Integrated Pest Management

B.C. Pest Monitor — Former Newsletter of IPM in British Columbia

Vol. 7 No. 1

IPM for Home and Garden Pests

Linda A. Gilkeson, Ph.D., IPM Coordinator
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks

IPM for Home and Garden Pests

"An An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is the first principle of managing pests. It applies from the smallest garden to the largest commercial farm and is the cornerstone of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach.

An IPM program also involves a decision making process that includes identification, monitoring, action decisions, treatment and evaluation steps. Although an ideal IPM program starts with prevention, most people don´t start thinking about pest management until they need to solve an immediate pest problem. Therefore, the following review of an IPM approach as it applies to homes and gardens starts with the process of dealing with pest problems, then describes ways to prevent pests from becoming a problem in the future.

FIRST, it is essential to identify the problem correctly. It may not be a pest problem! In landscapes and gardens, damage to plants is most likely to be caused by poor conditions, such as drought, nutrient deficiency, sunscald, frost, salt or wind burn, dog urine, mechanical damage, etc. If it is a pest problem, identifying it will make it possible to look up information about the pest´s life cycles and any conditions that favour it. Correct identification of suspicious looking insects caught on damaged plants is essential because they often turn out to be beneficial species that were actually attacking the pests.
Get help identifying pests from:

• experts, such as Master Gardeners, who hold clinics at local nurseries
• garden information lines, such as VanDusen Gardens (604-257-8662) and UBC (604-822-5858)
• reference books
• resources on the internet
  

SECOND, watch the problem for a few days (or weeks), checking to see whether it is getting better or worse. It is a good idea to make some written notes or sketches. Since people often notice plant damage after the pests have left, a little time spent on monitoring a problem can pay off by showing whether or not treatments are still needed. Regularly checking plants helps find problems early, shows you the extent of the problem, and may give you clues about conditions that seem to be contributing to the pest problem (like particular plants or locations that are most affected).

More complex monitoring methods, using sampling tools such as insect traps, are available for commercial and hobby farms. For most gardeners, however, the most practical monitoring method is taking a good close look-often-and keeping notes.

THIRD, decide whether the damage has reached a point that it is really a problem. Without realizing it, people tolerate a certain amount of pest damage because they don´t notice it. Damage could be to fruit or vegetable crops or to the appearance of landscape plants or lawns. How serious the damage is depends on what part of a plant is affected. For example, holes in apple leaves would be of much less concern than holes chewed in fruit.

A key idea in IPM is that treatments are not automatically required just because it is "that" time of year or because low numbers of a "pest" species are found. A close look at landscapes and gardens will always turn up a few plant-eating insects, weeds, even signs of disease, but this is rarely a cause for concern. In fact, allowing low numbers of pest insects is a good idea because they provide food for predatory insects and birds, which keeps them around the yard. By checking regularly, you can track the pest situation and decide whether the damage is reaching a point that requires action.

FOURTH, take action if the pests reach numbers that cause unacceptable damage. These controls may be used alone or in combinations for greater effect:

Physical controls include mulches to smother weeds, yellow sticky traps to control whiteflies-as well as hoeing or hand pulling to control weeds. Extreme temperatures are also physical controls; for example freezing dry food products kills stored products pests, while boiling water kills weeds growing in pavement cracks.

Mechanical controls involve machines or equipment to control pests, such as using vacuum cleaners, light traps and cultivation equipment.

Biological controls are natural enemies of pests. Many are beneficial insects, but they can also be birds, snakes (good to have on slug patrol), even beneficial soil fungi and bacteria found in healthy soils. To take advantage of biological controls, home gardeners can:

• Protect native beneficial species by using pesticides as little as possible. If pesticides are needed, choose the least toxic products (i.e., insecticidal soap) and treat only those plants or areas that are infested.
• Attract native beneficial insects by growing plants that provide pollen and nectar, which are needed by many female beneficial insects. Once the females are attracted to the garden, they are likely to stay and lay eggs, which hatch into hungry larvae that prey on the pests.
• Release beneficial species, including species of insects, mites and nematodes reared for sale by commercial suppliers. Most species are used in commercial greenhouses, but many are also effective in hobby greenhouses. Only a few, however, are recommended for use outdoors and such as the aphid midge (Aphidoletes aphidimyza), predatory mites for spider mite control or insect parasitic nematodes for control of root weevils. Before buying, check with the supplier to make sure the controls are going to work where you intend.
  

Chemical Controls (most pesticides) can provide short-term control, but rarely a long-lasting solution to pest problems. Storage, handling, and disposal of the more toxic pesticides is also a safety issue around homes (see sidebar for disposal information).

To reduce risks from pesticides:

• choose the least toxic or non-toxic products,
• choose products that are ready to use, rather than concentrates which must be mixed,
• use spot sprays, wipe-on applicators, bait stations, to limit pesticides to target areas,
• treat only plants or sites where your inspections showed that pests are a problem, and
• keep children and pets away from treated areas and notify others who might enter a treated area so they can avoid exposure to pesticides.
  

FIFTH, review results and continue checking on the pest situation after treatment, keeping notes (be sure to record any pesticides used and the dates). At the end of the season, go over what worked and what didn´t. Were you happy with results? If you applied controls, did they work? Were the treatments necessary? Look at ways to improve results and make plans for preventing problems next year.

The Real Beginning: Prevention

Here is where a good pest management program starts. Preventative methods are often enough to keep pest populations comfortably below damaging levels in homes and garden. To prevent future problems:

Plant pest resistant plants, which may be naturally hardy and pest-free, such as many native plants, or may be cultivars that have been bred for resistance. For example:

• rose cultivars resistant to black spot and powdery mildew,
• grapes, squash and cucumbers resistant to powdery mildew,
• rhododendrons resistant to black vine weevil.
  

Use cultural practices, which make a big difference in how well plants grow, their susceptibility to diseases and how quickly they recover from pest damage. For example:

• select plants that are adapted to the conditions where they are to grow (soil type and drainage, shade or sun, exposure to wind or salt spray, etc.),
• use proper watering, fertilizing and other cultural practices.

Install barriers to keep pests away from plants; these take time to install, but once in place, work all season. For example:

• slide tar paper squares around the base of cabbage plants to prevent cabbage root fly from laying eggs,
• cover carrot beds with floating row covers (e.g., Remay) to stop carrot rust fly,
• install sticky bands on tree trunks in October to catch winter moths.

Practice sanitation to remove food sources and eliminate nesting and over-wintering sites. For example:

• clean up spilled food in cupboards to remove food for stored products pests,
• keep garbage tightly covered to discourage ants and rodents,
• check new plants (before buying) to make sure they do not harbour pests,
• pick up and destroy early dropped fruits, which are often infested by insects.

Change the environment, meaning remove or alter features that give pests an advantage. For example:

• aerate lawns to improve drainage, which deters moss and some kind of weeds,
• dry out or repair structural wood that has become damp to prevent infestations of carpenter ants or dampwood termites,
• compost kitchen and garden wastes in rodent-proof bins.

For more detailed information on how to use IPM methods to manage common garden and landscape pests, see the new Integrated Pest Management Manual For Home and Garden Pests in British Columbia.

Gardeners Alert!

Some pest management products sound good, but may not be appropriate for a home garden or may not work as advertised. Here are three to watch out for:

Pheromone Traps: Pheromone attractant traps for pests, such as codling moth and cabbage looper, are being sold in individual packages for home gardeners. Although the package labels say "proven, effective" control, this is dubious because they only attract the male moths. Since it is the females that lay eggs, a trap or two in a home garden would not be likely to have an effect on a moth population. Such traps are useful in agriculture as a monitoring tool, to find out whether there are enough moths in the area to justify treatment.

Ultrasound Repellers: These are not legal to be sold in Canada for insect control, because they do not work on insects. Periodically, however, a mail order source or local supplier springs up to sell these devices to the unwary. There is evidence that rats and mice do hear ultra-sound and are initially repelled by it, therefore the devices are registered for rodent control. However, research has also shown that rodents can get used to the sound and are likely to return, especially if there is a food supply available. Using repellers for insects, such as fleas, cockroaches, mosquitoes or flies does not work because studies have found that these insects cannot hear ultrasound.

Praying Mantid Egg Cases: Adult mantids are large insects, capable of eating many insects. Egg cases are sold in stores, but they are rarely still alive when they are taken home. If the eggs do hatch, the tiny mantids often die immediately if sufficient prey is not immediately available. Those that survive, eat anything, including many beneficial insects. Although a fascinating pet to keep in a terrarium, these mantids are not native to BC and are not recommended for release outdoors.

New Products

Improved Insect Traps
Cooper Mill Ltd., a supplier of a wide range of insect monitoring traps, pheromones and other equipment has added some interesting new traps to their catalogue:

"Dry Touch" Sticky Traps
These traps have a new type of glue formulation that is sticky enough to catch insects, but does not stick to fingers-making handling much easier. Available on rectangular yellow or blue traps sticky cards as well as in ribbons, tapes and tubes for large scale mass-trapping in and around fields.

`2000´ Roach Monitoring System
A re-designed cockroach trapping system designed to maximize the attraction to cockroaches (e.g., dark interior, attractant lure inside) and simplify handling for the pest manager and reduce costs.

For more information:
Cooper Mill Ltd.
RR#3 Madoc, ON K0K 2K0
Tel: 613-473-4847
Fax: 613-473-5080
Web: www.coopermill.com/

Infra-Red Weeder
A Lower Mainland company is now importing and distributing the Dutch line of infra-red weeding equipment. These weeders look like large lawn mowers and use liquid gas to generate intense, infra-red heat. The heat is radiated under a thermal apron to reach and destroys plant cells. The application is for use on paved or bricked areas, along pathways in gardens, strips on playing field, etc. instead of herbicides.

For more information:
Forevergreen Chemical Free Weed Control
19974 - 12th Avenue
Langley, BC V2Z 1W3
Phone: 604-534-9326
Fax: 604-530-7129
Cell: 604-290-1681
E-mail: info@chemfree-weedcontrol.com


Hand-held Hot Water Weeder
The Waipuna company of New Zealand has developed a hand-held version of their weeding equipment that kills weeds by applying scalding water and steam. The unit is a lightweight, electrically powered nozzle device that connects to the garden hose. Product marketing in North America is scheduled to begin in 1999. To keep up on the suppliers and availability of this product, see the Waipuna Company website.

Publications

Integrated Pest Management Manual For Home and Garden Pests in British Columbia.
1999. R. W. Adams and L. A. Gilkeson

This new manual from BC Environment was prepared for use in certification training for domestic pesticide dispensers (people who sell pesticides to the home and garden sector). It is also intended to serve as an IPM handbook for home gardeners. It contains information on how to manage 30 of the most common insect, weed, plant disease and animal pests, using preventative and least-toxic methods. More than 30 domestic pesticides are also described; to help customers choose the least-toxic products, the low risk, "preferred", pesticides are singled out from higher risk products. The manual also includes chapters on pesticide storage, safety and handling precautions, environmental protection and emergency response. 190 pp

The Butterflies of Canada
1998. Ross A. Layberry, Peter W. Hall and J. Donald Lafontaine

This is an outstanding resource book for butterfly lovers across the country, with entries for every species and subspecies of butterfly recorded in Canada. Each entry has a map showing all of the location records and describing the biology of the species. The large section of colour plates contains photographs of both males and females of every species as well as many subspecies or local variants. 354 pages; 296 maps.

Available from:
University of Toronto Press
Tel: 1-800-221-9985
or
NRC Research Press
Tel: 613-993-0151
Fax: 613-952-7656
On-line ordering: http://www.nrc.ca/cisti/journals

Hardcover ISBN 0-8020-0898-4 $100.00
Softcover ISBN 0-8020-7881-8 $29.95

Plant Health Care for Woody Ornamentals: A Professional's Guide to Preventing and Managing Environmental Stresses and Pests
1997. International Society of Arboriculture

This comprehensive guide contains the latest methods for keeping trees and other woody plants healthy. The text covers everything from basic woody plant biology, to selecting stock, planting and maintenance of plants, preventing disorders and managing infectious diseases, insects, mites, vertebrates and weeds. 223 pages. Softcover; colour photos. Publication # C1340

Available from:
ACES Information Technology and Communication Services
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1401F S. Maryland Drive,
Urbana, IL 61801

Cost: US $45.00 plus shipping
($4.00 for1 copy)

Pacific Northwest Landscape IPM Manual
1998. V. Bobbitt, A. Antonelli, C. Foss, R. Davidson, R. Byther & R. Maleike

Washington State University Cooperative Extension has produced this handy manual covering 19 groups of common landscape plants (such as maple, ornamental Prunus, rhododendron, rose, spruce), their cultural requirements, common pest and disease problems. The life cycles of pests, how to diagnose problems, the range of pest management options and non-chemical controls are well described.

Available from:
WSU-Puyallup Diagnostic Laboratory
7612 Pioneer Way E.,
Puyallup, WA 98371-4998

Cost: US $15.00
(make cheques/money orders payable to "WSU-Puyallup Diagnostic Laboratory")

Nature Wars: People vs Pests
1997. Mark L. Winston

This is an enlightening and balanced review of alternative insect management practices and the efforts to reduce pesticide use in managing pests. It is also about the mindset that sees human engaged in a war against pests, rather than using biological and ecological principles to reach a reasonable balance. Each chapter is a case history, showing the complex political, biological, economic, social and personal interactions behind pest management decisions. Dr. Winston is a professor of entomology at Simon Fraser University, and many of the case studies are British Columbia examples, such as the Sterile Insect Release program for codling moth and gypsy moth treatment programs.

Harvard University Press
Hardcover. 210 pgs.
ISBN 0-674-60541-1
Available at local bookstores
Cost: $34.95

The Canadian Housing Information Centre has published two excellent new publications on controlling cockroaches using an IPM approach:

Farewell to Cockroaches: Getting Rid of Cockroaches the Least Toxic Way
1998. Free

This free consumers guide is packed with specific information (and humourous illustrations) on how to prevent roach infestations, what least-toxic controls are available and how to use them and includes a valuable section on tenants´ rights and responsibilities. 25 pp.

Curbing Cockroaches the Least Toxic Way: A Practical Guide for the Control of Cockroaches in Houses and Apartment Buildings
1998. L. Pim and M. Campbell
Cost: $12.95

This is a detailed, step-by-step resource manual intended for anyone who needs to understand and teach others how homes and apartment buildings become infested with cockroaches, why pesticide spraying alone is not an effective remedy, and why the best solution - IPM - is the least toxic one. It provides the information community health workers, pest management professionals, landlords, tenants and homeowners need to educate themselves and others about cockroach control. It gives hands-on, practical information on how to actually carry out a successful IPM program against cockroaches. 75 pp.

Both documents are available in English and French.

Available from:
Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Tel: 1-800-668-2642
(outside of Canada call 1-613-748-2003)
Fax: 613-748-4069

Wood Treatment Questions

Here are a couple of common questions gardeners ask about using wood treated with preservative chemicals around food plants.

Are recycled railway ties safe to use for edging beds?
Any creosote that can leach out has probably already done so over the 15-25 years the ties spent on the railroad. Ties that have been cut up or sawn in half, however, would release creosote into the soil and are not recommended for garden beds. Laying heavy plastic on the inner side of the ties before filling with soil is often suggested, but it is not known how well this works. The moisture trapped against the wood by the plastic may increase the leaching rate of the creosote to the soil below the plastic, which would still contaminate the root zone. That said, the compounds in creosote are not very soluble in water and have low potential for accumulating in plants. By growing food plants well in from the edge of the used ties, it is likely that little, if any, creosote would be taken up by vegetables.

Which wood treatment chemicals are recommended for wood used in landscaping?
Pre-treated wood has had a chemical, such as chromated copper arsenate (CCA), forced into the wood under pressure. This is the only method that truly protects wood. If done properly, the chemical is unlikely to leach significantly into the surrounding soil. Painted-on wood treatments, whether of creosote or other, less toxic chemicals, do not go deep enough into the wood to give worthwhile protection from rotting in contact with soil. Also, chemicals painted on the wood surface are easily leached away into the surrounding soil.

What is the safest recommendation? Use untreated wood for vegetable beds and replace it as required or use other materials (such as recycled plastic edging, bricks, concrete blocks or stone). Only heartwood western red cedar and redwood are truly rot resistant, however, reject cedar 2 x 6 boards are sometimes available at lumber yards at a reduced price. They usually last 7-10 years under coastal conditions.

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Back Issues Available

Copies of back issues of BC Pest Monitor are still available:

May 1992 Vol. 1 (1):

• Integrated Pest Management in B.C.
• IPM in Vancouver Parks
• District of Coquitlam´s Vegetation Management Plan
  

Nov. 1992 Vol. 1(2):

• Using Sheep for Vegetation Management in B.C.
• CP Rail System Vegetation Steam Car
  

May 1993 Vol. 2 (1):

• Developing IPM on Pears in B.C.
• Apple Pest Management in B.C.
  

Nov. 1993 Vol. 2(2):

• Tree and Ornamental Disease Control in the City of Victoria
• Turf Disease Control Through Integrated Turf Management
• Pest Management Plans in B.C.
  

May. 1994 Vol. 3(1):

• IPM for Structural Pests
• IPM for Cockroaches
  

Nov. 1994 Vol. 3(2):

• IPM Programs in B.C. Cranberries
• IPM in B.C. Blueberries

June 1995 Vol. 4 (1):

• Garry Oak Pest Update
• Biological Control of Aphids in Vancouver
• Ladybugs
• IPM in BC Agriculture
  

Dec. 1995 Vol. 4(2):

• Preventing Deer Damage
• Living with Racoons
• Bats
  

June 1996 Vol. 5(1):

• Ecological Vegetation Management
• Treatment Threshold for Landscape Pests
  

Jan. 1998 Vol. 6(1):

• New Ways to Manage European Wireworms
• Survey of 1995 Pesticide Use in BC
  

IPM e-link Opens for Business

To improve ways of getting IPM information out to the maximum number of people, while meeting budget constraints, BC Environment has opened an IPM e-mail list service. "IPM-e-Link" will be used to notify subscribers when and where to find ministry IPM information files, on-line documents and new issues of BC Pest Monitor. It will act as a rapid message system to inform subscribers about developments in pesticide management and IPM in the province. The list moderator will also use the service to spread information about other IPM resources and references available on the internet or through other media.

To subscribe to this mailing list, send an e-mail message addressed to:
majordomo@majordomo.env.gov.bc.ca
In the content line of the message, type: subscribe ipmelink-l

You can unsubscribe anytime by sending a message to the same address, and in the content line of the message, type: unsubscribe ipmelink-l

Note: The mailing list name ends with -l (an L) and not -1 (one).