Some of the most common pest problems institutions and food processing facilities encounter will be covered at the Pests of Concern workshop on Dec. 16 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Research Center at 17360 Coit Road in the Water and Natural Resources Building, Dallas.
The event runs from 8 a.m.-5:15 p.m., with onsite registration starting at 7:30 a.m. The cost is $50, and preregistration is required at https://tx.ag/PHPC21. Training materials, refreshments, a continental breakfast and lunch are included.
Participants will receive six hours of educational instruction and continuing education units, CEU, for Texas registered sanitarians, code enforcement officers, animal control officers, and Texas Department of Agriculture public health vector control category license holders. While license numbers must be provided to receive CEU credit, this event is open to anyone wanting to learn more about this topic.
Impact on quality of life
“Many insects, other arthropods and certain rodents can impair the health and quality of life of people living in and visiting Texas,” said Janet Hurley, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service integrated pest management specialist, Dallas. “To create effective and safe control programs for these pests, it is important to understand their biology and their roles in causing and transmitting diseases.”
The training is designed for public health officials, code enforcement officers and those who work in and around public places. The integrated pest management, IPM, workshop includes lectures and hands-on activities to help participants better understand rodent, cockroach and fly ecology, and what to look for on public health inspections.
She said participants will have a chance to look at insect specimens under microscopes and there will be time to meet with some pest control vendors to see what types of products are available for use and what they should be used for.
Topics and speakers
Hurley said the training will cover a wide-range of pest-related topics, which will be presented by leaders in their field. At the conclusion of the speakers, participants will have the opportunity to walk over to the center’s IPM House to learn what to look for in homes and businesses.
The following is a list of topics and speakers on the agenda:
– Rodents and what you should know about them when inspecting businesses — Niamh Quinn, Ph.D., human-wildlife interactions advisor, South Coast Research and Extension Center, University of California, Irvine.
– The most common cockroach species, what to look for besides the insect when inspecting and some of the better control methods — Tim Madre, rodent specialist, City of New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, Rodent Control Board.
– Flies: which species are more significant of a larger pest problem versus those that can also transmit food-borne illnesses — Sonja Swiger, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist, Stephenville.
– The most common diseases associated with these pests and what needs to be reported — Nina Dacko, vector control supervisor, Tarrant County Public Health Department, Fort Worth.
– The importance of inspection and surveillance by health departments and pest management professionals — Claudia Riegel, Ph.D., director, City of New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, Rodent Control Board.
A detailed schedule of the training is available online.
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