IPM considerations for construction and renovation projects

January 16^th 2007, three years ago, I was hired as the project coordinator for the Northeastern IPM Center to run the “Delivering IPM Training at Public Housing Authorities” project. Through this job I’ve had the opportunity to work with and learn from some amazing people:

• university researchers who want to see the findings from their research applied to help those living in low income housing;
• people in state and federal government who see the good they can do from their positions on-high;
• non-profit organizations who want to help in any way they can;
• pest control companies who want to learn to work with property managers and residents in the most effective way; and
• housing managers, staff, and residents who are motivated to find a way to get homes pest-free and keep them that way.

I won’t even attempt to list the things I’ve learned from you all, that’s what this entire blog is for. I’ve been exposed to many new perspectives in this position and none has been more influential than learning the perspective of the rat. In 2008 I was fortunate to attend the NYC Department of Health Rodent Control Academy,  taught by the great Dr. Robert Corrigan. The most often repeated term in the academy was “keen observer.” A keen observer is trained to think, analyze, associate, and look beyond what appears obvious. You all must learn to be keen observers in your buildings to identify what needs to be done to make the place good for people and not for pests. This is thinking like the pest. For each kind of pest you want to manage ask: How would the pest get in this area? What about this place is attracting it? Know your enemy and see the world from its perspective.

Thinking like a pest is fascinating (at least for a crazy entomologist like me), but it’s also daunting because you want to remedy all the problems you now see. Making repairs that keep pests out or taking away their shelter is key to IPM. So what are your options?

As I see it, there are four systems in place in public housing through which one can make structural repairs targeted at pest prevention:

1. quick fixes;
2. calling in a work order to have maintenance make a repair;
3. major renovations done at unit turnover or as part of a building-wide project; and
4. new construction.

In this post I am going to provide a few suggestions for mechanical control options for IPM that you can integrate into in each of these systems. This will not be a reference manual on this topic, but I will link you to the resources I’ve found. I hope to make you a keen observer when you are walking through a building, overseeing contractors, and planning renovation and construction projects.

1. Quick fixes

Quick fixes are those creative solutions that residents and staff employ to block out pests. They are usually temporary—meant to keep a problem at bay until a true repair is done. Although quick fixes are usually effective at controlling pests, they may be done at the expense of damaging the building. Stuffing holes that rodents and cockroaches use to get into a space is a popular quick fix and is founded in good pest management sense. What is used to stuff the holes is where things can go wrong.

Fabric will provide nesting material for rodents, steel mesh will rust, tape or glue may peel paint. For a quick fix for holes I tell residents to buy some copper scrubbers at the dollar store, stuff the holes with that, and call in a work order for a more permanent fix.

If you want to know where the pests are getting in and hiding, the residents (including the kids) are the best sources of information. Inspecting based on the residents’ findings may reveal some interesting problem solving. When suggesting quick fix options make sure the fix doesn’t create other problems.

2. Having maintenance make a repair

Most housing authorities have a work order system that tracks requests and resolutions to maintenance problems. Residents need to be constantly reminded of this system and encouraged to report structural deficiencies and pest problems by calling in a work order. Promoting the work order system for repairs and pest control helps you stay on top of problems and track where problems reoccur.

Once the work order is submitted, it’s up to the maintenance staff to fix the problem thoroughly. Any structural repair is an opportunity for pest control. If repairs are done quickly (without any keen observation), pests may be able to get through the repair. Think about pests when choosing the repair materials and using them. Make sure the materials will hold up to the building’s movement and will last a long time. When making the repair, remember that mice can get through a crack the width of a pencil and through a hole the size of a dime, german cockroaches prefer to wedge themselves into cracks and crevices, and bed bugs can fit in a crack the width of a credit card edge. Investing in quality materials and taking the time to do the repair well is an investment in your IPM program’s future.

3. Renovations

Major renovations are not uncommon in public housing. When residents move out, the unit is “turned over” or “made ready.” This usually entails a lock change, cleaning, making small repairs, and painting—a fantastic opportunity for pest control. When needed, major appliances and cabinets are replaced. In addition, renovations may be done as part of a building-wide project. For example, replacing all refrigerators to more energy efficient ones or getting new trash chutes. This work may be done by maintenance staff or contracted out. Either way, I encourage you to invest in quality materials and time. Unit turnover is a great opportunity to seal up cracks and crevices with silicone caulking and place sticky trap monitors. When the new residents move in, they will see that their new property management has gone to great lengths to control pests. The empty monitors are great conversation starters during orientation and will prove to the new resident that you have provided them with a pest-free home. Consider writing the work order number on the monitor and telling residents to call that number if they see a pest on the monitor. I’ve found that when property management and maintenance staff take the first step, residents are much more likely to do their part in pest control. BHA developed A Guidebook on IPM and Structural Repairs which is very logical and uses more pictures than words. Check it out at: http://www.bphc.org/hpfhi/SiteCollectionDocuments/English%20Documents/BHA%20IPM%20Structural%20Guidebook.pdf

 When doing major renovations, consider getting infestations under control before tearing things apart. Pests will find a place to live and if you take away their existing home, they will go elsewhere. I could give many examples of this, but one that comes to mind is a housing authority that got funding to replace trash chutes. The existing chutes were infested with cockroaches. Because the property had an IPM program (and because the contractor refused to have his workers do the work with cockroaches crawling all over them), the PHA focused on controlling the cockroaches before renovating. This prevented the cockroaches from going into units when the chute was taken out and allowed the contractor to work efficiently. I may do a whole post of IPM recommendations for trash chutes…

I’ve run into contractors and PHA staff using pesticides during unit turnover or renovations many times. Chemical control should never be the default solution to a pest problem. In most states, it is illegal for someone without a pesticide applicators license to apply pesticides in multifamily housing, even if residents are not occupying a unit. It’s illegal for many reasons, but I think the most pertinent is that you want to know what chemicals are being used and where so that if any problem arises in the future, you will have documentation of what is in that unit. Laws vary by state and I encourage you to find out what applies to you by contacting your state regulatory official: http://www.aspcro.org/dir/dirstates.htm

So what are your options for legally killing the pests that you find when a cabinet is removed? You could pay a PMP to stand behind your staff or contractor all day, but this isn’t realistic. It’s best (least risk and very effective) to require that the staff or contractor use a HEPA vacuum to suck up any pests they see. There are HEPA vacuums made specifically for IPM. Download HEPA Vac Guidance Consider writing this into your service agreements for renovation contractors.

Another aspect of renovation that you should consider is how to move residents and not pests. Relocation to a temporary unit is a logistical nightmare, but it does happen for major renovation projects. Usually there are a lot of resident meetings leading up to the moving and contractors are hired to help relocate residents. With all this education and help, why not integrate some pest management into the process?

Review your moving procedures as a keen observer and ask: have we taken steps to ensure residents’ belongings are pest-free before moving them? Are the temporary units pest-free to begin with? Is there a plan in place to monitor for pests in the temporary units so that infestations are identified quickly? Is there an inspection planned before residents are moved back into the newly renovated building to ensure they do not re-infest the now pest-free building? Planning ahead and educating residents on how they can do their part will allow you to use renovation as an opportunity to get a building pest-free. If you don’t consider pests when planning relocation, you will end up with 2 infested buildings. Boston Housing Authority was kind enough to share their scope of work for their relocation contractor with you all. Download BHA Relocation Procedure BHA has used this scope of work for a few projects and the only major issue that arises is when the relocation contractor subcontracts to a pest control company that is different from the company servicing the buildings. I’ve also run into the issue of having different pest control contractors working in the same site for different aspects of pest control (for example, bed bugs). If you are using multiple contractors, make sure their scopes of work do not overlap, they are in touch with each other on findings from inspections, and they are not doubling pesticide applications.

4. New construction

The ultimate opportunity for pest prevention is in new construction. Take the lessons learned from your keen observations in multifamily properties and apply them to the design of new buildings. Waiting until the structure is built to factor in pest control results in more post-construction expenses and retrofitting solutions to the existing building. Consider pigeons for example—properly angled ledges can discourage them from landing. In addition to the physical pest managing components of the building, also consider how the furnishing and layout influences people’s behavior. For example, we cannot expect someone to keep their home very organized if there is only one closet in the unit. Set people up for success when planning unit layouts.

My advice is to hone your ability to think like pests and use this 6^th sense when reviewing architectural plans. But in case you want something a little more concrete, I compiled a few draft building checklists I have seen into one document. Download Draft checklist for IPM for building To my knowledge there isn’t a comprehensive checklist for multifamily housing, so for now, this is as good as I can give you. Because IPM is part of the LEED certification process, I wouldn’t be surprised to see something more formal published in the future.

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Mechanical control through making repairs is fundamental to IPM. I hope that this post has given you some ideas on how to incorporate IPM recommendations into your renovation and construction procedures. Thinking like a pest requires you to have a new perspective on your buildings…and a flashlight.

“IPM means details and it’s pest and area specific.” ~Dr. Robert Corrigan

Comments

[fire curtains]

The suggestions you gave were great. I enjoyed reading this post. Thank you for sharing your ideas, thoughts and suggestions.

[Jay Jorgenson]

I did not know that pests should be considered before starting a construction project. I always thought about things like land clearing or hiring the right architect, but I think some places are in a place that might be dealing with animals, like Florida regions for example. I think that if I was about to build something, these are tips that I´d have in mind so my money can be very well invested, thanks for sharing.