The Alberta Research Council will spend the next year updating an integrated pest management manual for the federal national defence department.
Paul Sharma and eight others at the crown corporation, which is known for its work in insect management and plant disease, will work their way through the nine-chapter manual on pest control and disease.
“It’s a major coup for us,” Sharma said.
The manual will help protect the health of department personnel and property on bases at home and abroad.
Robert Cretain, technical manager with the department’s environmental division, said it relates more to site management than bioterrorism.
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“Bioterrorism does not enter into it,” he said. “It’s primarily a property management issue and maintenance issue.”
The original manual, created by the council in 1981, does not include biological controls now preferred by many municipalities over chemicals.
The new manual will also reflect the numerous changes in technology, regulations and products.
The manual will arm department engineers, land managers, medical specialists and planners with the how-to’s of pest control and reduced reliance on chemicals in addition to risks in using pesticides.
Cretain said it will help the department understand the biology and ecology of pests, anticipate when risks of infestations might be greatest and monitor outbreaks.
It was last updated in 1995.
