IU entomologist recognized for pest prevention project

An IU professor and two colleagues were recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for their environmentally safe pest control model. \nThe Monroe Integrated Pest Management Model was developed by Marc Lame, an entomologist in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and his colleagues in the Monroe County Community School Corporation, John Carter and Jerry Jochim. Lame was one of four Hoosiers individually recognized and the MCCSC was the only school district.\nLame had the idea for an education and behavior management-based pest management model in schools while doing pest management for commercial cotton. He theorized that an educational based model would work well in a school setting. He had an opportunity to examine this possibility in 1994 at IU when, with cooperation from John Carter, he sent graduate students to research the way Monroe County schools handled pest prevention. They found that schools were not aware of basic solutions to pest problems and the model developed from there, focusing on education and communication about pests.\nThe EPA recognized the model for its promotion of alternatives to environmentally harmful pesticides. The program focuses on pest prevention and communication between integrated pest management experts and school districts. \nJerry Jochim, the IPM coordinator for the MCSSC, lauded the partnership and its success. Jochim began work in 1997 coordinating IPM projects for 20 schools in the MCCSC. \n"We have a good program and enjoy teaching it because we believe in it ourselves," Jochim said. "We really do enjoy working with each other."\nThe Monroe IPM Model, which currently affects around 1 million children in school districts in Arizona, California, Alabama, Indiana and Navajo Indian reservations, emphasizes common sense prevention. \n"The biggest change we make is to let schools know what they do that allows pests," Lame said. "(Schools) have been trained to look for two-legged invaders. We show them how to look for six or eight legged invaders."\nPest prevention is integrated into standard maintenance, cleaning and energy conservation, making the switch to the new program easy and inexpensive. \nCarter also notes the program's success is partially based on its versatility. \n"In Arizona, their biggest pest is a scorpion, but it doesn't matter if it's weeds or bugs, the approach is the same. As Marc Lame always says, 'It's people management'," he said.\nThe program in Arizona launched in 2000 in the 14,000-student Kyrene school district. Because of its success, school officials in the state are now discussing implementing the program in the 100,000-student Phoenix school district. \n-- Contact staff writer Mike Carey at mecarey@indiana.edu.