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 NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING COMMAND
July 1992
APPLIED BIOLOGY PROGRAM
Like most communities, naval shore installations are plagued with a wide variety of
pests. Mosquitoes, flies, ticks, fleas, spiders, mites and other pests bite people.
Beyond the annoyance, these pests also transmit diseases such as malaria, encephalitis,
dysentary, dengue and many others. Ants, silverfish, cockroaches, and crickets among many
others can infest residences and offices. Myriads of insects combined with rats and mice
can infest, damage, and contaminate food, fibers, and fabric products. Decay fungi, the
ubiquitous termite, and some kinds of beetles and ants have damaged wood structures in
nearly every area of the world. Even piling supporting piers and sea walls are under
continual attack by marine borers. Weeds grow wherever their roots can reach the soil
without regard for esthetics, fire hazards, or maintenance; and insect pests and snails
destroy desirable vegetation wherever it grows. In addition, aircraft often strike birds
in flight resulting in thousands of dollars in damage to the aircraft and occasional loss
of life. All of these pest problems interfere with naval operations or consume resources
needlessly.
The management of pests is needed to support operations and to protect personnel,
materials, real property, the environment and resources under Navy stewardship. To
accomplish this, professional pest management, comprehensive programs, and competent pest
control personnel are required. By law, trained and certified personnel are required to
use certain pesticides, and our objective is to have all pest control personnel trained
and at least 80% of the applicators certified in the various pest control categories.
Instructions are used to guide the Navy's program. The Navy frequently supplements and
often substitutes in-house efforts with commercial services where the required skills and
equipment are readily available, and when contract performance is cost effective. In
these situations, a Navy quality assurance evaluator or inspector who is specifically
trained in pest control technology is used to determine the contractor's performance.
Federal regulations apply to Navy pest management programs, such as the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Control Act. Indeed, there are half a dozen
Federal laws that regulate pesticides in some manner. The philosophy of the Navy's pest
management program is to minimize the use of pesticides when other methods are available
This strategy is not to eliminate pesticides, but to simply use them in perspective with
long term prevention of pest problems.
The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Applied Biology Program, (Code 1634),
provides both technical and management guidance, and continuity for installation pest
control operations and certain other public works functions. The program is staffed with
biologists with a background in entomology (the study of insects). The applied biologists
are located regionally in field divisions (as are pest species). They provide on-site
technical guidance to approximately 225 shore installations with pest control programs,
and provide training for nearly 500 installation pest controllers and pest control quality
assurance personnel.
This assistance includes:
a. Installation Pest Management Plans. Our applied biologists assist in the
development of pest management (operating) plans and help the Commanding Officer in
achieving pest management goals while complying with pesticide regulatory agencies. Plans
include recommendations for control strategies, resource requirements, materials,
equipment, staffing, facilities, safety and environmental protection. Plans are
coordinated with BUMED for safety and disease vector control. These plans are maintained
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