Pest Defense Interview with James Butler

James Butler is a medical entomologist for the US Army Public Health Command, where he trains environmental health personnel in integrated pest management (IPM), conducts pest management program reviews and consults on a variety of pest management and vector-borne disease issues across the Eastern half of the United States. Pest Defense asked James a few questions about his work with the Department of Defense related to schools and child development centers. 

Tell us a bit about your role with the Army Public Health Command.

I function as an entomological consultant for pest-related issues on Army installations in the Eastern half of the continental United States. This involves on-site pest management program evaluations, IPM trainings of environmental health offices and pest management consultations when the local authorities need support. Additionally, I conduct vector-borne disease surveillance missions throughout our region. Basically, my team and I provide regional-level support for anything pest or vector-borne disease related with Army installations. 

How does your work relate to IPM in schools and child development centers? 

Every Army installation has at least one child development center. These facilities are no strangers to pest issues and consult with me when problems arise. Proactively, I visit 6-8 installations a year to provide in-depth training to public health authorities that conduct health and sanitation inspections. These trainings ensure the local environmental health personnel implement safe and effective pest management. 

Is there a common pest problem that DoD schools and child development centers face? If so, how have you helped DoD facility managers address this pest issue? 

Ants are probably the most common pest issue for our child development centers. Regulatory constraints limit what pest management products and practices personnel can apply within these facilities, which makes their job more challenging. My consultation missions provide recommendations to both pest management professionals and child development center facilities operations to not only eliminate the problem safely but reduce the underlying conditions to prevent future issues. 

If you would like to learn more from James, you can find the full recording of his presentation, An Overview of IPM and the Department of Defense within the Eastern United States, at bit.ly/DoDIPMwebinar.