repel from the fields. The pest he battles is not an insect, not a weed, and not a disease; it’s a wild pig.
Filed under: Invasive species | Tagged: feral hogs, feral swine, hunting pigs, Judas pigs, wild boar, wild pigs | Leave a Comment »
As people resort to using so-called “bug bombs” or foggers to kill fleas or bed bugs, not all of them follow the necessary precautions before, during and after setting them off. The Environmental Protection Agency has a web page with a list of safety precautions for fogger use. The information in this post was taken from that page.
Filed under: Pesticides, Urban IPM | Tagged: bed bugs, bombs for bed bugs, bug bombs, foggers, getting rid of fleas, total release foggers | Leave a Comment »
One of the biggest challenges in IPM is the management of invasive species. Most of the research that I write about involves attempts to reduce populations of invasive insects, weeds and sometimes diseases, to encourage the restoration of the resource the invaders have decimated. However, sometimes an article about IPM for mammals will pop up, such as an article in ScienceDaily about invasive Burmese pythons, I jumped at the chance to write a post about it.
Filed under: Invasive species | Tagged: Burmese pythons, Guineafowl, invasive reptiles, invasive snakes, Limpkin | Leave a Comment »
by Dr. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension Entomologist & IPM Program Evaluator, Auburn University
In the world of evaluation, there is a saying that ‘20% effort can provide 80% of the information needed’. Evaluation is a critical need in this ‘era of accountability’ and evaluation should be seen as a continuous process. In the winter edition of Southern Exchange Newsletter, you were introduced to the concept of Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels, namely, Reaction, Learning, Behavior and Results (impacts). This article will focus on the basics of Logic Model and demonstrate how it can be used to design and implement a continuous evaluation plan.
Logic Model is a concept made famous in the 1970s and it has been used successfully by managers in a variety of fields – from business to health and education programs. It has been modified by Dr. Ellen Taylor-Powell and her colleagues at the University of Wisconsin to fit Extension education programs. Fundamentally, the Logic Model is a visualization tool for program planners that allow depiction of relationships between INPUTS, OUTPUTS, and OUTCOMES (Figure 1.).
Figure 1. Depiction of A Logic Model and Evaluation Plan for IPM Programs
The Logic Model is very useful for Extension IPM programs that use existing university infrastructure for new projects. Logic Models can be simple one-page summary done in Microsoft Word or it can be a network of complex flowcharts developed with specialized software like DoView. Although Logic Model appears to be linear process, it actually comprises of numerous internal linkages and feedback loops (Figure 1). Logic Model also lays emphasis on unique assumptions and the environment within which a program operates.
Note that the Logic Model provides equal importance on short-term (knowledge-changes) and medium-term outcomes (behavior-changes) without over-relying on long-term impacts alone as a measure of program success. Below are descriptions for each component of the Logic model and some statements about IPM evaluations.
SITUATION: There should be a documented evidence for need of an IPM program. Needs assessments are important for both baseline and reactive IPM programs since they provide ‘benchmark’ information to which future improvements can be compared.
INPUTS: These are the resources available for conducting an IPM program. Inputs include all human and capital resources (including grants), all equipment and technological components, and all external and internal partnerships that are utilized during program delivery. Listing of inputs is often the hardest part of the Logic model since many resources are shared and/or limited. Inputs should justify the outputs.
OUTPUTS: These are the deliverables of an Extension program. Outputs include all tangible and intangible objects such as publications, websites, social networks and interactions, number of Extension events and participants, etc. Program outputs should be carefully monitored and documented for reporting to stakeholders who are very likely to pay attention to those details. Program outputs should be distinguished from outcomes in progress reports.
OUTCOMES: These are the critical ‘changes’ that happen due to an IPM program implementation (Figure 1). Short-term outcomes include changes in knowledge, attitude, and skills that can be measured using pre/post-tests (using content from a curriculum), skills tests (e.g., insect identification, damage symptoms), and interviews (qualitative data). While pre/post-tests help quantify a short-term gain during an event, follow-up tests after a predetermined time-period can determine information retention and usefulness. Medium-term outcomes measure behavioral changes, e.g., changes in technology adoption, changes in production practices, etc. It is often easier to measure the adoption rates for new IPM recommendations than changes in entire crop production practices. Ask your audience specifically about IPM tactics they may have adopted after training, e.g., scouting for invasive insects, use of a new cell phone app, reduced use of insecticides, etc. These are your success outcome markers or indicators. You do not need to measure everything, but stick to your project objectives and select evaluation questions carefully.
Short- and medium-term evaluations can be done repeatedly over the life of an IPM program or project to generate information about long-term impacts. In many cases, on-going surveys provide more information about a successful IPM program than direct impact assessments that may undervalue behavioral changes and removal of barriers. Survey instrument for various evaluations can be merged together for convenience, e.g., behavioral change surveys with needs assessment and event quality surveys (Extension projects). It is easy to document critical evaluation findings in an EXCEL spreadsheet with indicators on the X-axis and findings from various events on the Y-axis. Every IPM event should be evaluated using standardized instrument (yearly reviewed) to generate consistent information. Remember to provide ample time to the audience to respond to your questions. For further information, please consult an evaluation specialist at your institution or at the IPM center.
Filed under: Budget | Tagged: evaluation, IPM evaluation, logic model | Leave a Comment »
When I check out the stats on our blog, I often look at the search terms that people use to find our blog. A couple of days ago, I noticed that someone searched for “the difference between bed bugs and ticks,” and I thought, that’s a great question! So I’m going to try to answer it.
Bed bugs and ticks have a few similarities, but very few. They both are flat, wingless, bite people and feed on their blood. That’s where the similarity ends. I assure you: if you go to any reputable university web site and look at photos of bed bugs and ticks, you will have enough information to identify them.
Common bed bug, Source: Wikipedia
Bed bugs are members of the Insecta class, so they have six legs (as opposed to eight legs, as members of the Arachnida class have). They are tiny, rusty or deep red, and round in shape. They reproduce rapidly. They are usually found indoors. Although they are nicknamed “bed bugs” because they typically feed on people while they are sleeping, they can live in any type of furniture, including hard surfaced furniture such as a bed table or dresser.
Bed bugs are most typically found in the bed, between the mattress and the box spring. They feed at night, and although the bite feels like a tiny pin prick, most people are not aware of being bitten until after they’re awake. Bed bugs feed for 3 to 10 minutes and move to another place, so they can bite you several times in one night. They can live without feeding for over a year.
Bed bug infestations are much more common now because of increased travel and hotel stays. Although you’re most likely to encounter bed bugs in a hotel (any hotel, not just the cheap ones), you can be exposed to bed bugs in office buildings, restaurants, airports, and though used furniture or clothing.
In an earlier post, I gave detailed information about how to check for bed bugs, how to avoid transferring them to your home, and ways you can eradicate them if you do get an infestation. In that post, there are several links to Web resources that have reliable information about bed bugs, so we recommend that you start there if you think you have bed bugs.
Aside from their flat, rounded shape and blood-sucking behavior, ticks are vastly different from bed bugs. You will most often encounter them outside in the grass or other areas close to the ground. Unlike bed bugs, which do not transmit any serious human diseases, ticks transmit some serious human diseases including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. Ticks are from the Arachnida class, which has eight legs (that’s one easy way to tell the difference between bed bugs and ticks—bed bugs have six legs). They also hang onto the same bite site for days after their initial bite, unlike bed bugs, which feed for a short time and then move on. Ticks also typically feed on animals but will feed on humans if an animal isn’t available.
Brown dog tick, Source: Michigan State University
The most significant difference between bed bugs and ticks is that while you will typically see only one species of bed bug, you will find several species of ticks, all depending on where you live. The best resource on ticks in the South is at Texas AgriLife University, http://tickapp.tamu.edu/. The site is a downloadable phone “app,” so if you have an Android or Smart Phone, you can download the information in the site, helpful if you’re in the middle of the woods (assuming you are somewhere that has cell service) and you get bitten. Remember that ticks DO carry disease, so you will need to identify the tick and keep an eye on the bite for several days.
So in a nutshell, here are the differences between bed bugs and ticks:
Want to read a story about a tick’s life and find out how to prevent ticks from making a meal off of you? Go to stoppests.org and read Allie’s blog post.
Filed under: Insects, Urban IPM | Tagged: bed bugs, bed bugs and ticks, bedbugs, difference between bed bugs and ticks, ticks | 1 Comment »
I never know who looks at our blog–whether they’re a specialist or a homeowner, and whether or not they even know what integrated pest management is. This post is dedicated to those of you who have come here and don’t know what integrated pest management is. The rest of you can have the day off–or have fun reading.
When I started my job here in 2006, many of my friends would ask me about my new job. As I tried to explain where I was working, I could tell that they could understand the word “Center” but were still trying to wrap their heads around “integrated.” Now, almost six years later and several attempts at explanation, some of them still don’t quite understand what integrated pest management is.
So if you got to this blog while looking for something else, or you were just curious to see what IPM is, this post is for you. And, while you’re here, I’m going to try to touch on another question that I’m sure is burning in many people’s minds.
What does integrated pest management, or IPM, do for us?
By definition, IPM is a way of controlling pests by choosing pest control methods that work for that particular pest. In other words, if you have ants, you may choose to use baits to kill the colony, and then find the place where they’re entering and seal it so other ants can’t come in. Sometimes insects that feed on other insects—called predator insects—can help reduce pest insects that are feeding on your plants.
The first step in IPM is to be able to identify the insect, disease or weed that is the “pest.” One of the first rules of IPM is that not every insect is a pest insect. Spiders eat other insects. Bees pollinate flowers that become fruit. If you have insect predators on your property, they can help you reduce the amount of pesticides that you’ll need to use on your plants. Reducing the amount of pesticides you need will save you money, one of the things that IPM can do for you. IPM “integrates” different types of controls rather than relying on one control such as pesticides.
Let’s talk about “management.” You may be thinking, “why do you want to manage pests? I don’t like bugs at all. Why can’t I just get rid of them?” The simple answer is that you just can’t. No matter how many bottles of insect killer or weed killer you get, you are never going to completely annihilate every insect and every weed. Some insects are needed to keep others in check; if you get rid of them, the pest insects multiply rapidly. Weeds have seeds that are buried deep in the ground and eventually sprout. The exotic invasive weeds and insects such as hydrilla, emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid have taught us why beneficial insects are so important. Without natural controls, destructive insects have nothing to keep them from multiplying and defoliating everything in their path, and many of them have found ways to protect themselves from insecticide sprays.
Insecticide resistance is another reason why IPM is important. If you’ve ever known someone who used antibiotics every time that person was sick, you know that those antibiotics eventually stop working, and the person has to use a stronger antibiotic to get better the next time. Similarly, if you use one insecticide, fungicide or herbicide repeatedly, you will eventually notice that it doesn’t work as well as it used to. When you use different methods at various times, the pest doesn’t have the opportunity to build up immunity. For example, I switch between the different flea treatments I use on my dog, so I make sure that fleas don’t ever get used to one brand in particular. IPM allows you to manage pests for the long term.
Even though many of us can’t see how the produce at the grocery store is grown on the farm, farmers have to make daily decisions about pest management. The choices they make are much more complex than the choices that most homeowners have to make about their home or garden. One element that affects their choice about pest management is the price that they will get for their crop from the buyer. Many farmers use IPM because it’s the most cost-effective in the long run, and it keeps them from wasting pounds of pesticides when the pest or disease is not present. It also helps them figure out when to use pesticides to protect their crop from pests or diseases in their area. Many farmers have used IPM to significantly reduce the amount of chemicals they use on their crops, making both your food and the environment safer.
IPM is also practiced at many of our nation’s schools. Several states have laws requiring that parents be notified when insecticides will be applied to a school building, and schools with particularly strict IPM rules have staff that regularly monitor the building for cracks and openings where insects and other pests can enter, and close those openings. Kitchen staff make sure that counters and floors are clean so that ants and cockroaches are not attracted to the kitchen or dining areas. Reducing the number of pesticide applications in schools, while still keeping the school pest-free keeps children from getting sick from both chemicals and allergens brought in by pests.
So what does IPM do for you?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: integrated pest management, IPM | 3 Comments »
The Regional IPM Centers were one of several recipients to win an award. Here is some background on the award winners:
Filed under: Insects, Invasive species, Pesticides, Urban IPM | Tagged: Awards of excellence, IPM Achievement awards, ipm symposium, Regional IPM Centers, Tom Green | Leave a Comment »
As the time drawn near for the 7th International IPM Symposium, I thought it only fitting to post some last minute information for those of you who may not have gotten an e-mail.
http://www.ipmcenters.org/ipmsymposium12/
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: ipm symposium | Leave a Comment »
Wait, you’re thinking; this is an integrated pest management blog, not an FBI blog, right? Yes. For those of you who have never heard the term “geographic profiling,” it refers to a method used by crime fighters to track down serial killers, especially when they have a large pool of suspects. According to a group of scientists in Britain, who published a paper in the journal Ecography, scientists trying to stop the spread of invaders–invasive species, that is–can use the same tool to locate source populations of those invasive species, with considerably less effort than they may be using with many of the current source locator methods.
Filed under: Invasive species | Tagged: article in Ecography, buffer zone, distance decay function, geographic profiling, Geoprofiling, invasive species, Le Comber, Queen Mary University, spatial analysis | Leave a Comment »
The President’s FY2013 budget for USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (released Feb. 13, 2012) proposes consolidation of six IPM-related funding lines into a single line called the “Crop Protection Program.” This new program, to be administered under Integrated Activities, is designed to enhance NIFA’s ability to support research, education, and extension activities needed to ensure global food security and respond to other major societal challenges.
Filed under: Budget | Tagged: IPM budget, IPM Funding, NIFA budget, Regional IPM Center, State IPM programs | Leave a Comment »
