Putting pesky pests in their place

    Got a lot of pests bugging your home, garden, and lawn? Time to zap ‘em with bug spray or weed-killer, right? But wait — before reaching for that spray or bag of weed killer, consider a few things.
    Many lawn, garden and pet care products, and even some household disinfectants, contain pesticides that can pose health risks to people, pets and the environment. In fact, sometimes the cure can be worse than the problem.
    So, before doing any pest control ask yourself some basic questions. For instance, “are those bugs in my garden really pests?” Only about 2 percent of insect species are pests — the rest are beneficial or at least not harmful.
    Or, “can I pull out those few weeds by hand, or raise the mower cutting height to help the grass out-compete the weeds, rather than applying weed killer?”
    Indoors, ask why and how the pests are getting in. Question whether you can vacuum or swat them instead of spritzing with poison.
    These questions characterize a sensible approach, called Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that will keep pests at bay while minimizing pesticide risks. Here’s what you can do in your own home and garden:
• Identify the pest. Send a sample to the University of Maine Pest Management Office (1-800-287-0279 or www.umext.maine.edu/topics/pest.htm). Or ask your librarian for some books for do-it-yourself pest identification.
• Observe the pest and its damage. Is it ravaging your garden and getting worse every day? Or does the pest problem seem to be going away on its own? It usually pays to monitor the problem for a day or more before spending time and money applying a pesticide.
• Learn what treatment actions are effective and decide which are best for you. Cooperative Extension and your library are good sources of information. Often a home remedy, such as spraying a diluted dish-soap mixture to combat whiteflies or aphids, is quite effective. And don’t rule out the option of no action. Consider whether a picture-perfect lawn is worth the potentially harmful exposure to toxic chemicals.
• If you opt to use a pesticide, read and follow the label. At a minimum, wear rubber gloves and wash your hands with soap and water when finished. Check your storage area often for outdated or unneeded chemicals and leaking containers. Contact the Maine Board of Pesticides Control (287-2731 or www.maine.gov/agriculture/pesticides) with any pesticide questions.
• Prevent pest problems. For instance, keep the kitchen cupboards clean and food sealed in pest-proof containers. Or replace a sick shrub with a disease-resistant variety.
• Continue to watch for pest activity throughout the year to determine the effectiveness of your pest management efforts and to watch for new pests.
    By using IPM you can reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides. What’s more, you’ll come to know and appreciate your own home and garden ecosystem better while helping to keep the earth’s ecosystem in balance.
    This column was submitted by Kathy Murray, IPM entomologist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Resources. In Our Back Yard is a weekly column of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). E-mail your environmental questions to infodep@state.me.us or send them to In Our Back Yard, Maine DEP, 17 State House Station, Augusta, ME.