IPM in Multifamily Housing

Making a list and checking it twice

What do you want for the holidays this year?
An IPM inspection checklist for occupied units?
How’d I know?!

This request recently came from a housing authority (HA) that hosted an IPM in Multifamily Housing Training. Not having an inspection checklist that prompted property managers to look for pest conducive conditions was a barrier to integrated pest management (IPM) implementation.

Pest management professionals (PMPs) should inspect the home and provide maintenance and resident recommendations on a unit-specific form at each service. Although these expert recommendations are a valuable part of the service HAs pay for, I’ve found that property managers often miss them in the paperwork shuffle.

The more eyes you have trained to look for pests and pest conducive conditions, the greater the chance the pests will be managed property-wide. In addition, inspecting by “thinking like a pest” will draw attention to problems that, if not addressed, will continue to grow until they cannot be overlooked. For example, pest inspection will identify the following in early stages:

• Water leaks (in roofs and pipes); 
• Holes in walls (interior and exterior); 
• Problems in wall voids; and
• Poor housekeeping (including hoarding). 

Take action as soon as a problem is noted to prevent pests, avoid large maintenance projects, and get residents help before their behavior negatively affects themselves and their neighbors.

I realize HA managers have enough on their plates, so I encourage you to integrate pest inspection items into the inspection checklists that you already use. Pest inspection should happen, at least

• At each pest control service by the PMP; 
• At unit-turnover by maintenance; 
• Within 90 days of move-in by the property manager or housing inspector;
• Annually (or more) during the housekeeping inspection by the property manager or housing inspector; and 
• During preparation for REAC by whoever is checking the property. 

Our trainer, Phil Coles, and I developed the following inspection checklist based on those I’ve seen from PMPs and HAs and the IPM process we’ve found to work in housing.  Download Housekeeping Inspection Checklist. Here's a sample:

This form is a work-in-progress. Let us know if you have any suggestions by e-mailing me at stoppests@cornell.edu. 

As you will see, the checklist prompts the inspector to follow up on deficiencies and gives the resident specific tasks that he or she must complete to come into compliance. Having these expectations clear will enable many residents to do their part. Simply telling the resident to "clean up" is not specific enough. But there are some residents who are unable or unwilling to do their part. Get support for those who are unable (identified at the beginning of the checklist) and include language in your lease and housekeeping standards to fall back on to motivate those who are unwilling.

The most current version will be available for download here or…*spoiler alert* on the new StopPests.org website which we expect to release in January 2012!

Cornell has next week off, so there won’t be a post. I’ll be thinking of you all…hopefully we will get some snow so I can spend some of my vacation in a one-horse-open-sleigh…or tire!

Happy Holidays! I hope your homes and hearts overflow with joy.

 

Getting Rid of German Cockroaches

This week I’m practicing what I preach and I’d like to tell you about it.

I recently moved to a six unit apartment building. It’s a fixer-upper. Another woman moved in the same weekend I did and we’ve become friends. Within the first week, I came home to some bugs drowned in a cup of water left outside my door...It didn’t take long to establish my reputation as the bug lady. 

My neighbor had done some inspection as she moved in and found these pests. The next step in IPM is identification. In her case, leave me a cup of bugs. Her pests were a Western Conifer Seed Bug and a German Cockroach.

The same day she left me the bugs, she went to the store and bought a fogger. Luckily, I got back to her before she set that off!

For the Western Conifer Seed Bug, I explained that it wasn’t going to infest and applying pesticide wasn’t going to remove them or prevent more from getting in. I sent her to last year’s post on these (and other stink bugs). http://stoppests.typepad.com/ipminmultifamilyhousing/2010/10/stink-bugs-and-other-fall-occasional-invaders.html

But the roaches are a problem. They trigger asthma in people who are sensitive and can cause asthma in pre-school aged children. And they infest. Especially the German Cockroaches. There is a kid in the building, a man with respiratory problems, and my apartment (which is currently roach free…I’ve got sticky trap monitors down to check).

I wrote a letter and made five copies. One for each of the units in my building. IPM is a team effort. Cockroaches reproduce too fast to waste time pointing fingers. I tweaked my letter so I could share the technical parts with you all (see below).

This story is still unfolding. We’re handling it as a team. As it turns out, one gentleman had a pipe leaking in his apartment. He shut off his water and has been living without it for weeks. He wasn’t reporting the leak because he was embarrassed about the cockroach infestation in his home. Meanwhile, his wet carpet became covered in mold. He is the resident with respiratory problems…

Using IPM, we determined some of my neighbor’s cockroaches were coming from his apartment and he is now getting the help he needs. Both from a plumber and a PMP. Plus, knowing his neighbors are there to help not to judge probably gives him some peace of mind.

So without further ado...

How to Kill German Cockroaches In an Apartment

Identify your insects so you can target your control efforts. If you someone to identify bugs for you, put them in a cup or baggie drowned in rubbing alcohol. We caught a German Cockroach (~1/2”, light brown, with “racing stripes” on the front). The rest of this is about German cockroach control, since that’s what we found.

Phase I: Figure out where to focus your efforts. 

Find where the infestations are. Cockroaches can travel along pipe chases and between rooms, but they prefer to stay-put. Monitoring may determine that your roaches keep getting introduced from a source outside of your home. In that case, we will want to focus control efforts on the source while also eliminating them from your home.

• Buy sticky trap monitors at any home store and place them along walls, under cabinets, etc. around the kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom. I do: under the kitchen sink, by the stove, by the fridge, behind the couch, behind the bed, behind the toilet.

 

• Leave them for at least two nights and see what they catch.
• Where they catch cockroaches, focus your efforts. If there are baby cockroaches on the traps (little ones without wings), then focus really hard in that area. “Efforts” will include sanitation, exclusion, and pesticide application.

Phase II: Knock-down

Take away pest food and water without disrupting the cockroaches too much. 

• Reduce food sources: Clean the kitchen, don’t store recyclables inside your apartment, and take out the trash regularly. Roaches are most active at night, so that’s when you want to make sure food is put away. Keep pet food in containers and cover it at night.
• Reduce water sources: Fix any leaks, wash and dry dishes nightly, pick up pet water at night, and cover the sink drain with a plug or dry towel at night.
• Store food in sealed containers or in the fridge.

If you have a large population, you can kill a lot of roaches using a vacuum cleaner. A HEPA filter is best so the roach allergens don’t get airborne. Use the hot air from a hair dryer to flush them out of cracks and crevices. This works best with two people: one to operate the vacuum, another to pull out appliances/use the hair dryer. If you suck up roaches, immediately take vacuum bag out/empty the canister. Sucking up the roaches won’t kill them. Tie the bag/canister contents in a plastic bag or two and throw them away outside. If you only have a few roaches, you can create a bag in the vacuum hose using one leg of a panty hose. See: http://stoppests.typepad.com/ipminmultifamilyhousing/2011/07/vacuums-very-accessible-control-sample-newsletter-article.html

Pesticide application. DO NOT USE FOGGERS/BOMBS. They just don’t work. Usually it just drives them deeper into the cracks/into your neighbor’s apartment for a time. The ones that look dead are sometimes faking.

• The most effective option is bait. Bait works as a stomach poison. The roaches take a little time to die, but they may crawl back into the hiding spots. When they die, the other roaches eat them and they get poisoned too. You get more bang for your buck with bait. If you live in multifamily housing, have you pest management professional (PMP) apply all pesticides. The PMP will use either the pucks (tamper resistant packaging) or the gel in a syringe. Either way, he should follow the label directions and place the bait where the sticky traps caught roaches. 
  
  Sprays, cigarette smoke, and strong cleaners can contaminate the bait. You want the bait to be the only roach food in the area and smell good to them. Bait lasts a few months, or until the roaches eat it all. If they aren’t eating it, ask the PMP to try a different brand of bait. Some roaches are picky eaters.

• The PMP may puff insecticidal dust such as boric acid or diatomaceous earth (“DE”) (insecticide-grade, not pool-grade) behind cabinets, into gaps around pipes, behind baseboards, etc. If you can see the powder, there’s probably too much. You want a THIN layer down. The roaches pick it up and ingest it when they groom themselves. Mixing it with food will NOT make it work better. Boric acid and DE last as long as the dust stays dry.

Phase III: Thorough Cleaning

Give the roaches a week or two to go about their usual routines (through the dust) and to eat the bait. At first you may see more activity, but those are just the roaches acting odd because they are poisoned. You should see populations go down and the monitors will catch fewer bugs within two weeks. You can vacuum up bugs you see or flush them down the toilet.

Do a thorough cleaning of the areas in your apartment where there was roach activity. Focus on removing the little black spots (roach poop, a.k.a. “frass”). Roaches communicate through the frass and it also triggers asthma. Simple cleaning products will clean it up.

• In the kitchen: empty and wipe down cupboards/shelves, under the stove top, under the stove, under the fridge, etc.
• In the bathroom: keep the moisture down.
• Mop/vacuum floors.

Exclusion: Reduce roach hiding spots by filling cracks and crevices with caulking. If you live in multifamily housing, call in a work order for maintenance to do this. You can also use copper scrubbing pads from the dollar store to stuff large gaps around pipes (steel wool will rust). Roaches also hide in paper bags, cardboard boxes, and piles of paper so recycle or throw these away.

Phase IV: Maintain control/ monitor for new activity

Check the control: place more monitors and keep an eye out for new evidence (roaches, roach eggs, or their frass). IPM is a continuous process.

For pesticide questions, consult the National Pesticide Information Center
www.npic.orst.edu or 800-858-7378

Vacuums: Very Accessible Control (sample newsletter article)

I’ve been reading through a lot of cockroach research this week—getting plenty of strange looks on the bus. It’s fascinating stuff and so applicable to what we’re doing in housing.

One tool that seems like an obvious fit for IPM work is the vacuum. One study, “Evaluation of Trapping and Vacuuming Compared with Low-Impact Insecticide Tactics for Managing German Cockroaches in Residences,” showed that vacuuming is just as effective as spraying, baiting, and trapping for the initial knock-down of a cockroach population. Benefits of vacuuming include:

• Immediately impacts the cockroach population.
• Reduces the reproductive potential of the population.
• Removes both the susceptible and insecticide-resistant cockroaches.
• Can be accomplished without vacating the premises.
• Reduces the number of dead or dying cockroaches the [residents] will see.
• Reduces the level of allergens present when a HEPA filter is used on the vacuum. (Hedges in Mallis, 2004).

Before I get into the research results, here’s your pest control vocabulary word of the day: GRAVID. “Gravid” means really pregnant. In context: Forcing gravid females from their deep and hard-to-reach hiding spots and removing them are important steps in reducing cockroach population reproduction and growth (KaaKeh & Bennett, 1997). 

KaaKeh & Bennett (researchers) did this study to compare spraying, baiting, trapping with sticky traps, vacuuming, and vacuuming with a flushing agent on German Cockroach control. In short, they found all these methods were effective. Of course, they were taking their time and making sure the treatments were thorough.

I want to highlight the vacuuming parts of their paper, because I think the vacuum is an underutilized tool in pest control in public housing and I want to make you all believers:

• “Vacuuming should be directed into cracks and wall voids, sides of cabinets, behind baseboards, and potential harborage in appliances and furniture….
• [The stress caused by vacuuming] places cockroaches at greater risk to the effects of insecticides and other biotic and abiotic control tactics (Gold, 1995)…
• Vacuuming treatment significantly reduces cockroach populations to a low level, but does not eliminate them because there is no residual, and the remaining cockroach populations tent to rebound in 3-4 weeks (Frishman, 1995)…
• Gravid females are more important than males and nymphs from the standpoint of long-term population reduction (Moore and Granovsky, 1983)…and
• The use of a flushing agent before vacuuming led to a greater population reduction and removal of hard-to-reach gravid females” (Kaakeh & Bennett, 2004).

A quick note on flushing agents: These are chemicals that should only be used by a PMP. And if the PMP is going to use a flushing agent, make sure the residents that see are well-aware of what is happening. If the residents only see the initial effect and miss the vacuum part, the rumor mill will start. I have been to more than one property where the residents’ strongest argument against the PMP is that he, “sprays stuff that makes it rain roaches. He makes the problem worse.” I can’t stress enough the importance of communication between residents and the PMP.

Flushing agents are for the pros, but anyone can use a vacuum. Backpack vacuums are especially useful because they are easy to carry around. Some ideas of how to incorporate vacuuming for pest control into procedures include:

• During housekeeping inspections,
• When maintenance staff or contractors are doing renovations or repairs (in many states it’s illegal for them to use a pesticide in units…even vacant ones), and
• During a one-on-one visit with a resident who is living in an infested unit.

See the sample newsletter article below for the how-to on using a vacuum for pests control. It’ll even work for bed bugs. 

Have I sold you on the value of vacuums yet?

Almost every property has homes with known infestations. I encourage you to focus your pest control time and effort on these locations. Work with the resident and offer any resources you can—some time with a vacuum will impact more than just the pests. I’ve heard from many PMPs and experienced myself, that when you show up with a vacuum and spend some time taking out the bugs, the residents actually believe that you are with them in the battle and then are more willing to do their part. In addition to being an effective pest control tool, a vacuum is a conversation-starter.

And in all honesty, the thrill of the kill is kind of fun—knowing you’re actually taking the bugs OUT. I know, the strange looks I get on the bus are well-deserved.

-------------------sample newsletter article-------------------

Pests: Take Control. Take them Out.

Pests are bad. Doesn’t matter if they’re crawling across the floor or dead on their back—even the dead ones may trigger asthma. How do you get rid of any bug—dead or alive?    A Vacuum.

Vacuuming is one of the most effective ways to get rid of the pregnant female cockroaches that keep the infestation going—these ladies hide away from sticky traps and pesticides. If you see pests, do this monthly:

1. Get a vacuum cleaner. If you can, get a one with a bag and a “HEPA” filter—this will catch the asthma triggers.
2. If it has a bag, make sure the bag is in it.
3. Get one knee-high pantyhose and stuff the toe down the vacuum hose at the sucking end.
4. Keep pushing it down the hose until about 8 inches are sticking out.
5. Fold the open end of the pantyhose over the vacuum nozzle (like you fold a trash bag over the edge of a trash can) and secure it with a rubber band.
6. Put the crevice tool on the vacuum hose over the pantyhose.

You just made a pantyhose bug bag inside your vacuum!

Now go on a bug hunt. Move appliances, open cupboards, and check around your bed. Focus on cracks where bugs like to hide. When you see an insect—dead or alive—suck it up!

When you’re done, remove the crevice tool and rubber band, tie off the end of the pantyhose, get a plastic shopping bag, and pull the pantyhose out of the vacuum carefully. Put it in the plastic bag, tie it off, and throw it away outside.

As long as there are no holes in your pantyhose, this will works on all bugs!

 --------------------------------------------------

Works Cited in this Post

Frishman, A. 1995. Vacuum cleaner becomes successful tool. Pest Control 63: 11.

Gold, R. E. 1995. Alternate control strategies, pp. 325-344. In M. K. Rust, M. Owens, and D. A. Reierson [eds.], Understanding and controlling the German cockroach. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Kaakeh, W., and G. W. Bennett. 1997. Evaluation of Trapping and Vacuuming Compared with Low-Impact Insecticide Tactics for Managing German Cockroaches in Residences. J. Econ. Entomol. 90: 976-982.

Mallis, A. & Hedges, S.A. [ed.]. Handbook of Pest Control: 9^th Edition.  Ohio: GIE Media, Inc. 2004.

Moore, W. S., and T. A. Granovsky. 1983. Laboratory comparisons of sticky traps to detect and control five species of cockroaches (Orthoptera: Blattidae and Blatellidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 76: 845-849.

 

Don't waste your money on ultrasonic pest repellers

People want to have power over pests. And if there’s a nifty non-chemical gadget with which the battle can be fought, all the better. There are a lot of cool tools available for the mechanical control part of IPM. Figuring out which set to use for each unique problem is one of my favorite parts of this job. But you only want to put tools that work in your toolkit.

Almost every development I’ve worked in has had residents who sing praises for ultrasonic pest repellers. I'm not going to theorize why residents are convinced they work, but no research has been able to prove that these devices work reliably to get rid of pests. Despite this, there are many makes and models available. And they aren't cheap!

Ultrasonic or electromagnetic devices emit a noise that humans can’t hear, but the target pest can. Supposedly this makes the pest go away. There are ones designed for birds, bats, mice, cockroaches, and even mosquitoes. 

Today I was sent the abstract from research by Carlos F. S. Andrade and Isaías Cabrini published in the Journal of Vector Ecology (35 (1): 75-78. 2010) titled, “Electronic Mosquito Repellers Induce Increased Biting Rates in Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes.” You read right—not only are they useless, they may increase the risk of biting! 

Since we’re on the topic of the Maine state bird—check out NPIC’s insect repellent locater. It has you enter your target pest (tick or mosquito or both) and the time you’ll be outside then it suggests repellent products. http://pi.ace.orst.edu/repellents/.

Another great source for mosquito information is TAMU’s Mosquito Safari: http://insects.tamu.edu/feature/mosquitosafari/index.html 

There are auditory repelling devices that DO work for pest control—ones that play distress calls that scare off the target pest. These are used in bird control. In fact, I was sailing last weekend out of a marina that used to have one to deter birds from landing on (and messing up) the boats.

The moral of this story is to look for research before purchasing a pest control device. Or post a comment here and I’ll try to dig up the answer for you!

But what about our residents who are convinced the ones for mice and roaches work? Just referencing research probably won't get you far. Give residents an alternative that works better (and may cost less).

Print off and hand out copies of the Cleaning Supply Shopping List. Download Cleaning Supply Shopping List. Explain that if they spend their $20 on cleaning supplies and use them, they won’t need to repel the pests. The pests won’t have any reason to come in, in the first place. 

Ditch the ultrasonic devices and save the outlets for air conditioners and fans. Stay cool this week. As we say in the Northeast, it’s a scortcha!

Stories from the field—the 2011 National Healthy Homes Conference

Last week I went to Colorado for the first time. What a great place! 

Specifically, I was in Denver at the National Healthy Homes Conference. I spent three days  with people who are making homes healthier—and loving it. Everyone was motivating and inspiring. The resounding message was: each of us has the potential, in our day-to-day work, to make a difference.

The initiatives that stood out to me as being well-represented were asthma, radon, smoke-free, weatherization, and IPM (I may be biased on the last one!).  To see details of the program and contact information of people involved, see the conference website at: http://www.healthyhomesconference.org/. I believe the conference organizers do plan on posting presentations online.

I attended the last Healthy Homes Conference in 2008. In ’08 I remember making the case for IPM as part of a healthy home. Just a few years later, IPM was mentioned in at least one plenary speech! It was great to talk with people at our booth and hear them explain how IPM fits into what they do. Now, more than ever, I believe that an IPM program can be an umbrella under which many other health issues are addressed.

The Northeastern IPM Center had a lot going on at this year’s conference. We had a poster up about the IPM in Multifamily Housing Training program and a booth where attendees could inspect for (dead) bed bugs and get information on IPM. I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of people about this program and met some of you who subscribe to this blog! Even Fox News showed interest: http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-experts-converge-in-denver-to-discuss-healthy-homes-20110620,0,164216.story. Hopefully a few of the connections will result in training at housing authorities in 2012.

We had four speakers sharing their success stories and advice.

1. I spoke about IPM and bed bugs. The bed bug session included about 40 minutes of Q&A. Lots of health inspectors attended who were concerned about bed bugs hitchhiking home with them or getting in their cars. We discussed strategies such as choosing clothing and shoes without cuffs or folds, avoiding upholstered furniture while working in homes, changing into a new set of shoes and clothes before returning home, and laundering items that may have bed bugs on them.

2. One of the property managers who received training in November 2009 spoke about the IPM program at her property. They focused on case management—identifying where the infestations exist through inspection and monitoring and then focusing staff time and resources on these homes or areas. Three of the many strategies she discussed were:

•    To get her maintenance department involved and excited about IPM, she involved them in case management. If a resident’s unit was identified as a focus unit, one maintenance tech was assigned to work with the resident and property manager until the pest (and underlying maintenance) issues were resolved. The tech didn’t have to do all the work, he was just the main contact for the resident. Responsibilities of the PHA, resident, and pest control contractor were defined. This system gave the resident a point of contact, increased communication between all parties, and gave the maintenance tech a feeling of accomplishment when the situation in the home improved.
• One working mother resident had adult children living at home and making messes. The mother couldn’t keep up with housekeeping on her own and couldn’t get her kids to do their part. Repeated failed housekeeping is cause for eviction and the mother was afraid she was going to get evicted because of her kids’ behavior. She and the property manager put their heads together (case management). Rather than only serving the violation notice to the mother (head of household), the property manager created violation notices for the adult children too—detailing what they had to do to keep their mom from getting evicted. These notices got them to cooperate!
• A young working mother was living with pests in a messy home. After having a conversation with her, it became apparent she simply had never been taught how to clean and did not know the expectations for housekeeping. The site’s peer educator (a resident trained to help her peers with housekeeping and pest issues) showed the resident how to clean. Specifically, she used tape to box off a square on the wall, on a counter, on the stove, etc. The peer educator cleaned inside the box—showing the resident. Then she gave the resident a week to make outside the taped area match the inside. Over the course of a few months they worked together and got the entire home organized in a sustainable way—teaching the resident where to let the kids eat, how to keep up with cleaning, etc. The team (including the resident) took before and after pictures. This story was really powerful. The resident and the property manager have both shed tears of joy over the improvement.

3. A PhD from Boston University spoke about the importance of identifying symptoms of mental health and aging so that residents get the help they need both from housing and from health professionals. Her presentation is worth looking at.  Download NHHC _Bratiotis 6.2011

4. The head of maintenance from one of the larger housing authorities trained in 2011 spoke about the benefits his PHA has seen from focusing on the make-ready process for vacant units—getting homes not only pest-free, but pest-proof before the new resident moves in. They no longer paint over frass, grease, old cockroach bait, and old caulking. They clean, repair, and use silicone caulk in the kitchen and bathroom before painting. Their in-house pest management professional places monitors throughout the unit and services or makes recommendations accordingly. A unit is not ready for occupation until the monitors go two nights pest-free. The hardest part of implementing IPM this way was to oversee the maintenance contractors to ensure they did not cut corners when making repairs. Now the word is out that PHA doesn’t tolerate imperfection and they don’t have to make contractors re-do work as much. The bottom line for this PHA is that, although this system costs the maintenance department a lot more right now, it is worth it. They reduced pesticide use by 50%, infestations are down 50%, The pest control cost is down 40%, resident-generated work orders are down, and residents who move into these exceptionally prepared units believe in the PHA’s zero-pest policy. They see the empty monitors in their new home, get IPM training as part of their orientation, and report when they do see a pest.

Note: I do plan on writing case studies for the PHAs who received training and implementation support over the last 3 years.

It was a fantastic week. Not just because of the informative talks, but because of the networking that went on. I want to thank HUD’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for funding this project and allowing us to bring together the PHA staff to share their success stories. And I want to thank the PHA staff for being such wonderful, inspiring ambassadors for IPM!

Pests at construction sites and a how to have a pest-free move in

I am working on pulling together everything we've developed over the past four years on implementing IPM in multifamily housing. My goal is to make everything available at www.stoppests.org and in a print guide so that anyone who wants to start an IPM program in affordable housing will have step-by-step instructions. I'm also including templates, lessons learned, and resources. Pretty much everything on my computer.

One of the sections is "Frequently Asked Questions." The list of FAQs comes from the questions that participants asked during the 14 one-day IPM in Multifamily Housing Trainings we ran over the past few years. Since I am working on this today, I thought I'd share two with you.

1. Do construction sites attract pests?

Rats sometimes become more of a problem when there is construction going on. Not because the come from miles around, attracted by the bulldozers, but because their burrows are disrupted by the digging. They need to find a new place to live—they are no longer out of sight, out of mind.

Also, construction sites can be ideal pest habitats. Consider the following:

• Food for birds, rodents, and cockroaches is available in open dumpsters or where workers take their lunch break.
• Pests may be brought in on wood or cardboard used for the job.
• Piles of wood or cardboard will give pests housing, even before real homes are built.
• Grade stakes, cardboard, and any other cellulose-based material touching the ground will feed termites.

Construction contractors should be mindful of waste—especially human food and wood/cardboard used in all steps of the construction process. If you are planning construction, keep these in mind. Also, if there are rats in the area, talk with a PMP about installing exterior bait boxes around the construction site.

2. After a unit renovation, how can you prevent reinfestation?

Property management need to be proactive about pest control to prevent introduction and infestation. Residents and staff must be educated on how pests get in and how to prevent this from happening.

Pests show up in a new place by one of two ways:

1. On their own by crawling, jumping, or flying in. 
   To prevent pests from getting in from the outside: install door sweeps on all exterior doors, make sure screens are intact, and seal any holes where pipes or wires enter a building or unit. Make the “building envelope” free of holes. I posted about this at http://stoppests.typepad.com/ipminmultifamilyhousing/2011/01/ipm-considerations-for-construction-and-renovation-projects.html
   
   
2. By hitchhiking in on people or their possessions.

• Ideally, residents will get their things pest-free before packing to move, but you may not have control over this. 
• Have both staff and residents unpack items that come in boxes and recycle the cardboard and paper immediately. Mice, bed bugs, and cockroaches can get packed into boxes and insects will lay eggs on cardboard. Also, piles of most anything make good homes for pests.
• Advise residents to look for pests as they unpack and have a vacuum handy to suck up any they see. Install monitors in the new unit to catch incoming pests. If bed bugs are a concern, wash and dry fabric items on high heat as soon as possible. 
• Before it is an issue, talk with your PMP about options for making incoming items pest-free. Always start with an inspection, never jump straight to using a pesticide. Control methods include heat (hot dryer, steam, or a container system), freezing, and fumigation. Your PMP should know what is available in your area.
• Finally, I'd advise you implement an inspection within the first 90 days of moving in. During this inspection: continue to build a relationship with the resident, remind the resident about the IPM program, check the monitors, and address the beginnings of poor housekeeping practices such as hoarding. 

This just in: HUD's Guidance on IPM

I won't take up your IPM continuing education time with commentary today. 

Instead, please read the newly released notice from HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing "Promotion of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as an environmentally-sound, economical and effective means to address a major resident concern."

Download PIH2011-22

IPM Training Opportunity

I am writing today to inform you of a free training opportunity available to all of HUD’s conventional public housing authorities (not Section 8). The Northeastern IPM Center plans to run twenty IPM in Multifamily Housing trainings in 2011-2012. Does your PHA want to host one?

In 2007, HUD’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control began to fund an IPM pilot project run through the Northeastern IPM Center at Cornell University. Since 2007, we have developed IPM curricula for multifamily housing, completed 14 IPM trainings at public housing authorities, networked PHAs with local pest control experts, and supported trained PHAs in their implementation efforts (including starting this blog). Explore the project’s website at www.stoppests.org.

The most effective way to manage pests is to implement a property-wide integrated pest management (IPM) program. An IPM program sets a property up for pest management success by

• Preventing pests;
• Finding beginning infestations before they grow or spread; and
• Using least toxic, targeted control methods.

HUD supports IPM through

• PIH 2006 - 11 (HA) “HUD’s Guidance on IPM;”
• Awarding funds for IPM technical studies and pilot projects; and
• Healthy homes and green initiatives.

For more information and success stories from PHAs, see http://www.nahro.org/sites/default/files/searchable/pest_management.pdf and http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/ph/phecc/pestmang.cfm

In the program we plan to offer,

The PHA identifies a pilot property or AMP where IPM training will occur and arranges for 25 trainees to attend the full day training. Representatives from pest control, site maintenance, resident leadership, pilot property management, and resident support services must be in attendance. We encourage PHAs to invite local support agencies such as home health aides, cooperative extension agents, and health department staff.
The Northeastern IPM Center sends two IPM experts to the pilot property to run the training day. All materials, breakfast, and lunch are covered. The training day materials are available at www.stoppests.org/IPMinMFHTraining.htm.
The pilot property implements IPM with continued e-mail and phone support from the Northeastern IPM Center. Ideally, the PHA will implement the IPM program developed at the pilot site at other properties.

Interested in learning more? Mark your calendar...

The next round of trainings is scheduled to begin this fall, but we want to start planning now. Interested PHAs are invited to participate in one of four informational calls. 

Anyone is welcome, but we encourage PHA executive management to call in. Calls are scheduled for these Wednesdays: 4/20, 4/27, 5/4, and 5/11. We will explain the program, answer any questions, and direct interested PHAs in the next steps for setting up a training day.

We anticipate each call to run a maximum of 30 minutes.
Each will begin at: Pacific: 8:30am, Mountain: 9:30am, Central: 10:30am, Eastern: 11:30am

Call in: 888-387-8686
ID: 7354052
You do not need to RSVP. Just join the call and introduce yourself. 

For your viewing pleasure: Rats 101

Last week’s post was very academic. I hesitated before posting because I thought the audience for this blog (public health professionals and property managers working with multifamily housing) might not think the topic entirely pertinent. I was wrong. Many of you sent me e-mails about how interesting you found the research report. I am so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your kind words!

As promised, this week is short and sweet…at least as sweet as a blog about pest control can be. For your viewing pleasure, here are two short videos on rodents that I find informational and well done.

The first is “Your Friend the Rat” done by Walt Disney Company and Pixar in conjunction with their film “Ratatouille.” Although the narrators are trying to make the argument that rats can be our friends their recap of the history of rats in America is fantastic (and hilarious). My favorite part is at 5:20…I’ve done quite a bit of time in the net as an ice hockey goalie.

View at: http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/animation/watch/v160784066wWBPhW7

The second video is a public service announcement done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is available in both English and Spanish at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/controlling/rodents.htm.

View at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBaRqGpAvRE

You may want to use this video to educate residents along with “The Tenant’s Role in IPM” video. 

Happy Holidays! For those of you leaving—I hope your travels go smoothly. For those of you hosting—good luck!

Brochure on Foggers Now Available

On November 10^th I spoke about bed bug control in multifamily housing at a seminar for PMPs earning their Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the NH Department of Agriculture (see the end of this post for more on this). One of the other presenters, Mike Peaslee from Modern Pest Services, had an analogy I love… people have become accustomed to thinking of pest control as a service that can be contracted out, like plumbing or having a car fixed—we pay someone and expect them to fix the problem. This paradigm is wrong for pest control. We should view PMPs more like a doctors—they listen to us describe our symptoms, inspect the problem, make a diagnosis, and prescribe a treatment. In most cases an effective treatment requires us to change some behaviors.

One of the pesticide products that helped establish the assumption that pest control can be done in one fell swoop is the total release fogger—aka “bug bomb.” Although foggers are still widely available, they are not a good solution for pest problems. Fogging (which is different from fumigation) rarely has a place in an IPM program. Foggers put pesticide on every exposed surface, but don’t get deep into the cracks and crevices where the pests hide. Many pests can survive exposure to the pesticide released or will run away from the fog…remember that a wall is not a barrier to a cockroach!

The use of foggers is well established in the culture of multifamily housing. When notified of an upcoming PMP visit, residents will set off a fogger. In an effort to get rid of pests on their own, residents will set off a fogger…or 2…or 10. When I walk into a unit and see a case of foggers, I start looking for bed bugs. Residents think that if 1 fogger doesn’t do the trick, more will. This is not the case and will cause very dangerous conditions—there’s a reason they’re called bombs! For more information on the legal use of foggers, see the EPA website. 

One of the main challenges we face in an effort to implement IPM in multifamily housing is stopping residents from using foggers. In addition to fogging not being least risk or effective, it’s harder to focus control efforts in specific areas like the kitchen when pests have scattered about trying to avoid the fog. Also, foggers can contaminate the bait that property managers pay the PMP to put down! But none of these facts will change residents’ behavior if they are fogging because they are afraid they will be punished if the PMP, maintenance staff or property manager finds pests.

When a resident moves in, at annual resign and during routine inspections, property staff must tell the head of household that she won’t be charged for pest control if she does her part in the IPM program. The only times residents should be charged for pest control are when they don’t let the PMP in for service or don’t follow the preparation instructions (assuming instructions are unit-specific and delivered in a way the resident can understand). Early detection and the involvement of a PMP is key to the success of any IPM program.

To help with your education efforts about IPM and against foggers, the National Center for Healthy Housing just released a brochure ( Download IPM and No Fog Brochure)! This brochure is a great addition to the educational materials we have for residents. 

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Did you know most states’ departments of http://www.aspcro.org/dir/dirstates.htm oversee PMP licensing and pesticide regulation? If you want to check out whether your PMP has the proper licensing or have a question about pesticide regulation, contact your state pesticide division. The Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO) is the professional organization uniting the state regulators. Their website has a good directory of the state programs. The state regulators have a lot on their plate, so for general pesticide questions, use the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) at 1-800-858-7378 or explore the fantastic NPIC website.