Delay the Spray – 7 Tips to Prevent Garden Pests
November 26, 2018
Pesticides are common place in many homes across the county. If you spot a new trail of ants invading your home, your first instinct might be to reach for that spray can. However, when pesticides get into our storm drain clean water system, they can have a negative effect on our local waterways.
Research has shown that pesticides commonly applied in urban environments are found in water samples throughout Orange County. Pesticide use can be an effective method for dealing with insect pests around the home; however, these compounds should not be applied directly to areas draining to storm drains or before rains. Also, pesticide usage should be part of a balanced approach, and in some cases, a last resort. Pesticides are effective at managing pest insect populations in your yard, but they also impact aquatic insect and other organism populations in waterways – some are even more toxic in water than they are on land.
How do all these pesticides end up in our waterways?
One way in which pesticides end up in our waterways is through urban runoff. After we spray for bugs or weeds around the exterior of our homes, the water from sprinklers or other sources (sometimes even rain) can wash residual pesticides into our streets, gutters and storm drains, then into our waterways. Pesticides can wreak havoc on our coastal ecosystems; killing fish, killing aquatic plants, and decreasing oxygen levels in the water.
What can we do about it?
The University of California Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources (UC ANR) recommends practicing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which focuses on long-term prevention of pests through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Under IPM, pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are still needed to remove target pests.
Check out these tips from the UC ANR website:
- Monitor for the presence of pests and their damage
- Alter the home or garden environment to deprive pests of food, water, and shelter
- Keep pests out by using barriers, screens, and caulk
- Plant pest-resistant or well-adapted plant varieties, such as native plants
- Discourage various pests by modifying the way you design, irrigate, fertilize, and manage your garden
- Squash, trap, wash off, or prune out pests; using mulch for weed control
- Encourage beneficial insects to live in your garden
Visit http://ipm.ucanr.edu/default.html for even more information.
Next time you notice some unwelcome guests, try IPM as a way to manage them.
Did You Know?
Chemical pesticides were first used around 2500 BC, when the Sumerians used sulfur compounds as insecticides.*
What about adding that good old-fashioned dish soap and water in a spray bottle can rid many plants of various kinds of bugs?
H2OC Stormwater Program Post author
Apologies for the delay in response to your comment. Alternative options for pest management are definitely a great way to limit the use of pesticides in your yard, just be sure to check whether the dish soap you are using is biodegradable, non-toxic and also whether it is suitable for that plant and pest you are trying to manage. To learn more about integrated pest management, check out information provided by the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources http://ipm.ucanr.edu/.
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