Physical Controls
First, try to eliminate harmful pest from your home and garden by using physical controls such as handpicking slugs and snails from plants or placing physical
barriers such as sticky tape or copper tape around sensitive plants. Prevent pests from entering your home by sealing cracks and holes with caulk and
weather stripping. You may also try insect traps.
Biological Controls
Many creatures such as dragonflies, ladybugs, lacewings, and syrphid flies are beneficial to your garden and are natural predators of harmful insects. One of
the most important steps in a good IPM program is to select plants that attract beneficial insects such as Chrysanthemum, Rosemary, Calif. Lilac,
Sunflower, and Tidy-tips. Beneficial insects may also be purchased at your local nursery store.
“Less toxic” Chemical Controls
If the use of physical and biological controls do not alleviate your pest problems try one of the “less toxic” pest control products available at your local
garden supply store such as insect baits, insect growth regulators, or insecticidal soaps.
Dispose of Unused or Unwanted Pesticides Properly
Unused pesticides must be disposed of at your local household hazardous waste collection facility. Never pour any product container pesticides into the street, gutter, storm drain or a
sanitary sewer drain.
For more information on how to control pests the less toxic way,
visit www.watershedwatch.net/index_IPM.htm.
Many commonly purchased and applied pesticides can be harmful to both people and the environment. You may think that
farmers are primarily responsible for pollution resulting from pesticide use. The fact is, over 50% of the pesticides causing water pollution problems are used in urban areas. When it rains,
water flows over lawns, gardens, and sidewalks, picking up pesticide residues along the way. Eventually this water flows to the Bay untreated. The most significant step we can take to protect
our creeks and bay from the harmful effects of pesticides is to decrease the volume in which they are used.