IPM Unit Description:

San Antonio is the 7^th largest US city and the 22^nd largest US metropolitan area. Among Texas cities, it is the 2^nd largest and the San Antonio metropolitan area is the 3^rd largest in the state with 2.2 million people. San Antonio is a key military center and has financial services, government, health care and tourism as its dominant industries. The city is growing rapidly and is located at the western edge of the humid subtropical zone. The most critical needs identified by the Bexar County IPM Steering Committee in 2009 and subsequent meetings have centered around the continuing need for education to address environmental and pest management issues.

 Meetings and Publications:

Over 279 programs for adult education.

Over 235 programs for youth education.

Collaborative Work:

 Ms. Keck works collaboratively with schools, housing authorities, Habitat for Humanity, the city of San Antonio, the San Antonio Livestock Show, Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, parenting classes, landscape and nursery groups and associations, San Antonio Botanical Gardens, Audubon and other naturalist groups, Camp Bullis US Army Base, CPS Energy, Texas Parks and Wildlife, many local nurseries and commercial greenhouses, several local pest management professionals and other entities to provide them with integrated pest management educational information. She worked to develop 4 curricula for use with elementary school classes. She has developed summer area-wide fire ant management programs in 12 neighborhoods (some repeated over several years) since 2005. She has taught extension agents, paraprofessionals and volunteers in Better Living for Texans, Expanded Nutrition and Family and Consumer Science groups on home integrated pest management techniques (ISEC). In addition, she averages ~13 radio and TV appearances/year, writes ~4 articles for San Antonio Newspapers, writes ~4 issues of What’s Buggin Ya newsletter and Bexar County Entomology Blog www.bexarento.blogspot.com.

Scholarly Presentations:

Presenter or co-author of 10 presentations at state (2), national (10) and international (2) conferences.

 

Selected Presentations:

Keck, M. 2005. Invasive interactions of Monomorium minimum and Solenopsis invicta Infected with Thelohania solenopsae in the Laboratory. Entomol. Society of America. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Dec 2005.

Keck, M., S.B. Vinson and R. Gold. 2005. Interaction Between Monomorium minimum and Healthy or Thelohania solenopsae Infected Solenopsis invicta: A Laboratory Study. Ann. Red Imported Fire Ant Conf. Gulfport, MS. March 23, 2005.

Keck, M.E., K. Schofield, J.K. Tomberlin, R.P. Porter, M.E. Merchant. 2006. Elementary Insects: Urban Entomology Education for Youth. Entomol. Soc. America. Indianapolis, IN. Dec. 13, 2006.

Merchant, M.E., K. Schofield, E. Brown, P. Nester, C. Helpert and M. Keck. 2007. Fire Ants in Texas Nursing Homes. Entomol. Soc. America. San Diego, CA. Dec. 12, 2007.

Schofield, K., J.K. Tomberlin and M.E. Keck. 2007. Elementary Insects: Entomology Youth Curriculum. Entomological Soc. America.  San Diego, CA. Dec. 12, 2007.

Keck, M. 2008. Ant Management in Sensitive Accounts. 62^nd Texas A&M University Urban Pest Management Conf. and Workshop. College Station, TX. Jan. 2008.

Merchant, M.E., K. Schofield, E. Brown, P. Nester, C. Helpert,  J. Hurley and M. Keck. 2008. Fire Ants in Texas Nursing Homes: Staff Attitudes and Management Options. Southwestern Branch Entomology Society of America. Fort Worth, TX. Feb. 25, 2008.

Schofield, K., and M. Keck. 2008. Overlooked Areas of Concern for Pest Solutions: University Based Research on Organic Pest Management for Homeowners.  Entomological Society of America. Reno, NV. November 2008.

Keck, M. 2009. Management and Current Research Efforts of the Red Imported Fire Ant. Texas Invasive Plant and Pest Conference. San Antonio, TX. Nov., 2009.

Keck, M. and B. Drees. 2009. Evaluation of ARINIX Permethrin Impregnated Nylon Strips in Preventing Fire Ants in Electrical Transformers. Imported Fire Ant Conference. Oklahoma City, OK. April, 2009.

Keck, M., K. Schofield and E. Brown. 2009. ISEC Home Pest Management and Habitat for Humanity Update. Sixth International IPM Symposium. Portland, OR. March 2009.

Calixto, A., B. Drees, M. Keck, and N. Cervantes. 2010. Resource Discovery and Dominance as a Management Tool for Fire Ant Management. Southwestern Branch Entomological Society of America, Cancun, Quintana Roo, MX. April 12, 2010.

Cervantes, N.T., M.E. Keck, B. Drees and A.A. Calixto. 2010. Resource Discovery and Dominance as a Tool for the Management of Solenopsis invicta Buren. Entomological Society of America, San Diego, CA. Dec. 15, 2010.

Schofield, K. and M.E. Keck. 2010. Expanding the ‘Elementary Insects’ Program within urban areas of Texas. Entomological Society of America, San Diego, CA. Dec. 14, 2010.

Keck, M., B. Drees, A. Calixto and N. Cervantes. 2011. Target-Specific Lure and Switch Grid Spot Treatment Approach: Camp Bullis Karst Caves Project. Southwestern Branch Entomological Society of America. Amarillo, TX. March 8, 2011.

Recent IPM Emphasis and Accomplishments:

Ms. Keck works with AgriLife Research and Extension faculty, program specialists, county staff and local citizens to plan, conduct and evaluate educational activities, result demonstrations and applied research projects on urban and landscape IPM in the San Antonio metroplex and surrounding counties. She provides educational programs for youth in public school, private school, afterschool and other community programs. She plans and implements Community Wide Fire Ant Management Programs for Bexar County residents and works with pest management professionals, homeowners, master gardeners and other organizations to develop training programs on integrated pest management.

Scholarly Publications:

Gold, R., M. Keck, W. Brown and K. Schofield. 2010. Subterranean Termites. Pub. E-368. 9pp.

Keck, M.E. and B.M. Drees. 2006. Managing Red Imported Fire Ants in Electrical Equipment  and Utility Housings. Fire Ant Plan Fact Sheet 11. 4 pages.

Drees, B.M., S.B. Vinson, R. E. Gold, M.E. Merchant, E. Brown, K. Engler, M. Keck, P. Nester, D. Koustron, K. Flanders, F.Graham, D. Pollet, L.Hooper-Bui, T. Davis, P.M. Horton, W. Gardener, K. Lofton, J. Hopkins, K. Vail, R.Wright, W. Smith, D.C. Thompson, J. Kabashima, B. Layton, P. Koehler, D. Oi and A. Callcut. 2006. Managing Imported Fire Ants in Urban Areas. A Regional Publication for Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Publication B-6043. The Texas A&M University System. 22 pages.

Gold, R.E., G.J. Glenn, H.N.Howell, Jr., and M. Keck. 2005. Formosan Subterranean Termites.Pub. E-368. 7 pp.

Keck, M.E., R.E. Gold and S.B. Vinson. Invasive interactions of Monomorium minimum and Solenopsis invicta infected with Thelohania solenopsae in the laboratory.2005. Sociobiology 46 (1): 72-85.  

Awards:

            2008       Outstanding State IPM Program Award  – Southern Region IPM Center