Austin session to coincide with two major entomological events
Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: Janet Hurley, 877-747-6872, ja-hurley@tamu.edu
AUSTIN – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present “Under the Lens-Connecting the Community with Entomology and Integrated Pest Management,” a training program for pest management professionals on Nov. 13 in Austin.
The training is set from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Austin Convention Center’s fourth floor Ballroom E. The center is located at 500 E. Cesar Chavez St.
School integrated pest management coordinators, pest management professionals and others who work in institutional settings can learn more about integrated pest management, said Janet Hurley, AgriLife Extension public school integrated pest management coordinator at Dallas and the training’s coordinator.
Preregistration is $100 and includes lunch and a continental breakfast. Onsite registration is $125. To preregister or to learn more, visit http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu using the search function, find “school IPM” or see: http://schoolipm.tamu.edu/training/annual-statewide-conference-under-the-lens/ .
Hurley said all public schools in Texas are required to have a staff member trained as an integrated pest management coordinator whose task is to ensure pest control efforts are done in accordance with Texas Department of Agriculture requirements. The coordinators must periodically earn and maintain continuing education units to remain qualified, she said.
“The Under the Lens training will allow school integrated pest management coordinators to earn six Texas Department of Agriculture structural pest control services continuing education units,” Hurley said. “This current accreditation is required for established school IPM coordinators, who need to receive their three year recertification educational credits.”
Hurley added that out-of-state attendees should contact her at 877-747-6872, ja-hurley@tamu.edu for help in obtaining continuing education units.
The day’s curriculum will include delusory parasitosis, a form of psychosis in which victims believe they are infested with parasites when they are not; bed bugs and teaching integrated pest management to housing authorities; rodent control; mosquitoes and diseases; new pyrethroid label changes; and an interactive session on fire ants. Local pest control vendors will also be present with displays of products new to the market.
Though it is a separate function, the Under the Lens training has been scheduled to coincide with two major entomological events being held in Austin the same week.
“The Annual School Integrated Pest Management Coordinators Conference for Texas Integrated Pest Management Association for Public Schools is set for lunch on Nov. 13th,” Hurley said. “This event is our professional association’s annual meeting which gives us a time to share ideas and issues and catch up on the latest developments within our field of school-related pest control.
“The other major event is the Entomological Society of America which is holding its 61st annual meeting Nov. 10-13 at the Austin Convention Center. This meeting typically draws thousands of participants from all over the country to talk solely about insects.”
To learn more about AgriLife Extension’s school integrated pest management program, see:
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