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A web of pesticide information By Karen Wing
DB Pest educates and entertains on Penn State’s Pesticide Education Program Web site.	Do you want to safely dispose of old pesticides and containers? Do you use pesticides safely around the home? Do you need education programs to maintain your pesticide certification? DB Pest greets you with answers to these and other questions at http://www.pested.psu.edu.   Maintained by the Penn State Pesticide Education Program in the College of Agricultural Sciences, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, this pesticide Web site has logged more than 40,000 hits and has been selected as a featured site in Lightspan’s StudyWeb® as one of the best educational resources on the Web.   Part of the success of the site is due to the fact that it provides valuable information to a large audience that includes certified pesticide applicators, homeowners, educators, children and anyone interested in pest issues, such as West Nile virus.   “We have had hits from all over the world, and our West Nile virus page averages more than 500 hits a month,” Sharon Gripp, webmaster, said. “Our site has received positive attention at national meetings and is being used as a model for future Florida pesticide Web pages.”   The Web site also has revolutionized information distribution to certified pesticide applicators in Pennsylvania. This group, comprised of anyone who applies pesticides (for agricultural crops, lawns, pools, etc.), is required to attend continuing education programs in three-year cycles to maintain certification. Penn State’s Web site displays educational programs available to pesticide applicators, facilitating the recertification process.   “As a result, Cooperative Extension and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture offices get fewer calls, and clients have timely access to information they need,” said Dr. Kerry Hoffman-Richards, pesticide education coordinator and senior extension associate with Penn State Cooperative Extension.   Another growing topic on the Web site is the character DB Pest. DB Pest appears in an interactive game to show kids integrated pest management and pesticide safety practices around the home. The Pesticide Education Program Web site is continuing to flourish as its audience grows.   So for all of your pesticides questions, visit an ever-changing Web of information at http://www.pested.psu.edu. An outreach program of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Cooperative Extension