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Penn State Extension’s pesticide education program in Washington County has been halted since the pandemic, but the organization hopes to have Mr. Youker back in all first-grade classrooms in the county next school year.
Cathy Witsberger, a professional gardener and Washington County program coordinator, began giving presentations to elementary school students this spring.
“It’s been more active in other counties … Washington County really didn’t do it at all last year. We’re in the process of integrating it again. We’re doing live, in-person shows,” Weitzberg said.
The purpose of the program is twofold. Weitzberg said he talks to students about how to identify what a “pest” is and how dangerous household chemicals used to treat pests are.
“Something becomes a pest because of where it is and what it does. A bat in your basement or your home is a pest. Outside, it’s not. If poison ivy is growing on a playground, it’s a pest. In the forest, it provides nutrition to birds that eat its berries,” Weitzberg explains.
Witzberg added that he introduced different types of pest control methods and advised the children that there were alternatives to pesticides. For example, a rat problem could be solved by maintaining order and not leaving food behind.
When chemicals need to be used, Mr. Yuk comes into play. Mr. Yuk is a symbol created by the Pittsburgh Poison Center in 1971 to prevent poisonings. Children receive a sticker from Mr. Yuk to take home to identify potentially hazardous substances in the home, Witzberg said.
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