PESTICIDE FREE PEST CONTROL

GREEN TIP
Brought to you by the MdTL Green Committee
Did you know that MdTL uses a pesticide-free pest control service? Here’s why…
* Ecologically minded pest control services employ a pest control strategy with minimal environmental impact.
Green pest control companies eliminate unnecessary pesticide use by focusing first on preventative and non-toxic strategies. The mission of such companies such is to successfully deal with pest issues while minimizing impact on humans and the environment. Thus they use no yard spraying, no organophosphates, no carbamates, no rodenticides (rodent poisons), no aerosol, and no harmful volatile solvents. MdTL uses a pest service called Bio-Pest, which complies with these standards.
* Sprays and poisons used in conventional pest control can be extremely harmful to the environment.
According to the EPA, American households use 80 million pounds of home and garden pesticides each year! These conventional chemicals can result in the unintentional demise of beneficial wildlife and insects, not just the intended pest target. Further environmental impact is caused by additional chemicals present in the formulation of the pesticide and by poisons packaged in aerosol cans. Rodenticides can cause accidental poisoning of children and/or pets. Ironically, the pest control technique can be more harmful than the original pest problem!
* Many preventative and non-chemical measures are successful in dealing with pest issues.
Prevention includes carefully sealing any possible pest entrance points in the structure, trimming trees away from the structure, encouraging good sanitation, and then regularly monitoring the site for signs of pest activity. Mechanical controls include trapping pests with a variety of methods (extra care should be taken when using bait-based pest control around small children and pets). Biological measures include tools such as synthetic pheromones, microscopic parasites, and predacious insects.
* There are non- or less-toxic chemicals and treatment strategies in situations where preventative measures have proven unsuccessful.
Herbal and plant sourced solutions are becoming increasingly available due to the current demand for green pest control. Some natural pest control products include clove oil, catnip, hedge apple, garlic, and bay leaves. Diatomaceous earth is also useful, as it is deadly to many pests but relatively harmless to humans. When more stringent measures are required, low-toxicity sprays and pesticides, and non-volatile baits, can be used in place of the more dangerous conventional pesticides. Furthermore, it is safer and actually more effective to spot-treat critical areas (such as access points) instead of broadcast spraying.