“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese proverb When it comes to integrated pest management, we talk, a lot, about prevention. Keeping mice and brown marmorated stink bugs out is preferable to dealing with them once they’re in your house. So remember those…Continue Reading What’s Bugging You? – Missed Opportunities
Thank you to Mary Centrella, PhD, Director & Educator of the Pesticide Safety Education Program, for this guest post. The purpose of National Pesticide Safety Education Month is to reinforce core principles of safe pesticide use with many audiences and raise awareness of and support for the land-grant university Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEPs). To…Continue Reading 5th Annual National Pesticide Safety Education Month
Our friends over at Cornell’s Pesticide Management Education Program (psep.cce.cornell.edu) have asked us to help spread information on disinfectants and sanitizers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in adverse health effects from the misuse of these products. There have also been several fraudulent products produced during this time that potential applicators should…Continue Reading The Pesticide Management Education Program Warns of Unregistered or Off-label Claims for Disinfectant Use
“Frugality, I’ve learned, has its own cost, one that sometimes lasts forever.” – Nicholas Sparks Commercially available “tick tubes” are tubes filled with permethrin-infused cotton. Mice take the cotton to line their nests and are treated for ticks every time they return home. It’s estimated that a typical ¼ acre yard needs six tubes twice…Continue Reading Don’t Make Your Own Tick Tubes
Just one short week ago, we celebrated the College of Agriculture and Life Science at Cornell University’s Outstanding Accomplishments in Extension and Outreach Award. This award honors a team effort that benefits an important segment of the population or area of the state. New York, like the rest of the world, is highly dependent on the…Continue Reading Pollinators, awards — and IPM
Summer is the season that brings us outdoors to enjoy picnics, barbecues and campfires. Unfortunately, blood-feeding arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks can ruin our outdoor experiences by making us itch or by spreading disease. Over-the-counter sprays are one way that people avoid a forced retreat to the indoors. Choosing the right product and understanding…Continue Reading Understanding Over-the-Counter Sprays for Mosquitoes and Ticks
A New York law essentially banning pesticide use on the grounds of schools and day care centers has been full effect since 2011. The letter of the law states: No school or day care shall apply pesticide to any playgrounds, turf, athletic or playing fields, except that an emergency application of a pesticide may be…Continue Reading Child Safe Playing Fields Act – Frequently Asked Questions
Make your yard ‘bee-friendly’! It’s everywhere in the news these days. So how can you keep your garden a haven for pollinators of all types? 1. Keep it blooming – all season long Have lots of different blooming plants – annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, even weeds (ahem — wildflowers) for ample pollen and nectar for…Continue Reading Best Bets for Bees