Pest Control
PesticidesPesticides are used extensively to treat plant diseases and remove unwanted plants, or "weeds" from lawn and gardens. The list of active ingredients commonly used is enormous, and many of them are so toxic that the EPA, never the first to condemn, has restricted or banned their use. Hundreds of compounds in different combinations are used and new ones are continually produced to combat ever more pesticide resistant strains of plants & animals. These pesticides have polluted our soil, our waterways, our very bodies. About these PesticidesPyrethrins and Pyrethroids are insecticides included in over 3,500 registered products, many of which are used widely in and around households, including on pets, in mosquito control, and in agriculture. The use of pyrethrins and pyrethroids has increased during the past decade with the declining use of organosphosphate pesticides, which are more acutely toxic to birds and mammals than the pyrethroids. This change to less acutely toxic pesticides, while generally beneficial, has introduced certain new issues For example residential uses of pyrethrins and pyrethroids may result in urban runoff, potentially exposing aquatic life to harmful levels in water and sediment. Did you know...?If you use pesticides or herbicides on your yard and/or garden: toxic chemicals are tracked in on the bottoms of shoes to the floor of your home and are then transferred to your children and pets, who play there. Children pick up these residues on their hands and transfer them to their mouths. In much the same way, pets can be exposed as well. Pesticides take longer to break down once inside the home. Your home acts like tuppaware when it comes to outdoor elements. Always follow the instructions on the label! Children are more vulnerable to pesticide exposure due to the fact that their bodies are smaller, they have higher metabolisms and their immune systems are not fully developed. Pre- and postnatal exposures to pesticides increase the risk of childhood cancer. Mosquitoes/Flies
For MosquitoesRub citronella oil on exposed areas, or burn citronella candle. Do not eliminate natural predators from your yard or garden, such as dragonflies or the praying mantis. Natural repellants are pennyroyal mint rubbed on the skin or planted near door. Basil plants also repel mosquitoes. Eliminate pools of stagnant water. If these pools are part of the landscape or garden decour, add Mosquito Fish. If you decide to add mosquito fish to your pools of water, make sure the water levels are high enough to support the fish. For FliesPrevent Their development in organic wastes by keeping kitchen garbage in tightly closed containers. Sprinkle dry soap into garbage cans after they have been washed and allowed to dry as a repellent. Set a sponge in a saucer and soak it with oil of lavender as a repellant. Shape a piece of paper into a cone and insert it into the neck of a baited jar as a flytrap. A pot of basil set on a windowsill or table will help reduce the number of flies in a room. Keep it well watered from the bottom so that it will throw out plenty of scent. Aphids/Slugs/Snails
For Slugs and SnailsRemove litter and trim grass around garden. Remove the places where the slugs and snails hide and feed. Place a few overturned clay flower pots near the ground surface but sufficiently irregated to let the snails get under the rim. Snails will collect there during the warmest parts of the day. Kill them by directly smashing them, or pouring a lot of salt on them. Since salt can be damaging to soil it should only be poured on snails found on pavements For AphidsWash or spray plants with plain or soapy water, especially early in the season when aphids are young and can fly. Employ the "Power of the Pinch" crush colonies on plant tips, use your hands or prune them off into container where you should sufficate them to their death or drown them in soapy water. Plant garlic, chives, petunias, and nasturtiums to repel aphids. Fleas
Vacuuming is the first step. Remove the vacuum bag and seal the "catch" in a tightly closed bag. Dispose of it. Feed brewer's yeast, vitamin B or garlic tablets to your pets. Clean pets sleepng areas frequently and sprinkle with a few drops of lavender oil. Use fennel, rosemary, red cedar shavings, sassfras eucalyptus or pennyroyal leaves as flea repellents under or around the pet's bed. or use greated citrus peel. Greated citrus peel kills fleas. Craft projectThese are essential ingreadients for po-puree, use this to your advantage. Make your pets bedding out of this mix, Just add some cotton or soft fabrics for cushioning. Ants
Trace a line of ants and find out where they are entering the house and then seal it off, with culk or plaster. Try pouring a line of any of the following at the place where the ants enter the house: cream of tartar, red chili peppers, salt, dried mint or sage, cinnamon or cucumber peelings. Border gardens with bone meal or powdered charcoal. For Heavy ant infestationsMix 1 Tablespoon of sugar and one Tablespoon of borax with 2 Tablespoons of water to make a thick syrup. Soak cotton balls in mixture and place the cotton balls on low lids or something flat so that the ants can get to it. Place them in the middle of the ant infestations. Band sticky adhesive materials around the base of plants and trees, to deter ants. Mix 2 Tablespoons of boric acid, 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 1 cup of wter. Soak paper towels, place on low lids or something flat, set out for ants. Keep away from children and pets. Roaches
For Cracks and dark placesSprinkle cracks and dark places with boric acid and/ or borax. For roach ballsYou will be making a dough that you will shape into small balls that you will be placing around and about your home. Make sure they are out of the reach of children and house pets. Cream 1/4 cup of shortening and 1/8 cup of sugar Mix 8 oz of boric acid, 1/2 cup of flour, and add 1/2 of a small onion. Blend well and add water to form soft dough. Shape into small balls and place them in the house. (out of the reach of children, or educate your children about these roach balls so they don't eat them) For Jar TrapPut grease on the inside rim of a jar which contains some food (bananas). Place a stick in the jar to serve as a ramp or wrap the outside with masking tape. Drown the roaches in a bucket of hot sudsy water when found in the trap. |
