Exterminators make a killing in schools

That's a common way for schools to handle pest problems, but it's not enough, said Marc Lame, an entomologist and clinical professor at Indiana University.

“It’s quite possible, and probable, that the schools in the South Bend area are not practicing best practices in pest management," said Lame, who advises the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on controlling pests in schools.

Rather than simply reacting to pests by calling exterminators, Lame advocates a more proactive approach he calls "integrated pest management." It's a more comprehensive set of practices that includes training food service workers to understand how their food preparation and storage methods, and their cleaning regimen, have a direct effect on the presence of rodents and insects.

Lame pointed to two Indiana school corporations, Pike Township School District near Indianapolis, and Monroe County schools in Bloomington, that have implemented IPM and now receive very few such violations.