The Telling Signs of Pesticides

Yesterday I enjoyed a leisurely walk in Montpelier-breathing the summer evening air and trying to identify the lily varieties in everyone's gardens. On this walk, I spotted a six-inch square sign on a lawn that read, "Caution pesticide application; keep off until dry." Moments later, I saw the sign on another lawn, and another, and another. In fact, I've seen so many around town, I would classify this as a lawn ornament craze.

Despite overwhelming evidence that most lawn care chemicals we use are possible or probable carcinogens, over 85% of houses have an average of three pesticides in use.

Pesticides pose a huge risk to human health because they are designed to kill living things. The chemicals in weed killers and bug sprays attack human organs the way they attack bugs. They can poison instantly, and can damage nerve systems over time. One-third of pesticides on the market are known to cause cancer in rodents. Many studies have shown strong links between pesticide exposure and acute leukemia in children, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in farmers, and breast cancer in women.

The greater the exposure to a chemical, the greater the risk. Most people are repeatedly exposed to pesticides because they are used in public buildings and parks, on food, at home, and on our neighbor's lawns. These common chemicals accumulate as we are exposed, and show up in samples of our blood, breast milk, urine and fat tissue.

Some people are putting up warning signs after they spray with pesticides, which shows increasing awareness of the dangers. But why use something that you know is harmful to your family's and neighbor's health? If you think there is no other way to manage your lawn and garden pests, read on.

First, consider pests when planning your garden and landscaping. Choose plants that are not prone to damage, and are adapted to the weather conditions and soil type that you have (buying local seeds is a good way to start). Plant a few extra seedlings than you need, so you are willing to share a few with insects. Weed and mulch your garden early, to keep the weed population down.

Throughout the summer, prevent pests in your gardens by:

• Keeping your soil fertile, so your plants can be strong and healthy;
• Watering in the early morning, to keep wet foliage from developing fungal diseases;
• Removing any diseased plant material; and
• Grouping different plants together to fool pests. For instance, inter-planting onions with broccoli helps keep cabbage worms away. Many aromatic herbs also help deter pests from flower and vegetable gardens.

Try these other strategies in your garden:

• Rotate your crops regularly so the same pests are not attracted to the same spot season after season.
• Turn your soil in the fall instead of the spring.
• Dig up weeds with your hands.
• Use row covers in your garden during the pest season.
• Stick toilet paper rolls around seedlings, and similar paper shields around larger plants to keep cutworms out.

Other non-chemical strategies for pest prevention in your yard:

• Mow your grass regularly, but no shorter than 2.5 inches.
• Maintain good water drainage, so you don't have pools of water where some pests like to breed.
• Get a bird feeder to encourage birds to visit your yard; they eat a lot of pesky insects.

If you find that you still have pests in your lawn or garden, decide on the level of damage you can tolerate. Do a few nibbles of a broccoli leaf require any real attention? If you can't tolerate any more damage than that, take a minute to identify the pest and learn about it. The more you know about its habits, likes and dislikes, the easier it will be to safely get rid of it and keep it away.

After taking all these precautions, if you decide that a treatment is necessary, try a less-toxic product like a soap mixture. You can make your own by mixing one teaspoon of liquid soap in 1 gallon of water, or put used dishwater in a sprayer. Try adding crushed garlic or hot peppers to the spray. Always test on a small area of the plant before you apply to make sure you won't hurt the plant.

Another option is to use a commercially produced less-toxic pest treatment. Most stores that sell pesticides also have a selection of safer products. Read the labels carefully to decide what is best for you, and buy the product in small quantities. If you hire a professional to do the job, find someone that uses the least-toxic chemicals possible.

In the mean time, take any unused pesticides to a CVSWMD household hazardous waste collection; pesticides are accepted for free. Check our website: www.cvswmd.org, or call the District at 229-9383 to find out when and where the next HHW collection is. Then take those caution signs off your lawn and bring back the pink flamingos!

Sources:

"Toxic by Design" & "Garden Insect Pests," Washington Toxics Coalition www.watoxics.org.

"The Vermont Homeowner's Guide to Integrated Pest Management," VT Department of Agriculture, Food and Markets.

Appel, Adrianne. "What you need to know about Pesticides," Natural Health Magazine: June 2001.

"Cancer and the Environment" & "Polymer Clays and Phthalates," Vermont Public Interest Research Group.