School Pest Control: Common Classroom Pests in Utah

The back-to-school season is a busy time of year; so busy that it’s easy for humans to forget that pests are busy, too!

Schools provide many common pests with everything they need to thrive, and when the cold weather arrives, pests are eager to get inside for warmth. When it comes to school pest control, everyone in the building (especially staff and adult volunteers) should be on the lookout for the signs and symptoms of common classroom pests, but how do you make sure everyone is on the same page?

Education and Identification: The Keys to Effective Pest Control in Your School

When it comes to practical classroom pest control, schools need to do what they do best: educate.

Some of the most common pests found in Utah schools and classrooms are:

• Small flies
• Clover Mites
• Spiders
• Rodents
• Pantry pests

At the top, school administrators should ensure their staff and volunteers are prepared to identify common pests. This way, the school can adequately deal with specific problems according to Integrated Pest Management practices.

Integrated pest management (also known as IPM) is a science-backed approach to pest control proven to:

• Simplify and systematize pest control into steps
• Utilize a variety of natural pest control methods
• Increase the efficacy of pest control efforts
• Reduce the need for chemical treatment

SOME QUICK ADVICE FROM Thorn: The first step in a solid IPM program? Pest identification. Make sure school staff and volunteers are prepared to help identify pests. If pests are spotted, have a plan for how these issues are reported and deal with them quickly.

Need help identifying a pest? Maybe you’re thinking of developing a staff training all about common school pests and how to identify them. Not sure how to craft an IPM plan for your school? Don’t hesitate to contact Thorn Pest Solutions. We’ll help ensure your staff is prepared for pest issues of all shapes and sizes. We perform in-person pest services throughout the great Beehive state and assist with pest consults and trainings all over the country!

Common Pests in Utah Schools

Small Flies

Whether it’s schools, restaurants, or residential homes, flies pop up in various places.

‘Small flies’ is a general term, and there are several flies that might pop up inside the classroom.

Fruit flies are very small (about 1/8” long). They are brownish black in color with bright red eyes. They are commonly found near rotting fruits and veggies, though they will happily feed on other rotting food if it’s available. While primarily a nuisance pest, fruit flies can spread illness and bacteria when a severe infestation is present, especially in food prep areas.

Drain flies are, as their name implies, often found near drains, but they are also attracted to other sources of standing water. Drain flies are tiny (1/13” long) and look like teensy little moths, with fluffy, powdery wings and antennae. They have a distinct heart shape to their wings when standing still. The presence of drain flies can indicate that the sink or floor drains nearby need a thorough cleaning or that there’s a leaky pipe and standing water nearby.

Fungus gnats are between 1/16” and 1/8” long and are attracted to fungus-rich environments where they can lay their eggs. Outside, they love areas with damp soil and rotting organic matter (like compost), but they’ll happily move inside where they target a different fungus source: houseplants. If you have houseplants in your school office or your class just started bean sprouts in plastic cups, this could be where your small fly issue comes from. Make sure not to overwater plants as this will further a fungus gnat problem.

Larger flies in the classroom are probably lesser house flies, which are attracted to still air when they’re not hanging around stinky, nasty things like garbage and poo (ew!). To reduce the presence of large flies in the classroom, make sure windows and doors are not left open without a screen, regularly empty the garbage and keep a fan running. A fan will help circulate the air, making it difficult for flies to congregate.

Removing fly feeding and breeding sites is essential to classroom fly control, especially in large buildings. Identifying what type of fly is present will help you determine where they’re coming from so you can keep them away from your students for good!

Clover Mites

Clover mites are itsy-bitsy arachnids (related to spiders). They are so small (about 1/30”) they can be challenging to see at first, but they are a widespread indoor and outdoor pest throughout Utah.

Clover mites are considered (mostly) harmless. They come with no health or safety risks to humans, though they can cause fabric staining when crushed and can do some severe damage to turfgrass.

Clover mites come in various colors, including red, dark brown, and green. Inside your classroom or school, you may see hundreds (or even thousands) of tiny little clover mites all of a sudden, especially after rains when their eggs are most likely to hatch.

Since clover mites come from outside in the landscape and they’re probably not inside searching for food, controlling them can be a little tricky. Try the following solutions:

• Vacuum them up when you see them inside
• Make sure the school is well sealed around doors and windows
• Ensure the school’s landscaping isn’t being overwatered.

Spiders

When it comes to pest control, spiders cause some of the most concern, especially when they’re around children in a school environment. It may be hard to believe, but spiders are incredibly beneficial regardless of how creepy they might look.

Even the scariest spiders in Utah (like black widows, brown recluses, and hobo spiders) prefer to stay hidden and are more likely to run away and hide rather than bite. They are most likely to bite when they feel threatened and have no other option.

You’re likely to find spiders here and there, both inside and outside of schools, especially in areas where flying insects congregate. Inside, you might find spiders where flies are present. The spiders are just hoping to catch a quick bite to eat.

Outside, the spiders might congregate around exterior lights left on at night. The light attracts the insects, thus attracting the hungry spiders.

Inside or outside, physical removal of spiders, webs, and egg sacs with a broom, vacuum, or cobweb brush is a great way to keep spiders down to a manageable level. Not only does this remove unsightly webs from areas where students, staff, and parents congregate, but removing egg sacs will also help reduce future spider populations.

Rodents

Rodents (such as mice and rats) can cause significant problems inside schools. They can damage personal and school property, contaminate food, and spread illness.

Ultimately, the goal is to keep the rodents outside to begin with, but it’s also crucial that your school have a plan in place should rodents try to make a move indoors.

To keep rodents out, make sure the school is sealed and that any gaps or potential entry points are covered with a screen. Spray foam will do nothing to stop rodents, so opt for mesh screening that is screwed in place or a steel excluder packed tightly into cracks and crevices.

Consider arming your maintenance staff with Frye Inspection Tools, which are used to identify possible rodent entry points quickly and easily (though it may require getting down on hands and knees).

If rodents have already made their way inside, it’s essential to determine where the rodents are getting in and whether they are nesting inside. Rats and mice are not the same, so make sure you know which one is present before utilizing any traps. If the wrong traps are used, this can make the problem much more challenging to address.

Pantry Pests

Pantry pests are common in Utah but are not always found in the kitchen!

Common pantry pests include pantry moths, pantry beetles, and grain weevils, but there are many pantry pests within these categories! For identification purposes, pantry pest damage looks similar regardless of the responsible pest.

If you think your school may have a pantry pest issue, check out any stored pantry products for the source of the infestation. If you think you’ve found your pantry pest source, look for the following signs:

• Small worms wriggling around in pantry items
• Sawdust-like gritty dust
• Molted insect skins
• Small, silky clumps of cobwebs in or on stored bags
• Kernels or grains that show signs of chewing

While school kitchens are a likely place for pantry pests to pop up, there are other (more unexpected) places they might be hiding. Pantry pests can also infest sensory supplies like rice, dried beans, and dried pasta, and until these sources are addressed, the issue is likely to stick around….and possibly spread to other areas of your school.

IPM: School Pest Control That Works

Pest control science has come a long way in recent decades. It is now recommended that schools across Utah adopt IPM programs. IPM provides better long-term solutions, costs less in the long run, and involves far lower risk to people and the environment.

There is a widespread idea that applying chemical treatments (pesticide) is necessary to get pest issues under control, but this is far from the truth.

Children are particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of improperly used pesticides, so schools must be proactive about pest control to avoid using chemical treatments. Integrated Pest Management gives schools the tools to control pests effectively while protecting people and the environment.

IPM involves using a variety of techniques to prevent pests from becoming a problem in the first place, including targeted methods like:

• Improving sanitation
• Sealing entry points
• Careful monitoring
• Environmental manipulation

Once pests are detected and correctly identified, IPM focuses on non-toxic and low-risk control methods, keeping children safe while protecting the environment.

Thorn Pest Solutions: Expert Pest Control for Your Utah School

From sprawling, multi-building universities to small, private preschools, Thorn has performed school pest control services all over Utah! Time and time again, schools choose us because we prioritize protecting students, staff, and the environment from pests and poor pest control practices.

With our highly trained staff and extensive school pest control experience, Thorn Pest Solutions will tailor a pest control plan according to your school’s unique needs. Let us take your pest-stresses away so you can get back to what matters: growing the next generations of learners.