House and garden pest control
-------------------------------
Integrated approach saves cash and environment
“Keeping the house and garden free of pests this spring can be achieved with environmentally friendly controls and practices while reducing the danger to people and pets,” said Thomas W. Easterly, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. “Integrated pest management will help save money for homeowners, too,” Easterly said.
Integrated pest management approaches the problem of pest control from five principles that many homeowners already use.
Easterly said the integrated pest management system identifies exclusion, sanitation, monitoring, treatment and evaluation. Some cases may require professional help — like nuisance wildlife control operators or pesticide applicators.
Insects, rodents and wildlife such as cockroaches, mice and ants are common issues for people who live in cities, towns and subdivisions all across Indiana. Many people automatically turn toward pesticide use for quick elimination of the pest. But pesticides can be dangerous to children and asthmatics. There are other, more effective long-term treatments for pests through integrated pest management.
Integrated pest management principles and practices
----------------------------------------------------
-Exclusion
Keep pests out by sealing cracks and crevices. Look for little spaces under the doors, windows, and walls, where roaches and mice can sneak into your house or apartment. Mice can fit through spaces as small as a dime, so make sure the spaces are filled with caulking putty and the gaps under the doors are closed off with weather strips. If you can stick your pinky finger in a space, a mouse can fit through.
-Sanitation
Keep homes and buildings clean and free of clutter. Regularly clean areas where the pests could be living, such as kitchens, closets, and dark, damp areas around the house and garages. Wipe up spilled water and keep faucets turned off. Even one drop of water can satisfy a thirsty roach. Other common sources of food are food crumbs left in the bottom of trash cans. Use strong trash bags and clean your trash cans regularly. Even the corrugation on cardboard boxes makes a perfect home and food for roaches and other pests. Use plastic storage containers for food, instead.
-Monitoring
Be aware of whether or not pests are present. Roaches like to hide in dark places like in corners and under heavy things like refrigerators. Food bits can fall into these places and give the roaches both a place to live and food to eat. Food must also be stored where roaches cannot get to it.
-Treatment
Select a treatment method for the particular pest that is least hazardous and most effective. The first three should be enough to make your bug count start dropping, but if more help is needed, bait may be your next step. Baits can also be used in cracks and crevices to get rid of bugs. However, only adults should use chemicals at home. Look for the word CAUTION on pesticides when selecting the least hazardous. Avoid those pesticides labeled with the word DANGER.
-Evaluation
Evaluate how well your treatment has worked and keep records of sanitation and/or chemical intervention.
Some common problem insects and animals that show up in Indiana neighborhoods include Japanese beetles, ants, bees, mice, and roaches. For larger animals, such as geese, raccoons, and opossums, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources encourages people to learn more about animals they may encounter in their neighborhoods and learn how to reduce the conflicts associated with human-animal interaction.
Robert E. Carter, Jr., director of the DNR, said that many problems with wildlife can be solved by changing human behavior. “Sometimes we unwittingly cause problems by providing food, water and habitat for animals that feel welcomed, or at least encouraged to stay,” said Carter, who noted that the agency has no responsibility or budget to remove unwanted animals.
“All living things need food, water and a place to live, whether they’re mega-fauna with fur and big teeth or insects with hard-shelled exoskeletons,” said Carter. “Take away the essentials for living and you may take away the conflict.”
State entomologist Dr. Robert Waltz, who also is Indiana’s state chemist, said that Japanese beetles concern many homeowners with prize rose bushes and fruit trees. But many gardeners do not realize that the best control is manual elimination of the species by shaking limbs and leaves gently while dropping the beetles into a bucket of soapy water. “This method drowns them; it is a lethal control, but this is an exotic and invasive insect that defoliates many varieties of garden plants and nursery stock,” said Waltz.
The DNR’s Carter said that habitat changes in the Hoosier landscape have brought coyotes and foxes closer to where people in younger generations may never have experienced them. Several situations occur in abundance to bring about common problems, Carter said.
Rainy spring weather may send a deer to your neighborhood when the place it normally finds food becomes flooded; your garden has tender plant shoots that taste good.
An abundance of pets kept outside in suburban and rural neighborhoods brings coyotes and raccoons in contact with your pets. As they all compete for the processed animal chow you set out, the wild animals and your animals may fight. “Sadly, if you let your cat roam at night or let your new puppies have the run of the farm lot, you may invite coyotes who see your pets as food,” Carter said. DNR encourages pet owners to only put enough pet food out at specific times during daylight hours to feed their pets what they will eat at one feeding. Pets will soon learn when the food is available and become accustom to the schedule. Any remaining pet food should be removed before dusk.
Carter and the IDEM’s Easterly said that excluding bats and raccoons from the eaves, vents and overhangs of buildings by using wire barriers and repairing holes will keep some animals away. Cleaning up pet waste in the backyard and keeping horse and dog food covered in sealable and lockable containers will reduce odors and food sources that may attract opportunistic animals and insects. Making noise and turning on lights when you detect an animal in the garage, as well as reducing nest areas in barns, will keep some night-moving creatures from feeling welcome. For large, unwanted animals, Carter said, non-lethal wildlife traps may be useful if placed by experienced nuisance wildlife control operators.
State nuisance wildlife control information is coordinated with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Purdue Extension Service and the United States Department of Agriculture.
The Indiana Wildlife Conflicts Information Hotline can provide information on how to live with wildlife, as well as advice on how to manage conflicts with wildlife. Call 800-893-4116 (Indiana) or 765-496-3968 (out-of-state).
Web sites:
Integrated pest management
www.in.gov/idem/your_environment/pests/ipm.html Chemical control
www.entm.purdue.edu/wildlife/CHEMCONTROL.htm Indiana nuisance wildlife professionals
www.entm.purdue.edu/wildlife/NWCO&REHAB.htm Canada goose management
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/hunt/geese/ Agency sources, experts and media contacts:
----------------------------------------------
IDEM:
Karen Teliha; Indiana Department of Environmental Management, 317-233-5555
Steve Polston; PIO, IDEM, 317-232-8512
DNR:
Dr. Robert Waltz; state chemist and state entomologist, 317-232-4189
Marty Benson; PIO, Department of Natural Resources, 317-233-3853
_______________________________________
----------------------
Unsubscribe, change address or change listserv options at:
http://lists.in.gov/mailman/listinfo/wildbulletin ------------------------------------------------------------
Wildbulletin mailing list
Wildbulletin@lists.in.gov
http://lists.in.gov/mailman/listinfo/wildbulletin
