The Ohio School Pest Management Survey and the subsequent report were produced by the Denison University Environmental Studies Senior Capstone Seminar class during the winter semester of 2001. The OSU IPM program greatly appreciates all of the effort put into this project by the thirteen students of the Environmental Studies Class. What follows are the summary statistics for the survey and a link to the full report.
| 1. Job title (Number of Respondents = 213) | |
| Principal | 0.5% |
| Superintendent | 13.6% |
| Director of Operations; Operations | 5.2% |
| Director of Business; Business Manager | 7.5% |
| Maintenance Supervisor; Facilities Manager; Buildings & Grounds Supervisor | 54.5% |
| Custodian; Groundskeeper | 4.2% |
| Other | 14.6% |
| 2. Number of years in current position (N = 209) | average = 8.43 (range = 0.4 – 30.0) |
| 3. Number of schools in district (Number of Respondents = 210) | Average = 5.95 (range = 1 – 122) |
| 4. Number of buildings in district (Number of Respondents = 209) | Average = 8.53 |
| 5. Number of maintenance/custodial staff in district | n/a |
| 6. Number of students in district (Number of Respondents = 200) | Average = 3276 (range = 10 – 77,000) |
| 7. Per pupil expenditure per year (Number of Respondents = 119) | Average = $6025.22 |
| 8. Amount spent per year on pest management (Number of Respondents = 144) | Average: $3,655.30 (range = $100 - $100,000) |
| 9. Age range of buildings in district (Number of Respondents = 195) | 171 years old to just built |
| 10. School district type (Number of Respondents = 150) | Urban : 5.3% |
| (Suburban: 16.7%) | |
| (Rural: 66.7%) | |
| (Combination: 11.3%) |
| N | Never | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly | As Needed | |
| a. Spraying Pesticides | 198 | 9.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 43.4% | 6.1% | 41.4% |
| b. Traps and baits | 201 | 3.5% | 5.5% | 2.5% | 22.4% | 2.5% | 63.7% |
| c. Fogging | 192 | 60.4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2.1% | 37.5% |
| d. Physical removal (vacuuming) | 188 | 21.8% | 29.3% | 2.7% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 45.2% |
| e. Monitoring | 192 | 6.3% | 39.1% | 4.7% | 19.3% | 2.1% | 28.6% |
| f. Structural Modifications | 185 | 41.1% | 0.5% | 0% | 0.5% | 2.2% | 55.7% |
| g. Education of Students, teachers & Staff |
188 | 27.1% | 0% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 10.6% | 59.0% |
| h. Sanitation/food storage | 197 | 3.0% | 45.2% | 4.1% | 19.3% | 1.5% | 26.9% |
| i. Institute school rule/policy | 176 | 26.1% | 7.4% | 0% | 0.6% | 8.5% | 57.4% |
| j. Fencing | 181 | 42.0% | 1.7% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 52.5% |
| k. Limiting pest access | 199 | 3.5% | 1.5% | 0.5% | 3.0% | 5.0% | 86.4% |
| l. Other methods | 63 | 33.3% | 7.9% | 1.6% | 3.2% | 0% | 54.0% |
12. How effective would you rate the current pest management practices of your district? (Number of Respondents = 207)
| Effective | 57.5% |
| Somewhat effective | 40.1% |
| Ineffective | 2.4% |
13. When pesticides are applied, who typically applies them?
| Never | Usually | |||||
| (N) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| a. School maintenance/custodial staff | 167 | 21.6% | 35.3% | 19.2% | 6.6% | 17.4% |
| b. Contracted pest control operator | 194 | 6.7% | 1.0% | 6.2% | 4.6% | 81.4% |
| c. Teacher and/or other staff | 129 | 87.6% | 8.5% | 1.6% | 0.8% | 1.6% |
| d. Other: | 16 | 87.5% | 12.5% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
14. Does your school have a written pest management policy? (Number of Respondents = 187)
| No | 92.0% |
| Yes | 8.0% |
15. If school has a written pest managment policy, who is aware of the policy? (Number of Respondents = 15)
| a. Maintenance/Custodial staff | 73.3% |
| b. Parents | 20.0% |
| c. Students | 13.3% |
| d. Teachers | 40.0% |
| e. Pest control operator | 66.7% |
16. If written pest management policy, how long has the policy been in place?
| Average = 4.3 years |
| (range = 0.75 to 20 years |
17. Does your school district maintain written pest management records? (Number of Respondents = 194)
| No | 49.5% |
| Yes | 50.5% |
18. How does your school district decide when a pesticide should be applied in or around a school? (Number of Respondents = 194)
| Advice of a contracted pest conrol operator | 67.5% |
| Based on criteria established by school district | 11.4% |
| School maintencance/custodial staff decision | 58.1% |
| Other | 10.0% |
19. How does your district decide what pesticide product to use? (Number of Respondents = 211)
| Recommendations of contracted pest control operator | 91.0% |
| Select from a list approved for use by the district | 9.0% |
| Product price | 3.3% |
| Based on toxicity/signal word | 14.7% |
| Other | 11.4% |
20. Which of the following are true for your school district?
| Never true | Always true | |||||
| (N) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Pesticides are used in the evenings | 178 | 9.0% | 5.6% | 20.2% | 28.1% | 37.1% |
| Pesticides are applied in the mornings before school | 147 | 60.5% | 12.2% | 12.9% | 6.1% | 8.2% |
| Pesticides are used on weekends or during vacations. | 175 | 9.7% | 8.0% | 20.0% | 28.6% | 33.7% |
| After the application of pesticides, people are kept out of treated areas. |
119 | 9.2% | 5.0% | 21.8% | 22.7% | 41.2% |
If people are kept out of treated areas, for how long? (Number of Respondents = 93)
Average = 22 hours
(range = 0.5 to 168 hours)
21. Does your school district provide warnings (written or other) before pesticide application? (Number of Respondents = 191)
| No | 71.7% |
| Yes | 28.3% |
22. If warnings are provided, who is notified? (Check all that apply) (Number of Respondents = 54)
| Teachers & Staff | 87.0% |
| Parents | 11.1% |
| Students | 35.2% |
| General public | 18.5% |
| Other | 13.0% |
23. If warnings are provided, how are notices or warnings given? (Check all that apply) (Number of Respondents = 54)
| Signs are posted at school entrance | 18.5% |
| Signs posted in treated areas | 35.2% |
| Notes in staff mailboxes | 37.0% |
| Treated areas blocked off | 13.0% |
| Notes sent to all parents | 9.3% |
| Notes sent to parents that request them | 1.9% |
| Verbal announcements | 59.3% |
| Other | 11.1% |
24. Are you familiar with integrated pest management (IPM)? (Number of Respondents = 204)
| No | 72.1% |
| Yes | 27.9% |
25. Are these practices part of your school district's pest management strategy? (Number of Respondents = 127)
| No | 47.2% |
| Yes | 52.8% |
Results from Question 26 are reported in two separate tables.
26. Pests encounted at schools:
| Cockroaches (N = 142) | |
| No | 28.2% |
| Yes | 71.8% |
| Ants (N = 143) | |
| No | 13.3% |
| Yes | 86.7% |
| Spiders (N = 137) | |
| No | 53.3% |
| Yes | 46.7% |
| FLies (N = 130) | |
| No | 51.5% |
| Yes | 48.5% |
| Wasps (N = 143) | |
| No | 18.2% |
| Yes | 81.8% |
| Termites (N = 141) | |
| No | 60.3% |
| Yes | 39.7% |
| Rodents (N = 141) | |
| No | 12.8% |
| Yes | 87.2% |
| Lice (N = 124) | |
| No | 58.1% |
| Yes | 41.9% |
The following chart lists commonly encountered pests, products, and treatments used for pest control. Respondents indicated if they encountered these pests and, if so, what treatment they used for them, if any. We have used the most conservative count possible in tallying these numbers. Percents are calculated only for those schools responding to the specific question. Since more than one response was possible, and since not every respondent reported what treatment is used, percentages may not sum to 100%.
CHEMICALS USED TO TREAT PESTS
| Cockroaches (Number of Respondents = 103) | Number (%) Schools That Use |
| Tralomethrin (No Pest Indoor Fogger) | 8 (7.7%) | Cyfluthrin (Bayer Home Pest Control) | 5 (4.8%) | Tetramethrin (Hot Shot) | 6 (5.8%) |
| Tralomethrin (Spectracide Bug Stop) | 7 (6.8%) |
| Sulfluramid (Max Attax) | 8 (7.7%) |
| Other | 61 (59.2%) |
| Ants (Number of Respondents = 124) | Number (%) Schools That Use |
| N-ethyl Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (Max Attax) | 12 (9.7%) |
| Tetramethrin (Hot Shot) | 14 (11.3%) |
| Tralomethrin (Spectricide Bug Stop) | 8 (6.4%) |
| Cyfluthrin (Bayer Home Pest Control) | 12 (9.7%) |
| Diazinon (No Pest) | 16 (12.9%) |
| Other | 68 (54.8%) |
| Spiders (Number of Respondents = 64) | Number (%) Schools That Use |
| Tetramethrin (Hot Shot) | 15 (23.4%) |
| Tralomethrin (Spectricide Bug Stop) | 11 (17.2%) |
| Other | 40 (62.5%) |
| Flies (Number of Respondents = 63) | Number (%) Schools That Use |
| Tralomethrin (Spectricide Bug Stop) | 19 (30.2%) |
| Other | 37 (58.7%) |
| Wasps (Number of Respondents = 117) | Number (%) Schools That Use |
| Diazinon (Ortho Hornet and Wasp Killer) | 58 (49.6%) |
| Tralomethrin (Spectracide Wasp Killer) | 28 (23.9%) |
| Other | 35 (29.9%) |
| Termites (Number of Respondents = 56) | Number (%) Schools That Use |
| Sulfluramid (Spectracide Terminate) | 17 (30.4%) |
| Other | 30 (53.6%) |
| Rodents (Number of Respondents = 123) | Number (%) Schools That Use |
| Brodifacoum (D-Con, Mouse Kill) | 61 (49.6%) |
| Other | 60 (48.8%) |
| Lice (Number of Respondents = 52) | Number (%) Schools That Use |
| Lidane | 14 (26.9%) |
| Pyrethroids | 13 (25.0%) |
| Other | 23 (44.2%) |