Dale Cardwell Recommends Allgood Pest Solutions!
For 25 years, Emmy-award winning consumer and investigative reporter Dale Cardwell has helped countless people become their own advocate by showing them which services and products truly live up to their claims. Wanting to continue that tradition, Cardwell recently launched www.trustdale.com, a site created solely to profile the best of the best.
Trustdale.com features only vendors that Cardwell has investigated and proven to be superior. Hes included categories such as financial, legal, health, house and home, automotive and lifestyle each one containing numerous vendors that met his price, quality and customer service criteria. He also provides the research behind why those vendors are the best, allowing visitors to see the process.
When it came time to choose a pest control provider, Cardwell quickly discovered that Allgood Pest Solutions made the grade. Infact the pest control provider he had been using couldn't make the cut. He went down his checklist, reviewing Allgoods credibility, track record, customer service quality and more. Were proud to say we made the cut and were the featured pest control provider at trustdale.com.
Pest Control - Chemical Pesticides
Chemical Pesticides
If you have a pest problem serious enough to require the use of a chemical pesticide, check the product label to be sure both the plant and pest are listed. Read The Entire Label Carefully and, above all, Follow The Directions Exactly. Remember that The Label Is The Law, literally,for pesticide application. By using higher application rates than the directions call for, you will only waste money and risk contaminating the environment without eliminating any more of the pests.
The following recommendations can reduce pesticide impacts.
• Use the fewest number of applications possible,and use only when necessary.
• When possible, use insecticidal soap or horticultural oil rather than a longer residual synthetic insecticide.
• If synthetic insecticide is to be used, try to use one with a short residual activity.
• Use granular formulations or systemics (which are absorbed into the plant through the roots or leaf
surfaces) instead of long-lasting foliar sprays.
• If possible, time pesticide applications for when natural enemy populations will not be harmed, such as
during pupation or when they are on another host plant.
• Use reduced rates whenever possible and treat only infested plants, not entire areas.
When selecting and using chemical pesticides, keep in mind that low toxicity does NOT mean non-poisonous! It means that these pesticides pose the least environmental risk, as they tend to break down rapidly into non-toxic components when exposed to air, high temperatures, and sunlight.
Calling in Reinforcements – Biological Controls
Landscapes and gardens have natural populations of helpful organisms at work. These “workers” are the beneficial predators, parasites and pathogens that naturally target pest organisms in the environment. Beneficial organisms include a wide assortment of organisms such as: bacterial and/or fungal diseases; spiders; mites; centipedes; nematodes; various lady beetles; ground beetles; rove beetles; lacewings; predacious
bugs (minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs,damsel bugs, stink bugs); and numerous parasitic wasps.
Most pest management practices are designed to manage against the pests; instead, manage for beneficial organisms that are already providing valuable pest control. Why is biological control important? The preservation and use of common beneficial organisms ensures that the natural ecological balance is maintained and promotes a safe home landscape by reducing pesticide use. The misuse of pesticides can impact directly on beneficial organism/pest interactions. Pesticide resistance develops in pest organisms that were once killed by a specific application of pesticide and through genetic evolution can now survive the application. Increased rates of application may not provide greater control either, making a once reliable pest control weapon useless.
Pest resurgence occurs when natural biological control organisms are reduced by broadspectrum pesticides, either by one that persists in the environment for long periods of time or by numerous applications of chemicals with short residual times, to a level where they can no longer keep the pests in balance. This causes an increase in the pest populations. A disruption of natural enemies can also lead to secondary pest outbreaks. Pesticides reduce the natural enemy populations and a pest insect, that was not causing the original problem, increases in population to a damaging level.
Pesticides also affect non-target organisms such as wildlife, pets and humans. One method of biological control is augmentation. This practice involves the purchase and release of beneficial organisms, usually insects, into the infested area. In order for this practice to be effective, the correct organism must be purchasedand released at the appropriate time. Many beneficial insects choose specific hosts or prey as food sources. Anyone considering this tactic must have the knowledge to select the proper beneficial insects. Conservation of natural enemies present in the environment is the easiest and most cost-effective method of biological control available for gardeners. Conservation involves changing and improving management practices to either reduce harmful effects on beneficial organisms or to improve the environment to increase their populations. Reducing pesticide impacts would be the first and most important change to conserve natural enemies.Many insecticides and some fungicides directly affect natural controls by killing them at the
time of application. Others have long residual activity and harm beneficial organisms that later move into the treated area. Pesticides can also indirectly harm beneficial organisms by causing lengthened development time of the immature stages, reduced prey consumption, reduced reproductive capability, and repellency, where beneficial organisms are driven away from the treated plants by the chemical pesticide. An easy and colorful method of promoting beneficial insects is to grow a wide variety of plant materials in the home landscape or garden. An herbaceous perennial border, with a variety of species that flower at different times during the growing season, will provide alternate food sources (i.e. pollen) for some beneficial insects when there are no prey insects available.
bugs (minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs,damsel bugs, stink bugs); and numerous parasitic wasps.
 |
| Lacewing |
Most pest management practices are designed to manage against the pests; instead, manage for beneficial organisms that are already providing valuable pest control. Why is biological control important? The preservation and use of common beneficial organisms ensures that the natural ecological balance is maintained and promotes a safe home landscape by reducing pesticide use. The misuse of pesticides can impact directly on beneficial organism/pest interactions. Pesticide resistance develops in pest organisms that were once killed by a specific application of pesticide and through genetic evolution can now survive the application. Increased rates of application may not provide greater control either, making a once reliable pest control weapon useless.
 |
| Lady Bug |
Pest resurgence occurs when natural biological control organisms are reduced by broadspectrum pesticides, either by one that persists in the environment for long periods of time or by numerous applications of chemicals with short residual times, to a level where they can no longer keep the pests in balance. This causes an increase in the pest populations. A disruption of natural enemies can also lead to secondary pest outbreaks. Pesticides reduce the natural enemy populations and a pest insect, that was not causing the original problem, increases in population to a damaging level.
Pesticides also affect non-target organisms such as wildlife, pets and humans. One method of biological control is augmentation. This practice involves the purchase and release of beneficial organisms, usually insects, into the infested area. In order for this practice to be effective, the correct organism must be purchasedand released at the appropriate time. Many beneficial insects choose specific hosts or prey as food sources. Anyone considering this tactic must have the knowledge to select the proper beneficial insects. Conservation of natural enemies present in the environment is the easiest and most cost-effective method of biological control available for gardeners. Conservation involves changing and improving management practices to either reduce harmful effects on beneficial organisms or to improve the environment to increase their populations. Reducing pesticide impacts would be the first and most important change to conserve natural enemies.Many insecticides and some fungicides directly affect natural controls by killing them at the
time of application. Others have long residual activity and harm beneficial organisms that later move into the treated area. Pesticides can also indirectly harm beneficial organisms by causing lengthened development time of the immature stages, reduced prey consumption, reduced reproductive capability, and repellency, where beneficial organisms are driven away from the treated plants by the chemical pesticide. An easy and colorful method of promoting beneficial insects is to grow a wide variety of plant materials in the home landscape or garden. An herbaceous perennial border, with a variety of species that flower at different times during the growing season, will provide alternate food sources (i.e. pollen) for some beneficial insects when there are no prey insects available.
Pest and Biological Controls for the Homeowner . IPM overview
Does the word “pest” bring to mind your little sister or a nosy neighbor? A pest, by definition,is any unwanted organism. In garden, landscape or lawn management, insects, animals, bacteria, fungi,viruses and weeds may all be pests. Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a pest management strategy that has received increased attention in recent years. As a homeowner, you can practice IPM on your own property, whether you are growing and maintaining trees and shrubs, turfgrass, herbaceous perennials, flowering annuals, or a fruit and vegetable garden.
What is IPM?
What is IPM?
IPM is a decision-making process that uses biological, chemical and cultural practices to manage pest problems in the production and maintenance of plants, in a way that minimizes risks to human health, society and the environment.The most common misconception about IPM is that it does not include chemical pesticides, which would be an “organic” approach. This is not true. IPM may involve the use of chemical pesticides, but in a way that minimizes the overall reliance on them as the only pest control method. A more intelligent use of these products reduces their negative impacts on the applicator and the overall environment. An example of the IPM approach is to spot spray only the problem plants, rather than treating the entire area. Homeowners taking care of their property, whether it is the lawn, landscaping or gardens, can have a significant impact on the overall health of the landscape. Many people may not be aware of simple cultural
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