Join Our Pest Patrol - U S Environmental Protection Agency - Bog

Have you ever been bitten by a flea or mosquito? Treated your dog for fleas? Had head lice? Been stung by a wasp or bee? Watched weeds overtake your garden? Fought to keep cockroaches out of your school building? We've all been bugged at one time or another by pests. For many of us, our first reaction is to reach for the nearest can of bug spray. But, pesticides and fertilizers that run off from lawns and other locations are a significant source of pollution in our environment. There's a better way to solve pest problems called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common sense practices. Teaching IPM at the grade school level can provide children with important information about pest identity and biology, and ecology. It can also help children understand the impact that personal choices-like whether or not to use chemicals to control pests-can have on our environment. "Join Our Pest Patrol: A Backyard Activity Book on Integrated Pest Management" is for educators of children in grades 1-6. Join Our Pest Patrol is chock full of fun activities that can easily be incorporated into reading, science, and even math and art classes. The activities are written for the 3-5 grade level, but can be easily adapted for the lower or upper grades. Each activity includes fun facts in "Did You Know," and "Tips for Grownups."