Research and IPM

Grants Programs: UC IPM - UC SAREP Educational Events

2001-2002 Reports

Organizer/Coordinator
Bruce Badzik, IPM coordinator with the National Park Service.

Attendance
The workshop drew 62 participants: 40 from local government agencies; 11 from state and federal agencies; 6 pest control consultants or pest control advisors (PCAs); 3 members of nonprofit organizations; and 2 community residents.

Sponsors
UC Statewide IPM Program provided a total of $1500. Other sponsors were the National Park Service and the San Francisco Department of the Environment.

Speakers
Bruce Badzik, IPM coordinator with the National Park Service, and Debbie Raphael, San Francisco Pesticide Reduction coordinator, presented a talk on Introduction to Rodent Control. They discussed rodent control in the 21st century, and new trends and regulations.

Jack Bresling, director of the San Francisco Department of Health, discussed the San Francisco Rodent Control Program. He explained the inspection and enforcement programs, including various laws and regulations San Francisco uses to control rodents.

Dr. Desley Whisson, vertebrate pest specialist, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, UC Davis, covered Rodent Identification and Biology. She told how to identify various rodents and also covered the biology of various species, necessary to increase trapping skills.

Dr. Curtis Fritz, epidemiologist with the Vector-Borne Disease Branch, California Department of Health Services, discussed Rodents and Diseases. His talk centered on the various diseases carried by different rodents and how we can protect ourselves.

The breakout sessions were:

Rodent Proofing with Bruce Badzik, IPM coordinator with the National Park Service. He discussed various methods and materials used to rodent-proof structures.

Trapping with Dr. Desley Whisson, vertebrate pest specialist, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, UC Davis. She told of various methods and tools to trap rodents.

Bait Selection with Gregg Howald, project manager of the Island Conservation and Ecology Group. He explained how to choose the proper bait for the job, what to know about preventing secondary poisoning, and laws and regulations related to rodenticides.

Baiting and Bait Boxes with Art Slater, UC Berkeley pest control specialist (retired). His talk covered the proper selection and use of bait boxes, and laws and regulations that cover the use of bait boxes.

Rodent-Borne Diseases with Robin Brewer, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. He related the proper methods of cleaning hantavirus and other rodent-borne, disease-contaminated sites.

Evaluation
Forty of the 62 participants responded to the evaluation forms. Twenty-eight rated the summit as excellent, and 12 as good. Comments on the speakers ranged from "very knowledgeable" to "good speaker."

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