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Pesticides
Pesticides 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 Pesticides
Pyrethrins 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.
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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.
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Things You Need:
Citronella Oil
Citronella Candles
Pennyroyal Mint
Basil Plant
Mosquito Fish
Dry Soap
Oil of Lavender
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For Mosquitoes:
Rub 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 Flies:
Prevent 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.
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Things You Need:
Cream of Tartar
Red Chili Peppers
Salt
Dried Mint or Sage
Cucumber Peelings
Bone Meal
Sugar
Borax
Boric Acid
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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 infestations: mix 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.
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Things You Need:
Garlic, Chives Petunias and Nasturtium Plants.
Clay Flower Pots
Salt
Shallow Pans
Stale Beer
Soapy water
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For Slugs and Snails:
Remove 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 Aphids
Wash 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.
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Things You Need:
Boric Acid
Borax
Flour
Sugar
Onion
Shortening
Grease
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For Cracks and dark places:
Sprinkle cracks and dark places with boric acid and/ or borax.
For roach balls:
You will be making a dough that you will shape into small balls that you will be
placing around and about your home. so 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 Trap:
Put 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.
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Things You Need:
Oil of Lavender
Brewer's Yeast
Vitamin B Tablet
Garlic Tablet
Fennel
Citrus Peels (oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruit)
Rosemary
eucalyptus
Pennyroyal leaves
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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.
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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 project:
These 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.
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Take Care Of Your Lawn
Healthy lawns will compete out weeds! It's true. When your lawn is healthy,
it crowds out any weeds that may try and invade. Key elements to watch out for are pH and nitrogen levels. Bare ground
attracts weeds. Fill all areas with good ground cover plants or mulches so that weeds don't have any room to grow. Good ground
cover mulches include sawdust, bark, nutshells, or straw & composted vegetation (NOT WEEDS!) for your gardens. Place
weed mats underneath mulches. There are many varieties available, so make sure that you pick one that is water permeable.
No black plastic! For a do-it-yourself version use 10-15 overlapping layers of newspaper or cardboard covered with 3-4 inches
of compost or mulch. Make sure manure, compost, mulches, etc… are weed free before purchasing. Many weeds are imported
this way and can quickly take over your new planting areas. Deep tilling can bring old weed seeds to the surface where
they will sprout. Be sure to use or "build" fresh topsoil. To create your own topsoil, cut all weeds & grass in the area,
lay down a weed mat, top with grass clippings, dried leaves, compost & manure. Set up your topsoil in the fall for a spring
planting so that it has time to settle. Before planting in new soil, water the area well and wait for a week to see if
any weeds sprout. Rake them up and repeat until no more weeds come up. Your soil is now weed-free and ready for planting. Pull
weeds by hand and make sure you get the root. There are even special tools out there designed to help you pull the entire
root system of perennials such as dandelions. Take the time to identify your weed and learn about its life cycle. Many
plants have a certain time of year that they will appear in and a time period in which they are most vulnerable. For example,
perennial weeds should be pulled within 4-6 weeks after sprouting to prevent the formation of persistent parts which will
cause the weed to keep coming back. Repeated mowing can help to weaken perennial weeds, making it harder for them to
come back, especially if they were already well-established. Boiling water applied directly to weeds in your driveway,
sidewalk, etc... will kill many varieties of weeds, especially if you catch them when they are young and tender. Fire applied
VERY CAREFULLY to weeds in areas completely surrounded by non-flammable materials (i.e. driveways, sidewalks, patios) will
often kill the weed. Garden-use "blow torches" can be purchased at a number or garden supply stores but should always be used
with the utmost care. Finally, there are a number of natural pesticides available such as BurnOut Weed & Grass Killer
that are based on vinegar and plant oils. They will kill or severely weaken the plants they are applied to without severely
affecting soil health and are completely non-toxic, though they may still make you sick if ingested.
116 W. 2nd Street * Chico, CA 95926 * (530) 891-6424
Copyright Butte Environmental Council 2008
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