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The products, methods and services you choose to
guard your office, restaurant, warehouse, or
landscaping against pests can have a big impact on
your employees safety and the local
environment. Pests can be successfully managed
by cleaning, blocking access, and after all else
fails, using traps, baits, or chemical
treatment. If you choose a pesticide product,
remember that although they are designed to kill or repel undesired pests,
they may also
harm beneficial insects, birds, reptiles, pets and even humans. Pesticides also
wash off landscapes, ending up in our oceans, and possibly our
drinking water supplies. |
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Safety First
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Please follow label instructions exactly
for proper dilution and application. The label will also list important
precautions such as eye and skin protection, and proper ventilation. Pesticide
labels are required to post warning language that alert consumers to the degree
of hazard posed by the active ingredients, choose
products reading "Caution" over "Warning,"
"Danger" or "Poison" on their labels.
Purchase the smallest quantity needed to get the job
done.
Avoid
buying in bulk if possible. |
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Indoor Pest
Management
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Prevent Access: Patch holes in screens, screen stove vents, install weather
stripping, and seal all other cracks with paint or caulking.
Don't Feed the
Pests: Store food items in tight fitting jars or plastic containers. Empty trash each night from a covered trash can. While
baits containing pesticides are extremely effective means of chemical control,
the pests still prefer human food.
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Pest Fact Sheets:
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Ants:
Exclusion: follow ant trails inside or outside your home and seal off entry
points using tape, putty, or caulk. Wipe up the ants in your house using soapy
water. Baits: The ants in your home represent just the tip of the iceberg. To
kill the ant colony, choose baits containing boric acid or and insect growth
regulator (plastic disks) and outdoors (stakes).
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Cockroaches:
Boric acid is the least toxic poison available, and next to a thorough cleaning,
is the most effective tool for long-term cockroach control. Boric acid powder
should be placed in cracks, crevices, and in the secluded areas where
cockroaches hide. The powder will be picked up by the roach and ingested during
grooming. Remember-boric acid is a poison, use it carefully and do not breathe
the dust.
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Aphids: Methods of Control:
Physical: A strong jet of water can knock aphids off of plants onto the ground
where they are eaten by spiders and other insects. Prune heavily infested
branches and submerse in soapy water to kill the aphids before composting or
disposal. Biological: Many insects in your garden, including lacewings and
ladybugs, feed on aphids. Flowering plants that bloom in the Spring when aphid
levels are highest will encourage these "beneficial" visitors. Aphids are
happiest on plants rich in nitrogen--so choose appropriate fertilizer.
Chemical: Commercial brands of insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils are
effective.
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Snails: Methods of Control:
Physical: Hand pick snails at night and kill them by submerging in soapy water.
Design traps using over-turned flower pots, a raised board, or a pie tin filled
with beer buried to be even with the soil surface. Be sure to check traps daily.
Barriers using diatomaceous earth or copper sheeting make and effective deterrent.
Ask your nursery professional for help selecting the best product for your needs.
Biological: Many animals including chickens, box turtles, and some toads enjoy a
meal of snails. In Southern California, predatory decollate snails are often sold
in nurseries. Choose plants that snails tend to avoid.
Chemical: Snails are becoming resistant to chemical baits, so these products
should be used only as a last resort.
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Fleas:
Long-term control means attacking the flea at all stages in its life cycle.
Vacuuming is the most effective means of controlling adults, eggs, and the dried
blood which serves as the food source for the larvae. Vacuuming everyday,
especially where the pet sleeps, is critical to successful flea control during
the height of the fleas season.
Insect growth regulators (IGRs), new chemicals that act to prevent larvae from
becoming adults, are now available in spray form (look for methoprene). IGRs can
also be given directly to animals in a pill form.
Consult your veterinarian for
more information.
Flea Traps that use green blinking lights as an attractant are available to
control adult fleas in a contained area. Ask your pet supply store or pest
control company for details. Pyrethrins (naturally derived chemicals) and synthetic pyrethrum are less toxic
than traditional pesticides, but still must be used with caution. Because these
chemicals are toxic to fish, avoid washing off products containing pyrethrins
(i.e. flea shampoo, outdoor sprays) into gutters and storm drains.
Exterior Control: Frequent mowing of grass exposes eggs and larvae to more
sunlight, killing them. Regular irrigation of areas where your pet tends to
rest will also kill eggs and larvae.
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Additional Information: |
Alternative Products:
City of Santa Monica (310) 458-2213
Technical Pesticide Applications:
County Agricultural
Commissioner (626) 443-6652
Disposal of Hazardous Products:
Santa Monica
Businesses (310) 458-2213
Disposal of Hazardous Products:
LA County
Businesses (888) CLEAN-LA
Call the
Office of Sustainability and the Environment at (310)
458-2213 or
e-mail us
for more ideas on safer alternatives.
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This page was last modified on
08/06/2008
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