pest control

EARTHTALK®: IS DEET SAFE?

From the Editors of E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Is DEET natural and is it safe to use topically as a mosquito repellent? And which formulations and concentrations are advised?-- M. Frey, Milwaukee, WI

August 1, 2020  -- DEET (short for “diethyltoluamide”) is a synthetic compound invented by the U.S. Army in 1946 that can be applied topically to repel mosquitos, ticks, fleas, chiggers, leeches and other biting insects. Unlike other repellents which actually deter bugs with smells they don’t like—or even kill them on contact—DEET just makes it harder for pests to smell us so they are more likely to leave us alone.


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KEEP OFF SANTA’S NAUGHTY LIST, DON’T PACK A PEST!

 

 

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

December 10, 2018 (San Diego) - It could be mealy bugs in that homemade fruit basket, gypsy moth eggs hidden in the wreath you got from grandma’s house, whiteflies in those hand-picked poinsettias, or a dangerous plant virus in citrus picked from the backyard.


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ECO-FRIENDLY PEST CONTROL IN THE GARDEN

 

 

By Melinda Myers

Photo: Melinda Myers LLC

July 11,2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Spots on tomatoes, holes in hosta leaves and wilting stems mean insects and diseases have moved into the garden. Don’t let these intruders reduce the beauty and productivity of your landscape. Work in concert with nature to prevent and control these pests and you will be rewarded with a bountiful harvest and landscape filled with beautiful blooms.


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READER’S EDITORIAL: THE SQUAWK OVER BACKYARD CHICKENS

 
By Gretchen Anderson
 
June 29, 2012 (El Cajon )--Three cheers to the El Cajon City Council for its recent decision to give backyard hen keeping a try. El Cajon residents spoke and the city listened. The fight to keep backyard chickens began in 2004, when the people of Madison, Wisconsin took on the city for the right to legally keep hens.
 
So what’s the big deal? Why are so many people keen on backyard hen keeping? Aside from the superior eggs, natural pest control and nitrogen rich fertilizer, people keep backyard poultry for three main reasons: economics, property rights and food security.

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