Sheltering in place didn’t mean that UC IPM stopped extending IPM information. With COVID halting in-person meetings, webinars became one of the ways people kept up to date on new research results and other information they need to know to be successful as pest management professionals.
“I was excited to begin UC IPM's newest webinar series called Pest Insight,” says Siavash Taravati, area urban IPM advisor and organizer of the webinar series. “Pest Insight provides applied, scientific, and decision-based pest control information to pest control licensees.” The first webinar was held on September 22, 2020 with about 80 participants. Webinars will continue in 2021.
"Great presentation and moderation! Thank you Siavash” —Pest Insight participant
Webinars allow participants to learn the latest about pest management and receive continuing education units to maintain their professional licenses. Pest control professionals must complete 16 to 24 hours of continuing education units every 3 years according to the Structural Pest Control Board of California.
"Very good program. I look forward to more.” —Pest Insight participant
While the date and time of the webinars is fixed, there is flexibility for how and where participants view the webinar. Webinars can be watched on mobile phones or desktops, at home or in your office.
Participate in the next Pest Insight webinar and expect to hear about timely issues, such as new pest outbreaks and new management strategies. Past topics included alternative management strategies for outdoor cockroaches, managing German cockroaches and their resistance to insecticides, improving control for pest ants and wasps, and common violations found in application inspections. Stay tuned for more webinars by visiting the Pest Insight webpage.
Long-Term Impacts
Providing alternative ways for people to attend presentations (in person and virtually) can extend the reach of IPM advisors educating people about IPM. The more people reached, the more people who will adopt IPM practices.
