“Start small, start in your home”

Dr. Nair leads community IPM education in Maricopa County. That means teaching families, schools and neighborhoods how to deal with roaches, ants, mosquitoes and scorpions in safer ways, a lot of the time without spraying anything.

About three minutes into the call she turned it around and started quizzing me. What’s the most common way people get rid of pests? I didn’t know. Then she asked for an example of a bug that gets into homes. I said mosquitoes, and she said “Yes! Very good!” like I was in her class. The whole call felt like a class, in a good way.

I didn’t know pest management was even a field before this. By the end I knew why scorpions come inside when it gets cooler, how to keep them out with a door sweep, and that she moved across the world by herself to study insects. Here’s most of what she said.

Lightly edited so it reads easier. The words are hers.

A mom who taught biology

You ended up teaching communities how to handle pests. Back in high school, did you know you wanted to work with insects, or did you figure it out later?

“I knew from the beginning, and definitely by high school, that I’d be working with insects. I was interested in them even when I was much younger, thanks to my mom, who was a biology teacher. She’s retired now, but she still has that passion. For me it was an easy choice. It would be entomology.”

Who made the biggest difference in getting you here?

“There are many people. I couldn’t name just one. My mom taught me to appreciate nature, not just insects but all kinds of plants and animals and microorganisms. Then there were my teachers in school, who were very encouraging. I did my schooling in India. I did my bachelor’s in agriculture, then a master’s in agricultural entomology, and then I moved to the US for a PhD.”

“I’d like to remember my undergrad entomology teacher. That was the turning point. She taught an excellent class and always encouraged questions. She opened my eyes to the ways insects affect crops growing in the field, and not just in bad ways. There are pollinators and a lot of helpful insects around us that people don’t think about when they talk about pests. She taught me to recognize that there’s the good and the bad.”

The can of spray doesn’t work

“We also had a separate course in integrated pest management. Our teacher taught us that IPM is a whole approach to pest management that uses a lot of different methods, not just one. And you can imagine which one people use the most.”

She asked me to guess. I didn’t know.

“Pesticides. It’s the easiest way. You buy a can of whatever pesticide you can get at a department store and you spray it. But unfortunately it doesn’t work that well, and it’s probably the least effective way. There are all these other methods you can use to make pests go away, or keep them from coming in at all. So you don’t even have to use pesticides.”

“Now I’m with the University of Arizona. I couldn’t be happier with my position. I love what I do. It’s not just crops in the field. It’s the landscapes around our homes, and the insects that come into our homes. Mosquitoes, cockroaches, ants. We teach people how to manage them without pesticides, or using as little as possible.”

You don’t have to know everything

Do teens need to be 100% sure about a field before they get into it? Or can they learn to love it as they go?

“Absolutely not. You do not need to know everything when you get into a field. You can’t possibly, in any field. Insects are the most diverse creatures on the planet. I don’t know all of them. If you hand me an insect, some I can tell you right away. Others I have to put under the microscope and look closer.”

“It’s the same with pest management. Somebody asks, how do I get rid of this? Sometimes I know right away. Sometimes I have to ask questions. Where did you find it? What was it doing? Was it biting or stinging? So no, there’s no need to know every single thing. You can learn as you go, and learn to love it. I promise you that.”

Why scorpions come inside

A lot of teens in Phoenix see roaches, mosquitoes, even scorpions at home or at school, and don’t think it’s something they can do anything about. What’s one real project a teen could start this month?

“Start in a small place you know, like your home. Notice what kinds of insects, or other arthropods, wander in. Then ask: why are they there? What’s attracting them? What can I do to make them go away?”

“I keep saying arthropods because scorpions aren’t insects. They’re a different group of arthropods. Let’s take scorpions. They’re hunters. They don’t pick up crumbs we drop. They eat smaller insects, like crickets. A few months ago there was a cricket outbreak in a lot of the Phoenix area, and scorpions love crickets. When they can’t find enough outside, and as the weather gets cooler, they wander in. They’d rather be outdoors, but they come in because they find a way.”

“How do they get in? Under door sweeps. Through worn weather stripping around doors and windows. Or someone left a door propped open. So once you know what you’re seeing, look for how it’s getting in, and stop it. Get your parents to help, or do it yourself. Don’t prop doors open. Make sure the door seals and thresholds are intact. Then see if you’re still seeing scorpions. If you’re not, great. That’s pest management, and you did it without pesticides.”

“Ants and cockroaches are different. They come in looking for food. People food, pet food, crumbs. So don’t give it to them. Take the trash out regularly, don’t leave food out, and they’ll figure out this isn’t a good place and leave.”

“After home, it’s school. We encourage students who intern with us to think about how they can make their school pest-free. If you notice pests, tell the janitor or the maintenance staff and ask them, how did these get here? Many times they’re happy to share, and they’re glad a student is paying attention. A lot of times they’ll thank you.”

“Start small, start in your home, then go to your school. Once that works, talk about it with your friends and other community groups. ‘This is what we did at our school, and we cut down on pests.’ That’s how you start, and you go up from there.”

Never hesitate to ask

This was the question I cared about most.

A lot of teens feel like they don’t have enough experience to reach out to experts, even just to ask what the job is like day to day. What would you tell them?

“If something interests you, ask questions. Not everyone is a bug person like me. There are so many fields. You might not be able to get to the expert right away. Ask your teachers. Ask your friends and the people they know. ‘I’m interested in aeronautics. How do I learn more?’ Somebody may know someone who’s studying to be a pilot.”

“Every summer we get student groups from schools around the Valley. They want to see what we do. Do you always work in a lab? Do you go out in the field? Do you actually spray pesticides? So ask your teachers about internships, and reach out to us at Cooperative Extension or other departments at the university. We always welcome students, on their own or in groups, to come look around our labs. If you like it, this is an option for you. You don’t have to, but it’s an option.”

“Our main campus in Tucson has an excellent insect collection, and our collections manager is always happy to show students around. That’s his career. My work is different. Some of my colleagues work only on field experiments, and interns go out with them to scout for pests, take observations, count them up and present the results. Even inside entomology there are so many different things you can do.”

“Never hesitate to ask questions. You may not get the answers right away, but if you keep asking around, you’ll get the help you need to get where you’re going.”

Then she asked me if that’s how I found her. I told her I just looked her up and emailed her.

“A lot of information is on websites, especially for public universities and extension offices. If you’re interested in what someone does, reach out. There’s no harm in reaching out.”

Moving across the world alone

It’s easy to look at a successful person and think it was smooth. What were the hardest parts for you, and what kept you going?

“I did my bachelor’s and master’s in India, and then I decided to move to the US. I couldn’t bring my family with me at first. That was hard, being separated from them.”

“What kept me going was, first, my love for the subject. I was very sure this was what I wanted to do. And there are so many misconceptions about insects. I’d say 95% of the people I talk to don’t like insects. But when they understand them, they realize they’re not so bad after all. I wanted to spread that message. So I kept going, worked toward my degree, and after a while my family joined me.”

“There were physical hardships too. I did my PhD at the University of Georgia, on insects that damage landscape plants. Summers in Georgia are hot and humid, not hot and dry like Arizona. You feel like you’re in a pressure cooker. You spend hours out in the sun counting insects. Sometimes you count them right there in the field, which is not fun at all.”

“In the end it’s the love for your subject and what you believe in. ‘This is my field, and I’m going to make a difference.’ That feeling keeps you going. Everyone will find it at some point. So keep going. Don’t stop.”

So even being away from your family was something that pushed you forward?

“Sometimes you have to make those decisions, because otherwise you never get to do what you love. Usually families are supportive when they see how much you want it. They’ll let you go, even though it’s very hard. When I left there was no video calling, only phone calls and email. Now you can call multiple times a day. Different people face different challenges. Some people get sick. Some have money problems, because studying abroad is not cheap. But you keep going forward.”

“And talk to someone. If you’re doubting yourself, can I do this, should I do this, talk to someone who’s done it. You can count on me. Please tell whoever watches this to feel free to reach out, and I can share what I did.”

Nobody told her how competitive it was

What’s one thing you wish you knew at 15 or 16? Would you pick the same career again?

“I wish I knew how competitive the field was. When I decided on entomology, there was a lot of discouragement. ‘It’s such a specific field. Will you even get a job?’ A lot of people asked me that, including my parents. I said no, this is what I want to do. I had no doubt.”

“At that time I didn’t even know there were so many areas inside entomology I could specialize in. And I had no idea there were so many entomologists in the world. Nobody told me that. After my PhD I had to apply for jobs, and not just any job. I wanted IPM at a public university, where I could teach and do research and share how to live in harmony with insects. That was a challenge to find.”

“Would I choose something else? I don’t think so. It would be biological sciences for sure, and probably animals rather than plants. Animals are my thing, and among animals, insects.”

“It’s the same in any field. With AI and everything changing, you never know what things will look like in 10 or 15 years. So it’s good to ask yourself, what will I do if this doesn’t work out? I have a PhD in entomology. What if I don’t get an entomology job? I could teach biology. I could be a wildlife biologist. Your skills carry over. So have a plan, and find someone who can tell you your options. If it’s biology or zoology, count me in.”

Last thing

Is there anything else you want teens to know?

“For students in the Phoenix area, come see me at my office on Broadway Road in Phoenix, or email me. My contact information is on the website. If you have a question, we can set up a meeting and go over your options.”

“I have two offices. The other one is in Maricopa, about 20 or 30 miles south of Phoenix. It’s an agricultural research center surrounded by fields. People there research crops, and water too, because water is huge in Arizona. We’re a desert state. What crops can we grow that need less water? And the Phoenix office has programs for youth even if you’re not into agriculture. There’s 4-H, pesticide safety, water use. Come see us, and I’ll help point you to who you need to meet.”

“Don’t hesitate to ask questions. There are so many options out there for you.”

Thank you to Dr. Nair and University of Arizona Cooperative Extension for making the time.

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