Safe non-toxic insect control
Jennifer Taggart, a mom of two and an environmental lawyer, has written a new book I like called: "The Smart Mama's Green Guide: Simple Steps To Reduce Your Child's Toxic Chemical Exposure." It has a lot of tips on dealing with pesky summer pests, without exposing the family to toxic chemicals. Here's some:
* For ants, try sprinkling red chili powder, paprika, dried peppermint, peppermint essential oil, or Borax (Borax may be harmful to humans when ingested, so don't do this where your baby can get it) where the ants are entering.
* For fleas, try feeding your pet brewer's yeast in powder mixed with food or by tablets.
* For both ants and fleas, spray a mixture of 4 ounces of natural soap in 1 gallon of water. You can also sprinkle powdered soap around your home's foundation to keep ants out.
* For weeds, boil 1/ 2 gallon of water. Add 1/ 2 cup of salt and 1/ 2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Pour directly on weeds in the driveway, pathway, sidewalks, etc., while still hot.
* Soap makes a great all-purpose pesticide. It kills pests by dehydrating them. Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons liquid soap with 1 gallon of water. Spray infested plants. Don't add more soap than 2 tablespoons because it will dry out the leaves.
* Two tablespoons of liquid peppermint castile soap added to 1 gallon water is a mixture to spray where you have infestations. Do not rinse. Flies, ants, fleas, and mice avoid peppermint.
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It is unfortunate and dangerous that some who oppose the use of "chemicals" will equate "natural" with "safe". Informed toxicologists understand that ALL natural chemicals also are toxic, some highly so, and that living organisms cannot differentiate between natural and synthetic chemicals. It is their toxicity, not their origin, that distinguishes their hazard. In the Red Chili Pepper recommended in the article the active ingredient is Capsaicin. The acute toxicity of this substance is equivalent to synthetic pesticides that are required to have "DANGER - POISON" on their labels and are in the highest Category of toxicity.
Hi Carol, Just missed your chat and wanted to ask the following...I've got a small azalea with curled leaves, lots of dead branches, die back, some leaves turning brown. It's on northern side of house, not much sun and probably planted a little deep in the ground, so maybe not good drainage. I moved it to eastern side next to thriving azalea, installed not so deep in ground. I've also fertilized it with miracid and chelated iron. leaves are still curling, looking wilted. any ideas? thanks
To SJ: I think you should give it a proper burial, buy a new one and start over again!
Agreed, people blindly assume that "natural" means "safe". Many of the "natural" pest products are actually MORE hazardous because the toxic active ingredients have to be used in much, much higher concentrations then todays synthetic pyrethroids. Another thing people don't know, is that these pyrethroids, are just synthetic compounds of NATURAL compound structures. Pyrethrum, comes from african chrysanthemums, pyrethrin is the synthetic version which can be used in extremely lower concentrations, has more stable properties (meaning it will do its job longer in more environments) and more often then not, lacks the STRONG odors associated with natural pest solutions. That peppermint oil, in its concentrated form, is just as irritating as mace. More people need to get past the word "chemical" and understand, nearly everything around us IS a chemical. Water, is a chemical, its 2 parts oxygen and 1 part hydrogen...still a chemical. Salt, is a very dangerous chemical that can be lethal in much lower rates then just about any pesticide CONCENTRATE on the market....and pesticides are applied at diluted rates.
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