IPM Success Stories: Community and Urban Settings

IPM proponents persuade school districts to choose pest prevention over sprays. “Schools that switch to IPM show a decline in pesticide use and are still able to keep pests at bay,” says UMass entomologist Bill Coli, who evaluates the impact of IPM projects.

IPM Training in Public Housing Authorities is a multiregional project that aims to strengthen communities and use integrated pest management to address housing conditions that threaten human health.

IPM sets a bleak scene for Lyme disease carriers: The threat of Lyme disease has added a note of caution to outdoor activities in recent years. The Northeastern IPM Center funds research on ways to control ticks to protect human health while reducing the use of pesticides.

Can these natural enemies slow the invasion? IPM programs in the Northeast have enlisted the help of two beetle species to slow the spread of purple loosestrife, and they find that these insects can significantly inhibit the weed’s growth.

Schools embrace IPM for all the right reasons: Children are more vulnerable than adults to both pests and pesticides, either of which can trigger asthma, the leading chronic illness in U.S. children.

The Green-Blue Grants Program disbursed $12,500 to promote clean water through residential IPM. Nearly 1,000 homeowners and lawn care professionals in six states received direct training through this program.

Urban pests like cockroaches and mice can trigger asthma, contaminate food, and damage buildings. They can also cause stress and lead people to misuse pesticides.

Teaching IPM concepts to school children has emerged as a strategy that prepares all citizens to make decisions that safeguard the environment and human health.