FAQ Manhattanville in West Harlem Campus Plan Integrated Pest Management O -term plan for the old Manhattanville manufacturing area will revitalize the four former industrial blocks from 125th/129th to 133rd Street between Broadway and 12 th Avenue, and three small blocks along the east side of Broadway from 131st to 134th Street, into an environmentally sustainable and publicly accessible center for academic and civic life woven into the fabric of the West Harlem community. Integrated Pest Management Columbia University has engaged Dr. Jill Gordon, an Urban Entomologist, Rodentologist and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) specialist to oversee the application of the principles of IPM to various phases of the Manhattanville in West Harlem development. Dr. Jill owns Matis Consulting and has extensive experience working with rodent control in urban environments, designing pest management programs, and serving large corporate and residential customers by trouble-shooting, identifying pest problems, and designing Integrated Pest Management solutions for difficult situations. What pest control program is being implemented as part of the Manhattanville Project? Integrated Pest Management is the method chosen to control and/or prevent rats at the Manhattanville Project. Integrated Pest Management consists of but is not limited to the following: Conducting a survey of the structure and the surrounding area before disturbance in order to estimate current rat activity and population within the structure that will be disturbed. Performing least toxic pest control practices such as baiting, trapping, and burrow location prior to disturbance of the structure. Tracking activity during disturbance. Performing follow up survey and trapping after disturbance. Practicing good site sanitation including discarding food trash in covered metal receptacles lined with trash bags and emptying food trash. The information below is courtesy of Dr. Jill Gordon. It contains a list of frequently asked questions that she has heard from the community. Rats are known for dispersing to other areas during demolition of buildings and utilities. How do you know the rats in Surveys have been conducted at the Manhattanville Project site and its surrounding areas before and after any work was performed, and no increase in rodent activity was found. We will continue to monitor the project site and its surrounding area. There is no doubt that people complaining of rats in their homes and businesses have legitimate complaints and very well do have rat problems. However, where those rats came from are locations where there is plenty of food, water and shelter. Rodent populations flourish when these resources are available to them. The resources rodents need to survive are mostly found under and around buildings actively housing humans. In fact, rats are so good at hiding from their human hosts that people frequently (over) Integrated Pest Management FAQ
Why do we seem to have more rats now? You may be experiencing a population increase of rats in your homes and businesses right now. In order to determine why, our team will need to look around at your surroundings. Is there more garbage being put out on the sidewalks than before? Is it being left out for longer? Are businesses and residents moving in or out of the area? Are holes and openings in buildings developing as a result of the extremes in weather (allowing rodents better access)? Are people using less pest control in this difficult economy? There are many possible reasons for rat populations to increase in your neighborhoods. What is the most common rat that lives in our neighborhood? brown al the Norway rat. I have seen rats that weighed 10 lbs and were as big as a house cat. Does New York City have the biggest rats in the country? It may appear to the surprised human who stumbles across a rat that the rat weighs10+ lbs, but it was most likely between 1 frightening it. How many rats live in the five boroughs? While many estimates have been made and reported in the media, rat populations vary so much depending on food availability, harborage, weather, human populations and pest control that the figure will change constantly with time. It would be impossible to make a true, specific estimate of that sort without a very extensive scientific study, and to date such a study has not been done. It is safe to say that the older, more densely populated cities like New York, Chicago and Boston have more places for rats to live and more food available due to their higher population densities, so these are the cities that have the highest populations of rats. What about Harlem, do we have more rats here than anywhere else in New York City? Again, no one has done a real head-count but the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene pest control division is documenting complaints and conditions that are conducive to rats such as trash dumped in empty lots, open trash cans, program is under the direction of the city of New York who conducted this indexing study first in the Bronx and is now working in Harlem. They will publish their results on the NYDOHMH website when it is completed and this will give us a better idea. According to Dr. Jill Gordon and her personal experience working throughout the five boroughs, Harlem does not have more rats than any other borough in New York City. aries based on food availability, crowding, and environmental factors like weather. As animals, their behavior varies with conditions. However, they are capable of traveling a great distance to find food and shelter. What can we do to get rid of the rats? There is a lot that everyone as a community can do. Trash clean-up, sealing buildings, cleaning out catch basins and storm drains, removing burrows, involving the city (complaints should be made to the 311 line) and most importantly, EDUCATION! Awareness is crucial in getting rid of rat problems. The more you know about rats, the easier it is to prevent them from living with you. How can I learn more about rats? Dr. Jill Gordon will be offering free rat awareness classes to anyone who lives in Community Board 9. For questions or concerns, e-- 2222, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Integrated Pest Management FAQ
The Definition of IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Manhattanville Project, September 9, 2009 Dr. Jill Gordon, Mantis Consulting Integrated Pest Management or IPM is defined by the state as a sustainable approach to managing pests by using all appropriate technology and management practices in a way that minimizes health, environmental and economic risks. State regulations further state that IPM includes, but is not limited to, monitoring pest populations, consumer education, and when needed, cultivation practices, sanitation, solid waste management, structural maintenance, physical, mechanical, biological and chemical controls. Many people think that IPM means pest control without the use of chemicals or pesticides but that is not true! The idea of integrating many approaches to achieve manageable levels of pest populations is the basis of a good IPM program. Those approaches include the following: Monitoring and inspections Communication Structural modification and sanitation Judicious treatment with least toxic chemical options Re-evaluation The Manhattanville Development Project is using an IPM approach to managing pest populations in each phase of its design. The goal is to not only control the pests within the project area, but to prevent the spread of any pest problems from the project area as well. Each phase begins with a comprehensive survey of the area and identification of its major pest problems. In order to reduce pest populations effectively, an IPM program must TARGET specific pests and where they are located. This reduces the amount of pesticides used in the environment while controlling pests where they live and breed. For example: it is a common belief that rats live and breed in sewers. This is true for the most part; however, not all sewers are conducive to rat activity. Some have too high a water table, water moving too fast or have no ledges for rats to sit on. This type of sewer will not harbor rat populations thus there is no reason to use rodenticides in this type of sewer. The Manhattanville Development Project s IPM program has carefully monitored rat activity within and around the sewers in the project area and has identified those which require rodent control and those which do not. Therefore, rodenticides are not being left in areas where other non-target animals may consume them. As the Manhattanville Development Project progresses, emphasis will shift from eliminating resident rodent populations to excluding them from new buildings and avoidance of trash situations that may attract and feed them. It is a known fact that if buildings are planned and constructed in such a way as to exclude pest populations, and food (trash) is managed in such a way as to make it unavailable, then pest populations will not become established indoors and pesticides will not be necessary. This sort of proactive planning for pest prevention is the basis of the Manhattanville Development Project IPM program.
Dr. Jill Gordon Urban & Industrial Entomologist Mantis Consulting Dr. Jill Gordon is the owner of Mantis Pest Management Consulting, LLC. She specializes in arthropod and vertebrate pests found in the urban and sub-urban environment. She received her PhD in urban entomology from Clemson University in South Carolina in 1992. She also has a Master s degree in Ornithology from Clemson University (1986) and a Bachelor of Science degree from Furman University in South Carolina (1984). Dr. Gordon worked as the Regional Entomologist for Western Pest Services in New Jersey for 11 years (1995 2006), designing pest management programs, training, serving large corporate and residential customers by trouble-shooting, identifying pest problems and designing Integrated Pest Management solutions for difficult situations. She consults for several pest management companies and industrial customers nationwide. Dr. Gordon has extensive experience working with rodent control in urban environments. Past customers of Mantis include Nutri-system, RPM, and Rutgers University. Within the New York City area, Dr. Gordon has worked on rodent management at City College, Grand Central Terminal, The NY Hilton, Woodhull Hospital, and several major hotels and restaurants within the five boroughs. Dr. Gordon is the entomologist for the New Jersey Pest Management Association (NJPMA), is a member of the Organic Trade Association, the National Pest Management Association and has been a certified commercial pest control applicator by the states of NJ and NY since 1995 (License # 20016B). Dr. Gordon has lectured on a variety of topics including rodents termites and other wood destroying insects, stinging insects, flies, ant control, bed bugs, deer ticks, mosquito control, and Integrated Pest Management in schools and other sensitive environments. Dr. Gordon teaches classes on general and structural pests, public health pests, rodents, wood destroying insects, and IPM for state certification by NJ Department of Environmental Protection. Currently, Dr. Gordon has been working in New York City with Jones Lang LaSalle, Metro North and Grand Central Terminal on rodent control and prevention. She is also the IPM consultant for Columbia University s Manhattanville project.
5 Sherman Avenue New York, NY 10040 Ph: 212-304-5116 www.pestrol.com About Us Pestrol, Inc. has been providing professional pest management solutions for Residential and Commercial customers throughout the five boroughs, Westchester, Rockland and Nassau Counties for over a decade. With over a decade of experience, training and education, our staff is able to successfully provide customers with customized Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs that have proven success. We are dedicated to educating our community, providing quality customer care and innovative services in a professional, honest, ethical manner with minimal negative impact on human health and the environment. Our Philosophy As a service company Pestrol is always committed to meeting the highest standards of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) services and solutions. We believe in building strong relationships with our employees and customers by maintaining a high level of communication. With our positive business and training practices, we are able to continue to provide customer satisfaction and contribute to the development of our communities both professionally and personally. Pestrol and Integrated Pest Management The primary goal of IPM is to reduce the amount of pesticides applied by utilizing alternative methods of pest control techniques, which include sanitation maintenance, structural maintenance and or mechanical and biological control with minimal impact on human health, the environment. A successful IPM program must be flexible and adaptable, this is why Pestrol staff works closely with customers to design a program that will be successful. At Pestrol we will continue to explore & test new pest management technologies to achieve our reduced risk pest management strategy.
5 Sherman Avenue New York, NY 10040 Ph: (866) NYC-PEST Fax: (775) 924-2532 Email: Info@pestrol.com www.pestrol.com Norway Rats Rattus norvegicus Rats are one of the most adaptable animals that are alive today. Norway rats are the predominant species and possess amazing physical abilities. Description: Norway rats are husky, and may have a variation of colors from grayish brown to redish brown. Fully grown Norway rats weigh about 12-16 ounces and are typically about 16 inches long (including the tail). Their fur is coarse and mostly brown with scattered black on the upper surfaces. The underside is typically grey to yellowish-white. Habits: Rats usually burrow in soil, sewers, basements, and lower portion of buildings. Rats are omnivorous and will eat nearly any type of food, but given a choice they would feed on meats, grains and nuts. Rats require 1/2 to 1 fluid ounce of water daily when feeding on dry food. Rats have keen taste, hearing and sense of smell. They will climb to find food or shelter, and they can gain entrance to a building through any opening that is at least a ½ inch in diameter. They have strong teeth that allow them to chew through glass, cinderblock, wire, aluminum and lead. Biology: The average female rat will have about 4-7 litters throughout her life time, each containing 8-12 pups. Young rats reach reproductive maturity in about three months. Breeding is most active in spring and fall. Control: Rodent populations will continue to increase in conditions that allow easy access to food and shelter. Sanitation efforts in conjunction with rodent proofing provide the best solution to reduce or completely eliminate these conditions. To adequately keep rats out of your home all openings need to be sealed off remember rats only need an opening of 1/2" or the size of a nickel to gain entry to your home. In addition to exclusion, careful storage of foods and elimination of clutter are important steps in the fight to control rats. If Norway rats become established in or around your building, they are usually obtaining food from obvious sources like garbage areas that are not kept up properly.