UCLA is a very dense urban campus that serves over 70,000 faculty, staff and students. A consequence of this density is a large amount of trash, vegetation and pests including rodents.
As a response to the density challenge, UCLA uses an
Integrated Pest Management approach that includes: proper waste management,
proper control of vegetation such as ivy, proper building maintenance to exclude
rodents, proper trapping methods, and routine rodent bait station surveys that
give a pictorial representation of campus buildings to determine which stations
are undergoing the greatest amount of consumption. When inspection results showcase a large amount
of bait consumed it provides an indication of surrounding environmental factors
that must be addressed. Inspections by
Environmental Health staff are currently conducted not only when there are pest
problems but also in proactive building surveys. Photo documentation is included in the
inspections and relayed electronically for responsible departments to
correct. These corrections can
include: replacing trash cans that are
damaged, changing trash removal frequencies, trimming ivy overgrowth, and repairing
buildings that have rodent entry points.
While this approach has been valuable, GIS mapping
software has been added to create spatial and temporal relationships in regards
to the environmental factors that allow for rodent populations to thrive. This IPM program enhancement and display of
visual information assists in creating more effective use of the rodent bait
stations and allow for better targeting of environmental factors within the IPM
Program.
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