This webinar will cover common insect pests in homes and gardens and how to control them.
Registration: Zoom registration required
Cost: Free
Search Results for: pests
Less-Toxic Gardening
Are pests bugging you? If pests are taking over there might be a good reason! Integrated Pest Management (IPM) offers effective techniques and less-toxic products for controlling common pests. IPM is a method of controlling indoor and outdoor pests using the least toxic methods available through a combination of mechanical, biological and chemical controls.
Check our Pest Control Fact Sheets for solutions to your pest problems. Most local hardware stores and nurseries carry less-toxic products. Click here for a printable list of participating stores, and Less-Toxic Product List for a list of less toxic pest control products.
When all else fails, Ask the Gardening Expert!
If you are thinking about hiring someone to maintain your lawn and garden, check out the Santa Clara Valley Green Gardener page. These landscape professionals have been trained on sustainable landscape practices and will maintain your garden without the use of toxic chemicals.
Hiring an IPM Certified pest control company:
When hiring a professional pest control service, consider hiring an IPM Certified pest control company. IPM Certified practitioners employ a variety of common sense techniques to control pests effectively, minimizing the need to use pesticides. They can manage ants, roaches, flies, spiders, rodents, stinging insects, bed bugs and many other pests.
CLICK HERE for more information.
Hiring a Pest Control Company
When hiring a professional pest control service, consider hiring an IPM Certified pest control company. IPM Certified practitioners employ a variety of common sense techniques to control pests effectively, minimizing the need to use pesticides. They can manage ants, roaches, flies, spiders, rodents, stinging insects, bed bugs and many other pests.
Currently, three programs certify pest control professionals as “IPM Certified.” Visit the links below to find IPM-certified pest control companies in your city:
For Gardeners
For more information about specific pests and how to control them using less-toxic methods and products, check out the fact sheets below.
For more information about specific pests and how to control them using less-toxic methods and products, check out the fact sheets below.Download the Adobe Acrobat reader. Download the Adobe Acrobat Access Plug-in for vision impaired users.
Specific Pests
Chuột Cống và Chuột Nhắt (Vietnamese)
General Assistance
Cómo Encontrar Una Compañía (Español)
Pesticides and Water Pollution
Los Pesticidas y la Contaminación del Agua (Español)
Uso y Desecho de Pesticidas (Español)
Sử Dụng Và Tiêu Hủy (Vietnamese)
Pocket Guide for Choosing Less-Toxic Products
Ten Tips for Water-Wise Gardening
10 Most Wanted Bugs (Vietnamese)
A Good Bug Tub for Your Garden
Watershed-Friendly Landscape Design
Green Streets – an overview of watershed-friendly techniques for your yard and garden
Landscape Dispersion Fact Sheet
As part of a program called “Our Water Our World“, local Government Agencies have been partnering with retail stores to make less toxic products more available to consumers. To find a store in your area, click here.
Download the Adobe Acrobat reader. Download the Adobe Acrobat Access Plug-in for vision impaired users.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a method of controlling indoor and outdoor pests using the least toxic methods available through a combination of controls including mechanical, biological and chemical.
Are You Giving the Bugs a Great Place to Live?
Outside:
- A moist, cool, protected environment. Bugs love ivy, standing water, and woodpiles.
- Animal waste, rotting fruit, and debris provide the perfect breeding ground for bugs.
Inside:
- Easy access into your house
- Easy access to food and water
Plan your IPM battle strategy in this order:
1st – Physical Controls
- Hand picking
- Cleanliness
- Barriers
- Caulking holes
- Vacuuming
- Traps
2nd – Biological Controls
- Predatory insects (for example, use ladybugs to eat aphids and parasitic insects)
- Bacterial insecticides (for example, use Bacillus thuringiensis, or B.t., to kill caterpillars)
- Birds, toads and spiders
3rd – Chemical Controls – Your Last Resort
- Dehydrating dusts (for example, diatomaceous earth)
- Insecticidal soaps
- Boric acid powder
- Horticultural oils
- Insect Growth Regulators, or IGRs – these interrupt the reproductive cycle of insects without affecting their enemies
- Baits
Check out our Fact Sheets to find IPM techniques that work!
Local Hardware Stores & Nurseries that carry less-toxic pest management products
Stores listed on this site have agreed to provide Fact Sheets and Shelf Talkers to make it easy for you to choose a non-toxic product. Products may vary from store to store. For your convenience, less-toxic products are identified with Shelf Talkers. These are little signs placed in front of a product to help you identify those that are non-toxic or less-toxic than their conventional counterparts. The product name will be listed in the white space.
Click Here for a printable PDF Store List. | Vietnamese PDF
Red = Summer Winds Nursery Stores
Yellow = Home Depot Stores
Green = Independent Nursery/Hardware Stores
Teal = ACE Hardware Stores
CAMPBELL
- Summer Winds Nursery, 2460 Winchester Blvd.
- Home Depot, 480 E. Hamilton Ave.
CUPERTINO
- Summer Winds Nursery, 1491 S. De Anza Blvd.
- Yamagami’s Nursery, 1361 S. De Anza Blvd.
GILROY
- 8850 San Ysidro Ave.
LOS ALTOS
- Los Altos True Value, 441 First St.
LOS GATOS
- ACE Los Gatos Hardware, 15300 Los Gatos Blvd.
MILPITAS
- Home Depot, 1177 Great Mall Drive
MORGAN HILL
- Ace Hardware, 600 Tennant Ave.
MOUNTAIN VIEW
- Blossom True Value Hardware, 1297 W. El Camino Real
PALO ALTO
- California Avenue Hardware, 251 California Avenue
- Palo Alto Hardware, 875 Alma Street
- Summer Winds Nursery, 725 San Antonio Rd.
SANTA CLARA
- Home Depot, 2435 Lafayette St.
SAN JOSE
- Almaden Valley Nursery, 15800 Almaden Expressway
- Home Depot, 2855 Story Rd.
- Home Depot, 635 W Capitol Expressway
- Home Depot, 1855 Hillsdale Ave.
- Home Depot, 975 De Anza Blvd.
- Home Depot, 2181 Monterey Rd.
- Payless Nursery, 2927 So. King Road
SARATOGA
- Ace Hardware, 12870 Saratoga Sunnyvale Rd
SUNNYVALE
- Home Depot, 680 Kifer Rd.
For specific questions about gardening products or pests, please visit the Our Water Our World web site and select the “Ask the Expert” tab.
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