Nobody likes garden pests. Here are some tips for managing them without endangering yourself and your surroundings.
Memories of Rachel Carson’sSilent Springor late newsworthy reminder of the danger of some pesticides may make you uncomfortable about using chemical substance controls against pestilence . Indeed , we trust non - chemical methods for control plague — crop rotation or hand - picking , for example — are best . But there are situation in which non - chemical methods are ineffective or unworkable , and in such cases , many gardener choose to utilize a chemical pesticide , either biologic or man-made . Though there are valid literary argument for and against pesticides , we do n’t want to get into disputation here . Rather , we ’d care to focus on when , where , and how to expend pesticide properly , and on criteria for selecting them . This approach is called Integrated Pest Management ( IPM ) .
The most important consideration is choosing the least - toxic ware that will get the job done and using it only when necessary . By least toxic , we imply fabric that are least disruptive of natural controls , least risky to human wellness , least harmful to non - target organism , and least damaging to the environment .
Pesticides can trifle a forgetful - full term role
Chemical pesticides , whether aimed at bacteria or hemipterous insect , share a mutual limitation : They seldom offer permanent control . straight , the Romans plowed the dry land with common salt after destruct Carthage in 146 b.c.e . , and that was pretty permanent . But if you want to permanently reduce a pest problem in your garden and still keep the garden , you ask to take a dissimilar approach . solid food , water , habitat , and other supports for the pest must be modified for long - terminal figure consequence .
In the short streak , however , least toxic chemical substance controls have their space . By temporarily shift the rest between pest and natural enemy , the correct chemical ascendence used at the correct time can pave the way for establishing tenacious - term biologic ascendancy in the garden . Ladybeetles , lacewing fly , insect - eating nematode worm , and other biologic controller are commercially available and becoming popular for home garden utilisation . But if the pest population is already high , you must rap the pest numbers down before discharge beneficials . You do n’t require to reach for a extremely toxic pesticide to do this . Instead , use water spraying or an app of insecticidal grievous bodily harm or horticultural oil . The goal is to melt off the phone number of pests , not eliminate them . After all , you need to have some pest louse around to feed the beneficials when you free them or they fly in of course .
Confine chemical substance to unbearable spot
It makes sense to react quick to vertebrate pests — cervid , for case . But before you move fast against an louse pest , necessitate yourself two introductory questions . Is it really necessary to control this pest ? And if so , is there a unsubdivided alternative to insecticides ? Do n’t overlook physical controls , such as handpicking the pestilence or pruning out portions of the infested flora . These non - chemic method are often fast and satisfactory .
Confine chemical controls to situation in which the damage involved is , or will soon become , intolerable . The presence of a few recognized pest insects is not enough to signal doomsday . On the other hand , a large population beginning to do visible devastation may be a different matter . You should see what you expect of the result . Will the vegetable you ’re trying to protect be presented as a endowment or serve as a centerpiece ? peradventure some extra fear to avoid obvious worm damage is suitable . Or is it give out right into the cooking passel ? If so , then who care about a few holes or scars ; pocket-sized ornamental harm is a signal that no poison rest need concern you .
In any case , not all plants will be similarly affect by a pestis . If you watch over your plants cautiously , you will see that , even among those of the same kind , responses to insect pesterer vary . Make it a exercise to cover only those flora that are severely attacked .
There are many ways to void using pesticide that pop non - target organisms . The most obvious is to foot a material that either by its composition or its packaging is toxic to just one target area pest . Bt is a good example , because it produce a disease specific to the insects number on the recording label . Another model is insect development regulator , which forbid molting in specific dirt ball , such as whitefly .
Baits , if package to deoxidize attraction to and memory access by other animal , are another unspoiled elbow room to confine a chemic control to the target pest . In some bait stations , the active chemical is combined with a pheromone attractant to bring a specific louse pest to the bait station .
Know what you ’re working with
Do n’t take hold of the first pesticide you see that mentions your pest . Take your time , hit the books the label . You are bet for the least toxic — yet still effective — textile that will leave no remainder to harm good wildlife or yourself .
Be sure the material is registered for use against the pest you wish to control . Also jibe to see if the pesticide can be used on vegetables right up to the harvesting period . And you need to know what kind of protective clothing , gloves , goggles , or inhalator you will need while applying the pesticide , as well as the recommend app equipment .
Always check the recording label for the toxicity evaluation . A evaluation of IV means the chemical is much non - toxic . class III chemical substance are considered slightly toxic and are judge “ Caution . ” Make every effort to confine your economic consumption to textile no more toxic than this . family II chemicals are moderately toxic and are labeled “ Warning . ” class I materials are highly toxic and are label “ Danger - Poison , ” with a skull and crossbones . There should be no demand to use Category I materials around the house or garden .
The problem with relying on simple perniciousness ratings , however , is that they order only part of the narration . The basis of these toxicity ratings is a measure of light - terminal figure reactions . Long - term effects may take geezerhood to appear . Also important is the length of prison term the material stays in the environment , whether it bio - accumulates ( lead up the food for thought strand in ever larger accumulations ) , and its synergistic effects when merge with other materials in your surround .
Take time to protect yourself
It all but move without saying that you must protect yourself from chemical pesticide , even when using comparatively benign material like insecticidal max or insect - specific disease like Bt . The most common problem associated with careless use of a pesticide is a hide chemical reaction , typically a blizzard or a burn . But you also need to debar eye and lung exposure . Any vapor that enters the lungs will be apace absorbed into the blood stream and distributed throughout the eubstance . With some materials , there is a potential for damage to nerve or to dead body stratum of the transmitter that enable signal to travel from nerve to steel .
Wear gloves intended for handling chemicals , and put in the gloves in disposable credit card base between uses . The greatest fortune in apply chemical substance pesticides come from shed it accidentally on your unprotected wearable . deepen out of contaminated vesture straightaway . spill or no tumble , clothes worn while use pesticides should be wash separately from the kinfolk wash .
practice the least amount in the smallest area
Even a toxic cloth will have little damage if you restrain the pesticide to just the organism you wish to control . A good example of confining a pesticide to its objective is using a gentle paintbrush or a small composition of tag tied to a stick to wipe an herbicide on the leaves or branchlets of a recurrent weed .
Spray-on repellents require repeat applications. Photo: John Van Etten
When purchasing pesticides , dismiss inducements to save money by purchase the tumid “ economic system ” size . Buy the smallest amount that will do the job . Then mix up just the amount you will require . If a teaspoon is respectable , that does n’t mean two teaspoons are undecomposed . annul mixing up a gallon when all you will need is a cupful . The temptation is too great to use up the supernumerary textile by spraying it around places where it ’s not require .
Be sure to hive away or dispose of the remaining materials in good order . Never keep pesticide in unnoted container or within range of children and deary . salt away all pesticides in their original parcel , but put newspaper or glass containers inside metal cans to head off release due to breakage or moisture . And bear in mind that left - over pesticide may lose effectivity by the time you need them again .
chemic controls can play a role in the healthy veggie garden if you select materials that are least toxic to humans and the environment and are as metal money - specific as possible . But do n’t get run away . Confine pesticide role to those situation where the scathe is becoming unendurable and no non - chemical method is useable . If you have interrogative about a specific cloth , a good source of perniciousness information is theEPAHotline : 800/858 - 7378 . For more information , try theNational Pesticide Information Centerand theBio - Integral Resource Center .
from iIssue # 19 of Kitchen Gardener Magazine
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