Removing School Pests

Recent rat infestations across the country have nudged schools to focus on more modern methods of dealing with pests. Schools are putting together what's known in pest control circles as an integrated pest management plan, wbich relies more on building maintenance, regular cleaning and record keeping than on the liberal use of pesticides.

Instead of hiring an exterminator to apply pesticides regularly, schools are concentrating on encouraging their employees to take on more responsibility for keeping rats, cockroaches and other pests out of school buildings.

The goal is to keep rodents out of the facility and keep it very inhospitable for them. Although there's always going to be some evidence of pests in school buildings, the goal is to keep it to a minimum and to deal with the unwanted visitors promptly.

That means keeping classrooms uncluttered to deny rodents a place to burrow. It means plugging up the gaps in the walls through which they come in. And it means getting rid of low-hanging vegetation around buildings that attract rodents.

More than anything, however, it means keeping a record of all droppings and evidence of rodents, and passing this information on to the pest control company responsible for the school. This information can then be used to apply pesticides and rodenticides more selectively.

In the past, it wasn't uncommon for caretakers to spray or set traps for pests. Nowadays, however, only qualified pest control technicians are allowed to spray chemicals, and they should only be used when all other methods have been exhausted.

Of course, integrated pest management doesn't forbid the use of pesticides or rodenticides. It simply calls for using them sparingly, and in targeted spots. Besides being inefficient, overspraying can be harmful to hypersensitive people and can also boost the resistance of the surviving pests, making even stronger pesticides necessary.

Schools that have already implemented integrated pest management programs have found that it can often take some time for people to get used to the idea that aggressive spraying may not be the best way to deal with pests. However, instances of cockroaches and rats in particular, have been dramatically reduced following the adoption of integrated pest management solutions in schools across the UK.

It is important to remember that an integrated pest management solution does not mean that schools should have to fend for themselves. A pest control company should always be onhand to advise on pest control issues and provide insecticides and rodenticides where necessary.