Purdue News
Purdue News
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September 10, 2001 Center for Urban and Industrial Pest ManagementCenter overview The Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management provides training, educational materials and research on pest biology and management. It works primarily with the pest control industry. The center's director is Gary Bennett, professor of entomology. Areas of research The Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management conducts research in these areas: • Sponsored product research: The center works with manufacturing industries to develop and test new products that control domestic pests such as cockroaches, ants, termites, fleas, etc. Researchers conduct laboratory and field tests to evaluate the effectiveness of new compounds, technologies and application techniques. CONTACT: Abdullahi Ameen, research associate, urban pest management, (765) 494-7740; abdul_ameen@entm.purdue.edu. • Structural pest management: Researches the biology and control of insects that invade the home, such as ants, cockroaches or fleas, or insects that eat wood, such as carpenter ants or termites. Currently conducting research on the use of commercial baits to control ants, on carpenter ant behavior, on using pheromones to control cockroaches and on termite caste differentiation and colony characteristics. CONTACT: Mike Scharf, director of industrial affiliates program, (765) 494-6314; mike_scharf@entm.purdue.edu. • Public health pest management: Conducts research on the biology and ecology of mosquitoes, flies, ticks, lice, fleas, stinging hymenoptera and other pests that affect human health. The goal of the research is to discover new technologies and strategies to safely and effectively reduce pest populations. CONTACT: Ralph Williams, professor, entomology, (765) 494-7739; ralph_williams@entm.purdue.edu. • Food pest management: Designs pest management strategies for the food industry. This includes grain storage, storage of processed foods, food processing plants, food service industries, food distribution routes and retail food outlets. Insects are controlled by exploiting vulnerabilities in their biology and behavior. CONTACT: Linda Mason, associate professor, entomology, (765) 494-4586; linda_mason@entm.purdue.edu. • Turfgrass pest management: Researchers investigate insecticide pest management strategies to create more cost-effective and environmentally friendly ways to rid lawns of undesirable insects. Evaluates new technologies and alternative control methods, including biological control, which uses beneficial insects and microbes to rid the lawn of unwanted pests. CONTACT: Tim Gibb, diagnostician, entomology, (765) 494-4570; tim_gibb@entm.purdue.edu. • Landscape and ornamental pest management: Develops integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that allow plantings to be maintained while minimizing the public health and environmental risks associated with using insecticides. Developed Purdue's Landscape IPM software for use by landscape professionals. CONTACT: Cliff Sadoff, professor, entomology, (765) 494-7738; cliff_sadoff@entm.purdue.edu. • Urban wildlife management: Provides public information on nuisance animals. CONTACT: Judy Loven, state director, animal damage control; U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service wildlife biologist, (765) 494-6229; judy_loven@entm.purdue.edu. Pest control conference Launched in 1936, the Purdue University Pest Control Conference now attracts nearly 1,000 people annually from around the world. The four-day conference offers training seminars, research and regulatory updates, product developments, marketing and management hints, and additional information on innovative and environmentally sensitive approaches to pest management. CONTACT: Susan Umberger, conference coordinator, (800) 359-2968; stumberger@cea.purdue.edu. Correspondence courses To serve the industry and to promote more effective, safer pest control for the public, Purdue University offers several pest control correspondence courses. These courses are part of a continuing urban and industrial pest management curriculum designed to provide the industry with accessible and affordable university-quality training. Courses offered include "Pest Control Technology," "Urban and Industrial Integrated Pest Management," "Food Plant Pest Management," "Turfgrass Pest Management" and "Termites and Other Wood-Destroying Pests." CONTACT: Sandy Leuck, Self-Directed Learning Programs, (765) 494-2748; slleuck@purdue.edu. SOURCE: WRITER:
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