Introduction to pests and pesticides

Any unwanted organism that causes problems in an environment is a pest. These include animals, plants, insects, even disease-causing pathogens. Pests can spread diseases, lower property value, destroy ecosystems, cause discomfort, and even wipe out entire species. A pesticide is what is used to kill or control a pest in order to prevent or reduce damage.

Before you can use pesticides safely, you need to know what they are. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pesticides are any substance or mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate pests. Of course, their list includes insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. But it also includes things you probably didn’t think of as pesticides – insect repellents, pet flea collars, disinfectant wipes, even swimming pool treatments.

Responsible application

It's important to treat pests in order to protect the environment. But it's just as important to apply and dispose of the products used to treat these pests responsibly. Here are some tips you can use to be a good steward and lessen your environmental footprint.

Protecting pollinators

Healthy pollinators help the environment. These beneficial insects are essential to crop production, backyard gardens, flowering trees and shrubs, and of course, all types of flowers. Learn more about pollinators and the efforts to protect them locally and globally. Plus see what you can do to make a difference, right in your own backyard.

Controlling invasive pests

Invasive pests are destructive, non-native insects, animals and plants that can kill individual species, devastate ecosystems, financially harm industries, even threaten human health. The threat of invasive insects is increasingly problematic. Their small size allows them to hide in goods distributed around the globe. Plus the large number of inbound shipments makes detection and prevention nearly impossible. Once these insects arrive, the destruction begins. We’ll educate you on which insects are the biggest threats, and more importantly, what you can do to stop them.