- Author: Lauren Fordyce
If you've used disinfecting wipes to clean surfaces in your home, an herbicide to control weeds in your garden, or insect repellents while on a hike, then you have used a pesticide. A pesticide is any material (natural, organic, synthetic, or even homemade remedies) that is used to control, prevent, kill, or repel a pest. Pesticides are designed to be toxic against certain pests like weeds, insects, or bacteria. But when they are not used properly, pesticides can also be toxic to people and pets, and harm the environment including water quality, pollinators, and natural enemies.
February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month, a time to raise awareness about...
UC IPM's online courses for 2023 are now available!
All of UC IPM's courses can be accessed for free. However, if you need Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and a certificate of completion, most courses require payment. From now through October 31, 2023, we are offering 50% off the regular price when you use code ipm50 at checkout.
Certain course certificates are offered for free this year, such as Urban Pyrethroid and Fipronil Use: Runoff and Surface Water Protection and
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Are you concerned about pesticides in our waterways? Join us on August 18, 2022 at noon for UC IPM's free monthly webinar to learn how to keep surface water clean by reducing pesticide use and runoff. The webinar will be presented by Karey Windbiel-Rojas, Area Urban IPM Advisor and Associate Director for Urban & Community IPM with the UC Statewide IPM Program. Register today to serve your spot!
Hate spiders? Love them? On September 15, 2022 we'll feature a...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Looking for ways to manage weeds in your lawn or landscape? Join us on July 21, 2022 at noon for UC IPM's free monthly webinar to learn about how to control weeds using mostly nonchemical methods. We will discuss why weed identification is important, ways to prevent weed growth, and combining various methods for managing weed problems.
The webinar will be presented by Karey Windbiel-Rojas, Area Urban IPM Advisor and Associate Director for Urban & Community IPM with the UC Statewide IPM Program. Register today to serve your spot!
As always, the webinar will be recorded and...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
- Author: Belinda J. Messenger-Sikes
Instructions for making homemade mixtures to control pests are easy to find online and in social media, and it's tempting to make your own home remedy when pests invade. Doing so may seem like a natural, organic, and non-chemical solution, but did you know that what you are mixing is considered a pesticide? A pesticide is any mixture used to kill, destroy, repel, or mitigate a pest.
Pesticide mixtures of household ingredients like dish soap, garlic, and vinegar (Figure 1) may seem harmless and safer than storebought formulated pesticides, but they can actually pose unrealized risks.
What is the concern with homemade pesticides?
While ingredients in home remedies are items we might eat or use in the kitchen, the...
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