What is Organic Pest Control?

With the popularity of Organic fruits, vegetables, meats, grocery stores, and restaurants, many families are interested in reducing chemical use around their homes as well. This post covers the differences in several pest control programs in use today, and answers common questions about Organic Pest Control.

Rather than going into a detailed post on what products are and are not approved for Organic Pest Control, lets talk about the differences between "Green," "Natural," and "Organic." Green pest control, eco-friendly pest control, natural pest control, and other friendly sounding terms are often used to describe pest control programs. Many people use services with these descriptions because they put a premium on safety and the environment, especially around and in their home. The sad truth is that while it may sound friendly, it may be nothing more than just slick marketing. Green, natural, and eco-friendly are all subjective terms and the actual products and practices will vary greatly.

At Scout Pest Control our regular pest control service is one we consider to be green. Being green for us is mostly about knowing we have a stewardship over our actions, and making our best effort to only target specific pests and doing it in the safest manner possible. Being green is more than just about product selection, it also has to do with physical controls like sweeping down spider webs to reduce spiders; recommending changing the type of exterior lights to avoid attracting pest problems; recommending trimming foliage back from homes by 18 inches and trees back at least 6 feet to reduce access for pests. Being green for us also has to do with training. We make sure to spend the time to train and educate each of our technicians to help them understand how products work, pest habitat and behavior, and potential concerns when using the various products. When choosing our products we focus on effectiveness and safety, using as many natural products and synthetic versions of natural products like pyrethroids. Pyrethroids are not approved for Organic Pest Control, but they are safe and effective when used following the label, and provide good residual control of pests.

There are two main regulatory groups that weigh in and regulate Organic Pest Control practices. The National Organic Programs (NOP) is affiliated with the USDA and lists the standards that need to be met to be organic-approved. There is also the OMRI, or Organic Materials Review Institute which is a private organization that reviews and determines whether products are NOP compliant. Organic Pest Control is highly regulated on what is and isn't approved, and often on the uses and locations for which various products can be applied. Organic pest control has very specific allowances and prohibitions, and you should not confuse green, natural, or eco-friendly with organic. It should also be noted that while these standards are concerned with operations that produce or handle crops, livestock, or other agricultural products that will be represented as organic, Residential Organic Pest Control is essentially following the same rules and applying them to a home. Many of the brand names are different than what is used for agricultural pest control, but the active and inert ingredients still need fall within those rules.

Organic Pest Control has another element to it. For organic pest control the facility (or homeowner) MUST use good practices like: removing pest habitats, food sources, and breeding areas; exclusion to prevent pests from accessing the home or facility; and using cultural and mechanical control methods such as altering temperature, lighting, humidity, air circulation, physical traps, lures and repellents before using products that are consistent with the NOP regulations. As part of our residential Organic Pest Control program we recommend changes for homeowners to make that will reduce pest pressures and conducive conditions.

I know I've used way too many acronyms and long product names for one blog post, I hope this is helpful for anyone trying to make sense of modern pest control services. If you live in the Athens, Madison, or Huntsville area and you're interested in, or have questions about our pest control service, or our organic pest control program we hope to hear from you! You can call, email, or use our website to get in touch with us.

Scout Pest Control's Organic Pest Control - Boric Acid

Over the last several years there has been an increased desire by many people in the Tennessee Valley to avoid using chemicals and use more natural and organic products. At Scout Pest Control we strive to use the most effective and safest products available. With our traditional Pest Control Service we use many natural products, particularly dusts and baits, along with traditional products. With our Organic Pest Control Service we use natural products, like Diatomaceous Earth, Silica Gel, Boric Acid, Pyrethrins (not pyrethroids), Limonene (Made from Orange Peel), Rosemary Oil, Geraniol, Peppermint Oil, Thyme Oil, Lemongrass Oil, other Essential Oils and other natural products. There is even a new product that we use for Bed Bug control made out of Soy. We also use pheremone traps, sticky traps, and certain growth regulators.

Today's post will cover Boric Acid. While Boric Acid isn't organic (no carbon), it is natural, long lasting, and pests don't seem to be able to develop resistance to it unlike modern products. Boric Acid is tried and true, its been around for a long time and while slower than modern insecticides it works very well. Boric Acid is an approved product to be used in organic facilities and homes with the restriction that it isn't to be used in direct contact with food or soils.

Boric Acid is used in many pest control products, and is considered to be a natural form of pest control. We use it in our Organic Pest Control Service Program because it is a natural product, and very low in toxicity. Scientists have yet to determine exactly how boric acid works on pests, but it works well to control cockroaches, ants, fleas (in the larva stage), silverfish, crickets, and other pests. While we're not sure the exact all the ways it works, one of the ways it works is by eliminating the ability of insects to digest food.

Boric Acid has a very long residual, being a natural compound it doesn't really "go bad." That's not to say it lasts forever. It is often formulated as the active ingredient in a bait, and once the bait ages and spoils it is no longer attractive to pests. When applied as a dust, over time, Boric Acid will pull moisture from the air and clump making it ineffective.

More good news about Boric Acid is that it has a very low toxicity to mammals. This makes it an ideal product for use in both residential and commercial pest control. Another advantage of using Boric Acid over other products is that pests like cockroaches haven't and most likely won't develop resistance to this product. One of the problems we are facing today is that pests are developing a resistance to commonly used products. This is particularly true with pests that reproduce quickly, like german roaches, bed bugs, fleas, and others. It's comforting to know that by choosing to use boric acid and other natural products we not only control current pest populations, we also don't contribute to resistant "Super Bugs" that can plague us down the road.

Unfortunately there is no such thing as one perfect product. Some of the downsides to Boric Acid are: it is slow acting. It can take one to two weeks to take effect. Also Boric Acid works by ingestion. Pests either ingest it as part of a bait, or when they groom themselves. This means that it isn't effective against pests like spiders, bed bugs, and adult fleas which don't accept bait or groom themselves. Last, while it is low in toxicity (roughly half the toxicity of table salt) it can be toxic in higher doses.

Overall Boric Acid is a good choice for control of pests. It has a low toxicity, and is very effective at controlling pests. If you live in the Athens, Madison, or Huntsville Alabama area and are interested in a natural or organic pest control service, check out our website at www.scoutpestcontrol.com or give us a call at 256-216-1088!