In our effort to battle home invasions of unwelcome pests, we often
unwittingly put our pets at risk. In 2008, our toxicologists fielded
more than 31,000 calls related to insecticides. One of the most common
incidents involved the misuse of flea and tick products − such as
applying the wrong topical treatment to the wrong species. Thus, it′s
always important to talk to your pet′s veterinarian before beginning
any flea and tick control program.
Make sure your lawn is safe for your children and animals.
EcoSMART Company Information
EcoSMART Technologies, the world
leader in safe pesticide solutions, is a venture-backed company with patented
technology and a world-class management team. Our mission is to create the
world's safest, most effective pesticides based on natural ingredients. We have
15 years of scientific research and a wealth of patents behind us. We make the
only 100% safe insecticide that is proven to work. We offer the only complete
line of EPA exempt pesticides sold in the US.
Essential
Oils - Nature's Way
EcoSMART was the first company to
apply modern science to essential plant oils − creating the first 100% safe
pesticides. Our products are based on the natural defenses that plants and
trees have used for their self protection against insects and pathogens for
millenia - essential oils.
PoopBags.com offers two (that's right - TWO!) varieties in three different quantities of regular-size biodegradable dog poop bags that are made with Mater-Bi, which originates from renewable resources such as corn to meet the ASTM D6400, the highest standard of biodegradability. Both varieties have a really awesome silky smooth feeling. The primary differences are that the black poop bags are European while the green poop bags are thicker, are slightly bigger and are made in the United States. Don't forget: Free Shipping!
These extra large dog poop bags are also 100% biodegradable just like our regular-size dog waste bags, but are huge in comparison - almost 2" wider and over 1" longer! Seriously, Actual size is 10" L x 13" W!
Sergeant's Nature's Guardian products are highly effective,
yet they′re safe for use around your pets and your family when used as
directed. Over hundreds of millions of years, certain plants have developed
highly effective defense mechanisms against potentially harmful insects. Now,
Sergeant′s has harnessed the power of these natural botanical extracts to
produce a line of flea, tick and mosquito control products that features
natural active ingredients such as peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, lemon grass
oil and thyme oil. The exclusive formulations that feature these ingredients
are safe to use around children and pets, but they're deadly to biting pests.
By simply sprinkling a small bag of
these tiny Beneficial Insects on your dog poop areas just as the weather turns
warm you can prevent flies from ever becoming a nuisance. Then by continuing to
release Fly Predators monthly through the summer you'll keep the fly population
under control.
The tiny Fly Predator beneficial
insects are the natural enemy of flies, but never bother people or animals.
Many of our customers say they hardly see a fly all season. For best results
you want to start before flies are bad.
No Pesticides, No
Worry
Fly Predators eliminate the next
generation of pest flies by means of natural biological control. Unlike
pesticide sprays that only affect adult flies (who likely have already laid
hundreds of eggs insuring more flies in 10 days) Fly Predators target the pest
fly pupa (cocoon) stage killing the immature flies before they can bother you
and your animals or reproduce to start the cycle again.
Using Fly Predators completely avoids
any of the potential adverse side effects associated with pesticides. Just
reading the warning label on almost any fly pesticide or repellent is perhaps
the best advertisement for biological control. By contrast there is no warning
label for the species in Fly Predators and in over 30 years of commercial use
no known adverse effects.
Are synthetic lawn chemicals pet safe? Pets, exposed to lawn
synthetic lawn chemicals chemicals
Exposure to
herbicide-treated lawns and gardens increases the risk of bladder
cancer by four to seven times in Scottish Terriers, according to a
study by Purdue University veterinary researchers published in the
April 15, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary
Medicine Association (J
Am Vet Med Assoc 2004; 24:1290-1297). The study adds to earlier
research conducted by the National Institutes of Health that found
elevated rates of canine lymphoma in dogs exposed to lawn pesticides
(1991). (See
Beyond Pesticides factsheet) Meanwhile the American
Veterinary Medical Association issued a release, "Herbicide
Exposure May Increase Cancer Risk in Dogs," with the study
authors' recommendations that owners of Scottish Terriers "should
decrease their dogs' exposure to lawns or gardens treated with
common herbicides, particularly phenoxy herbicides and possibly
nonphenoxy herbicides" and "veterinarians should perform routine
(every six months) cytologic urine exams in Scottish Terriers and
other 'genetically high risk' breeds over six years old."
For pet safe, green, chemical free
lawn, apply
CBLC natural organic, pet safe lawn fertilizer
in early spring and again in late autumn. Organic lawn fertilizer
will provide an even supply of nutrients during the growing season,
and reduce winter kill. Avoid the use of quick release nitrogen on
law and turf grass.. Quick release nitrogen can increase moisture
requirements and decrease stress tolerance on most lawns and turf
grass.
To promote rapid spring growth, apply
pet safe natural organic fertilizer in "early" spring.
Organic lawn fertilizer promotes both root and top
growth.
When reseeding, apply two to three
pounds of grass seed / 1,000 square feet.
Grass clippings,
left on the lawn, can be a source of nutrients. As grass
clippings decompose, they can provide the equivalent of one
application of fertilizer per season. Typically, a lawn that is in
good condition requires about 1 inch of water / week. In
cooler environments 0.5 inches / week might be sufficient.
Nitrogen is vital for plant growth. It
is abundant in the atmosphere and in soil organic matter, but not in
a form that plants can use. EcoChem liquid organic fertilizers are
formulated to stimulate soil biomass and convert nitrogen into a
form that is readily available to plants. In addition, they provide
residual nitrogen, in the soil, which can reduce or eliminate
nitrogen fertilizer requirements for the next growing season.
http://www.ecochem.com/t_lawn_organic.html
Integrated Pest
Management
Holes in your chard? Gouges
in your apricots? Yellowing, wilting leaves? It's time to get rid of the pests
and keep your garden growing!
Photo credits: Autumn
Barr-Engstrom, Peaceful Valley
We're going to try to make it
easier to keep the good bugs and bad bugs straight and eliminate the damaging
bugs this month. Of course, the first defense against pests is always a healthy
plant. Pests usually go for plants that are sickly, lacking in nutrients, in
the wrong site, or watered irregularly. So, your first resource should always
be to grow healthy plants and have healthy soil.
We have some tips if you're
asking yourself,
"What's eating this leaf and how do I make it stop?"
The first step to eliminating the pest at hand is to identify it! Many
foliage chomping pests are most active at night, so if you haven't seen it in
action during the day, take a flashlight out to your garden after dark and turn
some leaves over in search of the culprit.
Once you've identified your
garden enemy, you can create an effective
management plan. This may include trapping or hand picking, a
biological control such as introducing a "good bug", a cultural
control like reducing the number of cool moist hide-outs, and/or a chemical
control including natural insecticidal soaps and BT.
The Top 5 Pest
Complaints
The Pest: Snails &
Slugs
The Problem: Leaves
with irregular chewed holes with smooth edges. Fruits near the ground with
large holes eaten out of them, especially strawberries.
Know Your Enemy:
Snails & slugs like cool weather and are most active on cloudy or foggy
days and at night. A slime trail is a tell-tale sign that they've been around.
They are one of the easiest pests to find: they are big!
Solutions:
Sluggo Plus:
Environmentally friendly bait effectively kills many of the gardens most
prolific pests. Unique blend of iron phosphate, a natural soil element, and
spinosad, which is derived from a naturally occurring soil dwelling bacteria,
and bait additives compressed into easy-to-use pellets.
Slug Saloon
A safe, efficient, non-toxic method of slug and bug control. The Slug Saloon
is a durable lifetime trap for slugs and earwigs. Child and pet safe.
Handpicking
Wet down infested area in the late afternoon with a hose. Come back out after
dark with a flashlight, gloves, and a pail of soapy water to drop them in.
Repeat daily until there's been a noticeable decline at which point weekly
handpicking should be adequate.
Copper
A flexible copper strip is a powerful deterrent for slugs and snails because
it creates an electrolytic effect that repels them when they touch it. A
reaction between their slimy secretion and the copper causes the shock.
Reduce Hiding
Places
Eliminating overgrown areas, low-laying boards, and rocks will force them
further from your garden to find a day time hiding place. Also, while mulches
can be very beneficial in a garden, there is a trade off: mulches provide
hiding places for slugs & snails.
Beer Traps
Dig a hole in the ground for a tuna can or similar container so that the lip
is even with the ground. Fill it with beer and the slugs and snails will have
a final toast. They can't resist the smell and taste!
The Pest: Earwigs
The Problem: Chewed
leaves and stems and/or gouges in soft stone fruit or strawberries.
Dozens available at GrowOrganic.com, including,
organic traps, baits, and sprays.
Diatomaceous Earth Fossilized shells of tiny water-dwelling organisms called
diatoms which, when ground, have microscopically fine, sharp edges. Used as a
barrier to crawling pests such as slugs, snails, earwigs, etc.
Earwig & slug trap: The Slug
Saloon
A safe, efficient, non-toxic method of slug and bug control. The Slug Saloon
is a durable lifetime trap for slugs and earwigs. Child and pet safe.
Trapping in cans Fill multiple tuna fish cans with 1/2" of water with a
drop of oil and soy sauce or bacon drippings and place them throughout your
garden. Capture daily, dump earwigs in soapy water, refill cans, repeat
daily!
Trapping in rolled
newspaper Moistened newspaper, rolled up in a tube, provides the perfect
hiding place for earwigs. Pick the newspaper rolls up daily and drown them in
soapy water daily.
Reduce Hiding
Places:
Eliminating overgrown areas, low-laying boards, and rocks will force them
further from your garden to find a day time hiding place.
The Pest: Aphids
The Problem: Leaves
that are curling, yellowing, and/or exhibiting oozing honeydew (the aphids suck
the fluid out of the leaves). Leaves will often be covered with aphids.
Picture: Lady bug eating
aphids off leaves.
Photo credits: Kathleen
Madeira, Peaceful Valley
Know Your Enemy: Aphids
are very small, soft bodied insects that congregate most frequently on the
underside of leaves and do not move quickly when disturbed. They are often in
large clumps rather than a solitary insect. They come in all colors as well,
from pale green to dark brown.
Solutions:
Monitoring
Check your plants a
couple times a week to catch infestations early. Remember to look on the
underside of leaves.
Eliminate the Ants
if they're around
Ants actually help aphid
populations, protecting them in some cases from beneficial insects (see more
on ants below).
Introduce aphids' natural
predators like parasitic wasps, lady bugs, lacewing & syrphid fly.
Planting things like sweet alyssum or anything in the apiaceae family help to attract beneficial
insects. The main defense against aphids is to increase beneficial habitat. You can also mail order beneficial
insects.
Aphid and whitefly
numbers can be lower in plants grown on reflective mulches. Reflective
mulches were also shown to lower the numbers of cucumber beetles by 6 times
in a study written up the American Society of Horticultural Science.
Wash 'em off
Using a strong stream of
water, wash the aphids and their honeydew off plants.
Insecticidal soap
Spray infested foliage
with neem oil, Safer Soap, Pyganic for temporary
control. Multiple applications may be necessary as they will only kill aphids
present at time of spraying.
The Pest: Ants
The Problem: Ants
on plants (which usually indicates a presence of scales, mealybugs and/or
aphids) and/or ants parading into your house.
Picture: Ant farming
honeydew from the aphids (not pictured) while lady bug tries to control aphid
population.
Photo credits: Kathleen
Madeira, Peaceful Valley
Know Your Enemy:
Ants are usually attracted to sugar and sweet nectars.
Prevent crawling insects
from ascending trees, shrubs, vines and woody plants by forming a barrier
they can't cross. Apply tanglefoot to a tree wrap (and not directly
to the bark of young trees).
Highly effective for
eliminating sweet-feeding ants. Ants carry the bait back to the nest,
eliminating the entire colony. Contains boric acid and sugar in a liquid
solution that can be applied on cardboard squares (included) using the handy
squeeze bottle.
Caulking
Observe where ants are
coming into your house and block their entrance with caulking.
Chickens
If you have chickens
meandering around your yard, you probably don't have an ant problem.
The Pest: Loopers & Worms
(caterpillars including
cabbageworms, webworms, armyworms, corn earworms, and tomato horn worm)
The Problem:
Ragged holes in foliage. The horn worm will leave scared fruit, leaves &
blossoms. They can eat a huge amount of foliage and stems as well.
Know Your Enemy: A
great way to find the Horn Worms is to look for their large black excrement on
the ground and foliage. And then search the plant for the worm. Also, look on
the underside of brassicas that have holes in the leaves.
The Lady Bug, or lady beetle,
is the quintessential good bug. Not only are they cute, they devour aphids!
There are at least a couple
dozen bugs that act as natural predators to our garden pests. Familiarize
yourself with this list of natural enemies in
their egg, larval, and adult forms so you don't accidentally destroy the
"good eggs" (this UC Davis IPM resource includes
actual pictures of each phase of the life cycle of good bugs!).
For a great book to have at your finger tips in your garden,
the "Natural Enemies Handbook"
has a handy quick guide.
If you find yourself in need of more good bugs to control an
infestation, many of these organisms can be mail ordered.
Introducing Omega 2000
After over 15 years of
enthusiastic grower response to Omega 6-6-6 and Omega 1-5-5, we were quite
disappointed that these fine products would no longer be available.
However, we are excited to offer its newer version, Omega 2000. Although it
no longer has a guaranteed NPK analysis (since Omega is used at the rate of
only 1-2 quarts per acre, the main benefit of the previous Omega products was
their incredible biological activity, not their NPK value). It is still
manufactured following the same proprietary process of microbial digestion of
soy protein, casein, whey, bone meal, rock phosphate and sulfate of potash. All
microbes used are naturally occurring micro-organisms, excluding any
Genetically Modified Organisms.
Regular use of Omega 2000 will help create a
rich diversity of soil microbial life with better nutrient uptake, better crop quality,
increased yields and improvements in disease and insect resistance. Omega 2000 applied to the
soil will stimulate vigorous healthy root development.
It is excellent as a
soil soak when transplanting or starting seeds. Test results over the
last few years have shown up to a 35% increase in yields when Omega 2000 is used in combination
with natural fertilizers.
West Paw Design
West Paw Design manufactures the highest quality dog and cat toys and
bedding available, made in beautiful Bozeman, Montana, in the good ol' U.S. of A. We are a small but mighty company dedicated not only to
creating safe, fun, and durable products for your pet, but also to
making a contribution to the greater picture.
Zogoflex is West Paw Design's exclusive material that's made in the USA. Zogoflex is a super durable, extremely pliable material that's tough, buoyant, non-toxic, and guaranteed to last! This incredible high-tech material is used to make our Huck, Hurley, Tux and Zisc.
These fun dog toys are easy for your pup to pick up and won't hurt
their teeth. Recommended for aggressive chewers, pullers, and fetchers.
You can check out West Paw Design products locally at our favorite Pet Food & Supply store:
Natural Pet Food & Supplies 39650 Winchester Rd, Suite D Temecula, CA 92591 951.308.1938
PoopBags.com sells a regular and jumbo size poop bag. I highly suggest getting the jumbo size bags if your dog leaves rather large deposits on the lawn. It will be much easier to get into the bag.
