Pest Program
Pest Program
Stopping pests is better than treating pests. Prevention is always better than control. After years of seeing this done in reverse, and seeing only lip service given to Integrated Pest Management, we decided to do it right! Even in most IPM, the emphasis was placed on pest management, after the fact. Pest prevention was shoved to the back of the bus, and "the least toxic, most economical forms of controlling pests" were used. No one ever returned to the prevention phase. That is what this program is about. Prevention. It is a step toward real integrated pest management, beginning where it should, at the beginning! This program should be easy to follow for the homeowner, or anyone who has to deal with pests on a regular basis, and seeks to do so in the least toxic, most environmentally sound way. There is a prominent link to the next page in the sequence at the bottom of each page.
Preventing pests is better than controlling pests, for the same reason that preventing house fires is better than controlling house fires! There is a lot of information on preventing pests in the home, most of it deals with the obvious: "Clean your house, seal your food, check for holes, close your trash can, stop leaving the doors open when you run out to the mailbox you moron!"
Removing debris, brush, and weeds will help to keep pests off your property. Rotting wood is the roach's natural food. Getting rid of rotting wood, will help to keep roaches and other pests off your property, make sure that your outside area is free of it, and anything else that might hide pests.
Rotting wood is the natural food of the roach, and serves as food and cover for many other insects and rodents. Getting rid of it will send the little critters running and aid you in your quest to prevent pests.
One of the largest and most critical areas to deal with in home pest prevention is the lawn. The lawn is a place for show, a place for recreation, and a place where children usually have their first real contact with nature on a physical level. The addition of children and pets increases the importance of both controlling the pests and the nature of the control.
Other Lawn Care As Pest Prevention
Cultivating is something that doesn't have to be done as often as the other items on our list, but it is highly important. If you have a thatch build up, or compaction problems, aerifying, or verticutting will aid in keeping your lawn in good condition.
If the area is getting so much traffic because it is convenient, you could make a paved foot path through the area, or you could plant or build a traffic barrier to make it less convenient
Your landscape is an insect and rodent magnet, it will attract them, or it will help to repel them, based on how you manage it.
Plant Choices As Pest Prevention
Your choice of plants to populate your landscape plays a very important role in preventing home pests. As a general rule of thumb, these should be native plants whenever possible.
Good pest prevention practices apply to trees as well as the rest of your landscape. Proper maintenance will repel insects and weeds, poor practices will attract them like a lawyer to an ambulance.
Use plants native to your area when you are landscaping. Native plants are already resistant to native pests, are comfortable with your climate and average rainfall, and they won't break out into the environment and eat the forest.
Preventing Pests From Coming In
If you have performed the other tasks in this guide properly, the number of pests trying to get inside will be limited. The biggest part of indoor pest control, is practicing good outdoor pest prevention. There is still one important thing that needs to be done:
Most importantly, there are always the things your mother told you. Things like: "Close the door when you go in or out." You should have paid more attention, you probably wouldn't have to be reading this list!
This program takes into account, that not everyone is as commited to green living, or green lifestyles as everyone else. It is sometimes just an issue of degree. Whether a person chooses to use this information because of green tendencies, or for economic reasons, makes little difference, it works the same way in either case.
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Bugs And Weeds › Pest Control System - October 27, 2008
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