BugMobile comes to Philly

Posted by on June 6, 2003

TALKING “BUGMOBILE” IS COMING TO PHILLY!

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA ? If you attend a county fair or other event this year and find yourself talking to a Volkswagen Beetle painted like a lady bug, do not be alarmed, you are joining the thousands of children and adults who enjoy interacting with ?The BugMobile!TM?, the one-and-only talking car. ?The BugMobile! TM? is a roving educational unit — painted to resemble a lady bug and equipped with speakers that allow it to “talk” — that travels to schools, fairs and other public events to promote IPM and teach basic biological concepts about insects and other potential pests.

The Pennsylvania IPM program?s ?The BugMobile! TM? will be appearing at Grace Days, Grace Baptist Church of Germantown in Philadelphia on June 14. Wynelle Coleman of GCCC has invited the PAIPM program to their annual event in hopes of spreading the safer pest control message to the Philadelphia community.

?Grace Baptist Church of Germantown and Grace Community Christian Center has been serving the Germantown and Mt. Airy Community for over 110 years. This year marks our fifth year for Grace Day. Our Community Center has served over 5000 plus people over time. During this event we serve free food, give away clothing, host live fun entertainment and have available health screenings or other important information for attendees?We want the community to feel free to come and have fun. The event is Saturday, June 14th, 2003. Grace Day will start at 10am and finish at 3pm.?

Grace Baptist Church of Germantown is located at 25 West Johnson St Philadelphia PA, 19144 215 438-3210 Church; 215 848-2700-Center

Why is ?The BugMobile! TM? exhibit important? Pests such as mice, ants, cockroaches, rats, pigeons, mosquitoes and weeds are common in Philadelphia buildings and vacant lots. Pest presence and unwise pesticide use in and around schools and other urban dwellings often result in unhealthy indoor and outdoor environments. Children and elders, especially those with asthma, are particularly at risk. This situation is alleviated by the use of Integrated Pest Management protocols.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) aims to control pests — such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals — by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, affordable and environmentally compatible.

?The BugMobile! TM? made its debut at the 2000 Pennsylvania Farm Show, delighting both adults and children. Since then, “The BugMobile! TM ” has traveled to 47 events, including the Philadelphia Flower Show, Ag Field Day at Rutgers University in New Jersey, and Penn State’s The Great Insect Fair as well as many county fairs, schools and other events. “The BugMobile! TM ” has exposed over 181,000 youth and adults to the message of IPM in its first three years. ?The BugMobile! TM? has the ability to attract and stop passers-by, inviting them to partake in an educational display with live insects and handouts.

Recently, PA IPM started a community outreach initiative based in Philadelphia. The objective of this program is make indoor and outdoor environments safer through the adoption of safer pest control techniques. Teresina Bailey was hired as Community IPM Outreach Coordinator for Philadelphia County in November 2002.
?It is crucial for the community to be aware of connection between pests, pesticide, and health. ?The BugMobile! TM? is designed to educate the public using common sense examples of how to manage pests more safely. Besides, it is a lot of fun!? says Tere, who has been networking to generate new partnerships involving safer pest control through Integrated Pest Management, K-12 environmental education, and community outreach.

If you would like to host ?The BugMobile! TM? at your school or event, or would be interested becoming a sponsor, contact at (814) 865-5743. If you would like more information on the Philadelphia Community IPM Initiative, please contact Tere Bailey at the Cooperative Extension Office 215-471-2229 or tab124@psu.edu.
For online information, visit the program’s Web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu and the community IPM website at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/community.html.

The PA IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture designed to promote integrated pest management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations.