Pests in Schools

Maine schools are required to adopt integrated pest management (IPM) policies to protect students and staff while promoting academic success. IPM is an environmentally sound approach to managing pests such as insects, weeds, plant pathogens, and wildlife on farms and forests, in our communities, and in our homes. IPM relies on proper pest identification, monitoring, and combinations of pest avoidance and management strategies to protect people, crops, and the environment while minimizing reliance on pesticides.

• Visit the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry IPM.
• Resources for the School Nurse on the Maine Integrated Pest Management
• Maine CDC Vectorborne School Curricula

Bedbugs

• Bedbugs and Schools: EPA                                               
• Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention: Bed Bugs

Brown Tail Moth

• Maine Forest Service Brown Tail Moth
• Maine CDC  Brown Tail Moth Fact Sheet

Mosquitoes

• Mosquitoes Fact Sheet for Nurses                                  
• Curriculum and resources from Maine CDC

Pediculosis (Head Lice)

• US CDC Headlice Guidance
• Integrated Pest Management: School Pest Solutions
• Integrated Pest Management: Guidance for the School Nurse
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Report on Controlling and Treating Head Lice in Children, Adolescents
• National Association of School Nurses Head Lice Resources

Rodents

• Rodent Fact Sheet for School Nurses

Ticks

• Maine CDC: Tick Attachment and Tickborne Diseases
• Maine CDC: Curriculum and resources
• Tick Fact Sheet for Nurses                                                                              
• Tick Take Home Facts