Low-Risk Pest Control

Prevent Health Risks

Chemical pesticides can cause immediate poisonings that show up as stinging eyes, rashes, blisters, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, vomiting and even death. Over the long term, exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancers, birth defects, reproductive and developmental harm, damage to brain function , and disruption of the body's hormonal system-health impacts that can occur months or years after exposure. The chemicals in pesticide products also poison our air, groundwater, and soil.

Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a term used to describe a common sense approach to managing pests that seeks to prevent or limit harm to human health and the environment. Conventional methods of pest control turn first to chemicals like pesticides, but IPM tries to figure out why and how pests are becoming a nuisance, and to take care of the root causes of the problem. IPM methods include monitoring pest activity, blocking pest entry points, and prevention through sanitation and denying pests access to food, water and habitat. IPM uses least-toxic pesticides only as a last resort, reducing contamination of air and water, as well as threats to human health.

How to Safely Deal With:

Fleas

Spiders

Pantry Moths

Ants

Cockroaches

Mice and Rats

Low-Risk Products:

Pest Management Products

Cleaning Products

FLEAS

Fleas are tiny, fly-like insects that multiply very quickly and can bite humans and pets. For effective control of fleas, you must treat three areas at once: the pet, the home, and the pets' outdoor environment.

Prevent: Regular vacuuming and washing of pet bedding is the cornerstone of a flea-free home. When fleas are plentiful, vacuum daily or every other day and seal and discard the vacuum bag immediately in an outdoor trash container. Thoroughly clean pet resting areas and wash bedding in hot, soapy water at least once per week-flea larvae live and harbor in pet bedding and carpets and feed on pet dander, dried blood excreted by adult fleas, and other organic debris.

Remove: Remove fleas from your pet (daily during summer months) using a flea comb, before allowing the animal to come inside. Gently run the comb through your pet's hair and dunk the comb-leaving behind fur removed -in a container of soapy water to drown any fleas on the comb. Give your animal regular baths with a product called Flea and Tick B-Gone, a low-risk enzyme pet shampoo for cats, dogs and other pets.

Control: Vacuum your home daily or every other day. Remove and seal the vacuum bag outdoors and discard immediately in an outdoor trash container. Try setting up flea traps indoors that use an incandescent light and sticky glue board to attract and catch fleas.

If further treatment is needed, give your pet an oral treatment that contains an insect growth regulator (i.e. lufenuron) -an ingredient that prevents flea reproduction. Oral treatments are preferable to liquids that get applied directly to a pets coat because liquid pesticides can rub off on furniture and carpets, and increase risk of exposure to humans. *Carefully read and follow ALL directions on the label of any product you choose to use for flea control.

For fleas in your yard, release tiny flea-eating worms called beneficial nematodes onto the soil and lawn around your house after sundown, especially in areas where pets spend lots of time. Thoroughly wet the area before and after applying the nematodes, and then water the area every few days thereafter, as the nematodes need moisture to survive.

SPIDERS

Most spiders are primarily beneficial and usually harmless to humans. Spiders can be good to have around the home because they eat other insects. However, if you want to limit the number of spiders in your house, try the following steps:

Prevent: Keep plants and other vegetation away from the outside perimeter of your home. Move stacked lumber, firewood, and other miscellaneous material away from the house foundation. Reduce outdoor lighting especially lights directed toward the building. Use lower wattage bulbs or yellow bulbs. Remove clutter in storage areas and vacuum corners and other dimly lit places regularly. Brush away webs and debris from the outside of the house regularly. Inspect plants from outdoors before bringing them inside.

Exclude: Keep screens tightly installed and in good repair. Seal cracks and crevices in walls, foundations, and floors. Install door sweeps on the bottom of exterior doors.

Control: Applying pesticides for spider control indoors is generally not helpful. Instead, physically kill or remove unwanted spiders from your home, and use the prevention methods described above. Remember that spiders are generally beneficial and most are harmless to humans.

PANTRY MOTHS

Pantry pests are tiny moths that invade dry goods like rice and flour in your kitchen cupboards. Moths can get into your home if you buy an infested package of food.

Prevent: Inspect groceries (especially dry goods) for infestation-look for tiny holes in packaging or signs of webbing inside and outside of the packages. Store food in hard containers with tight-fitting lids (preferably glass jars with rubber washers and clamped lids). Do not mix new food with old food already stored in cupboards.

Remove: If you find infested food packages, remove them from your home immediately, vacuum any spilled materials, and wash shelves with soap and water.

Control: Pantry pests are most effectively managed by identifying an infestation and physically removing the infested item(s) from the home. As pantry pests infest edible packages of food, do not use any pesticide on or in the packages.

Pheromone traps-sticky traps that use smell to lure pests-can be helpful in monitoring and catching any remaining moths, after you have cleaned up an infested area and disposed of the infested food. Pheromone traps are a useful tool to survey, detect, and monitor for potential pantry pest infestations.

ANTS

Ants enter our homes in search of food and water. The best way to keep your home ant-free is to not give them an opening, or a reason to come in.

Prevent: Store all food in tightly sealed containers. Clean surfaces and sweep and mop floors regularly. Eliminate standing water, including pet bowls. Keep dishes washed and dry and keep sinks clean and dry. Keep indoor trash in lined, sealed containers and empty daily. If you need to leave pet food out, place the food bowl in a slightly wider shallow pan of soapy water. Check for and repair any leaks in plumbing.

Exclude: Seal cracks and crevices around baseboards, doors, windows, and where pipes and wires come into the house. Keep screens tightly installed and in good repair. Install door sweeps on the bottom of exterior doors. Follow the ant trails to determine where they are entering and seal the opening(s)

Control: If you have an ant infestation, figure out which food and/or water source(s) the ants are going after and eliminate them. Next, wipe the length of their trail with soapy water or window cleaner to remove their scent trail.

If further management is needed, place borate-based bait stations outdoors near where they are entering your home and along trails and edges they travel along. Borate-based treatments may take time to be fully effective because they work by attracting ants to feed on the bait, and letting them live long enough to take the borate bait back to their nests to share with others, eventually killing the entire colony.

If you can find the nest outdoors, you can also pour a pot of boiling water directly into the nest. In addition, sprinkle a very light layer of boric acid powder in the cracks and crevices where ants are entering your home, being sure not to apply it in areas where it may become accessible to children, pets, or contaminate food. READ AND FOLLOW ALL LABEL DIRECTIONS ON THE BORIC ACID POWDER PACKAGE BEFORE USING.

Sprays are not effective in addressing the root cause of an ant problem and are no more effective at killing ants than soap and water. However, if you feel the need to spray, there are low toxic sprays available that are very effective at killing ants and removing their scent trails (see product chart for details)

COCKROACHES

Cockroaches carry disease and can trigger asthma. Sanitation is most important in deterring cockroaches.

Prevent: Store all food in tightly sealed containers. Clean surfaces and sweep and mop floors regularly. Eliminate standing water, including pet bowls. Keep dishes washed and dry. Cockroaches shelter and deposit egg cases in cardboard boxes, piles of paper, and clutter. Eliminate these where possible. Deep clean cupboards, closets, drawers and shelves. Thoroughly inspect boxes that have been in storage before bringing them into your home. Check for and repair any leaks in plumbing.

Exclude: Exclusion is a key component of cockroach control. Seal cracks and crevices around baseboards, doors, and windows. Keep screens in good repair. Install door sweeps on the bottom of exterior doors. Seal holes around plumbing and pipes, and fix leaks in pipes.

Control: Even with good sanitation and basic exclusion techniques, cockroaches can still be a problem, especially in older or run-down housing with structural problems. If this is the case, use pheromone sticky traps behind stoves and fridges, along the edges of walls and inside cabinets to monitor where most cockroaches are hiding and feeding.

Boric acid dust can be very effective in managing cockroaches when applied to cracks, crevices, and other openings in your building that cannot be sealed. Also apply a thin dusting of boric acid powder under fridges and stoves, up under the sink, around pipes, and along the back edges of cabinets and cupboards. Boric acid powder should not be applied where it could come into contact with food preparation surfaces, food, pets, or children. READ AND FOLLOW ALL LABEL DIRECTIONS ON THE BORIC ACID POWDER PACKAGE BEFORE USING.

MICE AND RATS

Prevent: Deny mice and rats food to eat and places to hide. Store all food in tightly sealed, sturdy containers. Rodents can easily chew through plastic containers. Make sure trash cans have tight fitting lids.

Exclude: Close all holes around vents, pipes, and utility cables. Install door sweeps. Caulk cracks and crevices. A mouse can get through a hole the size of a dime and a rat can get through a hole the size of a quarter.

Control: Chemical baits are not recommended to manage mice or rats as they are poisonous to humans and pets, and the rodents may die in wall voids or other inaccessible spaces. Use snap traps instead, baited with peanut butter, chocolate, nuts, or dried fruit, and set with the trigger against a wall. Check snap traps DAILY to prevent secondary scavenger pests. Remove the dead rodent (and trap if necessary) by turning a closable plastic bag inside out over your hand, picking up the rodent (and trap) with the bag; and then closing the bag over the rodent. Discard the bagged rodent in a closable trash container. Glue trays do not kill rodents instantly and are considered inhumane.