10 Safer Ways to Fight Pests

 

Stormwater washes pesticide residue into stormdrains and creeks, where it poses a risk
to aquatic life and drinking water sources.  Studies quoted on the Penn State IPM web site have documented measurable amount of pesticides or their by products in 90% of children ages 3 to 13, with possible links to illnesses still under investigation.  Pesticides have been linked to dwindling numbers of amphibians, birds, and pollinators, especially honeybees.

Here are ten steps you can take to reduce the amount of harmful pesticide exposure to your family, local streams, and local environment.

1.  Regularly check your plants for pest damage so you can begin treatment before populations grow.

2.  Correctly identify pest or disease problems so you can choose an appropriate treatment.

3.  Encourage beneficial predators, such as birds, bats, frogs, and beneficial insects, to live on or visit your property.  Plant diverse kinds of flowers, trees, and shrubs and install bird feeders, bird baths, and bird houses. 

4.  Use beneficial organisms, such as using beneficial nematodes and milky spore to combat Japanese beetles. 

5.  Prune off and bag diseased plant debris; clean tools between cuttings.

 6.  Limit pesticide use to only the specific plant or area that is infested or diseased.

 7.  Do not overfertilize plants; it increases tender new leafy growth attractive to pests.

 8.  Site plants in conditions they prefer.   Plants stressed by too little or too much moisture or light                                           are more susceptible to pests and disease.

 9.  Follow pesticide label instructions for use and disposal; do not spray midday or when                                                          beneficial insects (such as honeybees) are active. 

10.  Use less toxic pesticides such as dormant oil, insecticidal soaps, and insect traps. 

For more information and a list of reduced risk pesticides, see http://paipm.cas.psu/1214.htm or
www.crcwatershed.org/resources.  This message is brought to you by your municipality and Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association, www.crcwatershed.org under the Joint MS4 Stormwater Education Program.