Urban Integrated Pest Management Training for Retail Store Employees

Introduction

General use pesticides are widely used by homeowners throughout the country. One survey estimated that 85% of all households in the United States had at least one pesticide product in storage, while 63% of all households had one to five products in storage (EPA, 1992).

Lajeunesse et al. (1996) and Sclar et al. (1997) found that the majority of homeowners in their studies purchased pesticides from home/garden centers and used these outlets as information providers for their pest management activities.

Because retail stores that sell pesticides are an important source of information for the homeowner, one method of transferring integrated pest management (IPM) strategies to the urban audience is to provide specialized training to retail store employees. Extension Integrated Pest Management and Horticulture educators could serve as primary instructors for delivery of this type of specialized training.

Czapar et al. (1998) surveyed 656 retail stores in Illinois that sell pesticides to identify educational programs and resources that would be most useful to this audience. Approximately 83% of respondents indicated they would be willing to send employees to a local, educational program on understanding pesticides, safe handling practices, and making pesticide recommendations.

Based on these results, a pilot training programs in pest management and proper pesticide use was initiated in Illinois for retail and garden center employees.

Methods

In March, 1998, a survey was mailed to 10 local retailers of lawn and garden supplies in Knox County, Illinois. Survey recipients were asked to identify the types of pest management questions they commonly encounter and the educational topics they would find most useful.

Six of the retailers completed the assessment, and their responses were used to develop a program. The 4-hour program included insect, weed, and disease management; pesticide safety; and IPM concepts. Insect, weed, and plant disease specimens were used, and safety equipment was demonstrated.

Fourteen individuals participated in the training session, including 10 retail store employees, three homeowners, and one Master Gardener volunteer. At the end of the training, participants were asked to evaluate the program on a one to five scale (Table 1).

Participants were also asked to list practice changes that they would implement as a result of the workshop. Specific practice changes included recommendation of integrated pest management alternatives to clientele as a primary control method and chemical control of pests as secondary control measures. Participants also indicated that they would emphasize more personal safety to clientele purchasing pesticide products from their store.

Discussion and Conclusion

In general, the current level of employee pest management training in retail stores that sell pesticides appears limited (Czapar et al., 1998). This audience, however, seems very receptive to increasing the expertise of their employees, with the primary goal of improved customer service as the desired outcome.

It seems likely that retail store employees will attend Extension programs if they address specific pest management topics and provide additional resources and educational materials. More work is needed to understand the long-term impacts of using a "train-the-trainer" approach to transfer IPM information from the retailer to the homeowner.

References

Czapar, G. F., Curry, M. P., & Lloyd, J. E. (1998). Survey of Integrated Pest Management training needs among retail store employees in Illinois. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 53(1), 31-33.

Environmental Protection Agency. (1992). National home and garden pesticide use survey. No. RTI/5100/17-01f. 400pp. Washington, D.C.

Lajeunesse, S. E., Johnson, G. D., & Jacobsen, J. S. (1997). A homeowner survey: Outdoor pest management practices, water quality awareness, and preferred learning methods. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, 26(1)43-48.

Sclar, D. C, Cranshaw, W. S., Jacobi, W. R., & Fleener, R. (1997). Integrated Pest Management practices in Colorado: A survey of woody plant nurseries and homeowners, 1995-1996. Tech. Bull. TB97-2. 17 pp. Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Service.