Survey of integrated pest management training needs among retail store employees in Illinois

In general, the current level of employee pest management training in retail stores that sell pesticides appears limited. This audience, however, seems very receptive to increasing the expertise of their employees with the primary goal of improved customer service as the desired outcome. Individual fact sheets were identified as the preferred educational resources, while traditional programs at local educational centers were not as useful to store personnel. Based on the results of this survey, pilot training programs in pest management and proper pesticide use have already been initiated in Illinois for retail and garden center employees. One immediate outcome of the pilot program was that the audience became more aware of reference materials available through the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service on pest management and proper use of pesticides.