Palm | Kelapa Sawit

Posted by Kelly Wu

Is that RAID you are using? No matter how much you care about your health, or how much you stay organic, bugs can be a weak spot for many people. According to Dini Miller, an urban pest management specialist at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, “The biggest abusers of pesticides are consumers.” Although the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has reviewed all the pesticides for home use, it should be used in an appropriate manner but not overused.

You may ask if there is a safe pesticide available. Well, it does available on the market today. EcoSMART - Safe Pesticide Brand™ claimed to be as effective as conventional products. It also claimed that EPA classifies EcoSmart products as “Minimum-Risk” pest control products. It is so safe that EPA does not require it to have an extensive list of precautionary and first aid statements on its labels. Its formulas are primary organic plant oils which FDA classifies those as “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) if they are to use on foods or beverages.



While there are reviews on the internet about the EcoSMART products, it will be hard to judge its effectiveness as every one of us has different sensitivity towards bugs. Also, as we all know with scientists finding new things daily, something that is safe today may prove to be not safe tomorrow, so its safety-ness is also a relative unknown.

Another important point is that something organic does not necessary mean it is non-toxic. If it can be use to kills insects, then it is toxic no matter how you define it is. The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Pesticide Database is an excellent source online where it provides details on toxicity and regulatory information for different pesticides, which can be search by products name.

So what’s the best thing to do next time when you see a bug, here are some of the tips from Dini Miller:

1) Don’t Panic – Most inserts are harmless, and instead of going for the pesticide spray can, go for the vacuum cleaner instead or just stomp on it.

2) Monitor – If it is just a single lost ant and no more others are coming back, why use the whole spray can?

3) Trace – Try to find its source can help you get rid of its nest. You may also be surprised to find a wall crack to fix.

4) Be caution – If you do use pesticide, make you have the right product for the right pests and make sure you follow the instructions.

Source:
USATODAY.com – Bug control goes beyond the spray can
EPA - Pesticides
EcoSMART FAQ