Are all pest control methods toxic? (with links to tips)

 

From the 1 July article at Mother Jones

..The organization Beyond Pesticides works to educate the public about the potential harm in conventional pesticides while also offering alternative, less toxic means of pest control, such as integrated pest management, or IPM. Integrated pest management seeks to manage rodent and pest infestations in the least toxic way to humans and the environment. It should ideally involve a system of monitoring and prevention, and use chemicals only as a last resort. When chemicals are used, the least toxic chemicals should be chosen (of which a list can be found here). If you’d like to find nearby green pest-control services, you can look one up in Beyond Pesticide’s online guide.

Of course, you can always do your own pest control, and it doesn’t have to involve the toxic roach sprays you can find in your local supermarket’s automotive aisle.

A few tried and true tricks?

Keep your house clean. I mean, really clean. Even if dinner is all cleaned up, make sure to thoroughly wipe down all surfaces (countertops, stove, microwave) each and every night. Keep food covered tightly and in the fridge – meaning don’t leave any fruit out on the counter or on the kitchen table.

Then once your house is clean, make sure to seal up all leaks and cracks and potential gateways into your warm, inviting home. You might find this New York City pictorial guide to controlling roach and mice infestations (of which I experienced many before I moved to the virtually rodent-free state of New Jersey) helpful. And if you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work, give the green pest controllers a call. Or move to California. I’ve heard there are no bugs there…

Related articles

• Integrated Pest Management (thegreenery.ca)
• Bed Bugs in NY Can Be Controlled by Alco NY Animal & Pest Control (prweb.com)
• What Ants Are Buggin’ You? (bugoffpest.wordpress.com)
• Safe Pest Control Tips (recyclingearthsenergy.wordpress.com)
• Dirty Fruits and Vegetables (termlifeinsurance.org)
• Pesticide programme pays off (radionz.co.nz)