The Pest Patrol

Environment

Back in the early 1990s, Hanover Animal Control officers routinely trapped skunks from campus and released them near Dartmouth's Hillcrest facility. There, unbeknownst to the officers, custodial supervisors had to recapture the , skunks and release them even farther from campus. This went on for years until one team of trappers talked to the other. Today, Dartmouth's Integrated Pest Management Program takes care of the skunks. According to a program brochure, skunks and other pests are now subject to "an environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices," whatever that means. Here's how some of Dartmouth's other pest fighters deal with unwanted critters.

Terrence Webb, executive chef,Dartmouth Dining Services

PEST PROBLEM: Chipmunks MODUS OPERANDI: "The trash and compost room is their smorgasbord," says Webb. PESTICIDE OF CHOICE: The broom. Employees round up the rodents and shoo them out of Thayer Dining Hall.

Woody Eckels, director of residential operations

PEST PROBLEM: Mice in dorms MODUS OPERANDI: "Mice enjoy eating students' food as much as the students do," says Eckels. PESTICIDE OF CHOICE: Subcontractor who catches them in live traps.

Scott Stokoe, manager, DartmouthOrganic Farm

PEST PROBLEM: Colorado potato beetles

MODUS OPERANDI: Beetle larvae hatch on vegetable leaves and defoliate potatoes in days if left unchecked.

PESTICIDE OF CHOICE: Students willing to handpick beetles and eggs from the plants. Some students won't take the next step and squish the bugs. "They transport the captive insects to a log in the river, in hopes that the local mallard duck population will find them appetizing," says Stokoe.

Steve Lyon, head greenskeeper,Hanover Country Club

PEST PROBLEM: Hyperoides weevil, a small white grub MODUS OPERANDI: Lives in soil and eats roots of annual bluegrass, causing it to wilt and die. PESTICIDE OF CHOICE: "A combination of grass mowing heights, fertility, aerification, irrigation and chemicals," says Lyon.