Companion Planting and IPM

For my Conway community garden friends (and anyone else interested in organic vegetable gardening!) here are some links to sites with great info on Companion Planting and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques for sustainable vegetable gardening.

Followed by links about vermiculture (worm composting).
And thank you for allowing me to participate in your great gardening adventure!

IFAS UFL Extension service documents

A great 75 page PDF of Organic Vegetable Gardening IPM

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service

EarthEasy website direct to "Guides"

Vermicomposting - worms!

5 Chem-Free Ways to Kill Fleas

Microscopic image of a flea. Scientists have determined that vacuuming kills fleas in all stages of their lives, with an average of 96 percent success in adult fleas and 100 percent destruction of younger fleas. (Credit: iStockphoto/Oliver Sun Kim)

1) Vacuum
Yes, as basic as this seems, according to an Ohio State article* simple vacuuming can kill up to 96% of the fleas living there. Considering that the toxic topical chemicals claim a 99% kill rate, this is pretty good. And at least vacuuming doesn't leave toxins in your pets' tissues. One additional step is to add some Diatomaceous Earth to the vacuum canister or bag. That will kill any that survive the brushes and whirlwind. Don't forget the pets' bedding and furniture.  Quick note on the cited article, it was from 2007 and since then we've seen some issues with the topical that the older article was unaware of when it stated that the topicals were  devastating the flea population. In fact the topicals have led to a super flea that is not succumbing to the topicals. But that shouldn't surprise anyone, when the topical packages state that they kill 99% that leaves 1% to carry on and it seems that their offspring are immune.

2) Diatomaceous Earth

As a mechanical killing device this is great stuff. Known as DE and used as a filtering agent for pools, DE is finely ground skeletons of lichen that act as cut glass on an insect's exoskeleton making them die fairly fast of dehydration. This stuff is only dangerous if breathed in. So don't use it in front of a fan! It doesn't work once it gets wet, so it's not useful outside. Sprinkle it on the carpets, leave it for overnight or as long as practical and then vacuum it up. On wood floors, sprinkle around the parameter and sweep across the floor so it gets into cracks. Do this AFTER any mopping, since as I said before, it doesn't work once it's wet. I had a horrible outbreak in our detached garage, literally could see the fleas jumping, hundreds or thousands of them! I sprinkled the DE all around and throughout. Then I walked away for a week. When I stepped back into the garage, nothing. Not a single flea jumped on my legs. I swept it into a pile and vacuumed the pile. Amazing stuff!

3) Combing pets

The trick here is to find a great comb and place the captured fleas into soap water. The first part is hard. I am still using my great flea comb that I bought about 10 years ago for under a dollar. These cheap little plastic combs, when the tines are tight enough, get all the fleas, eggs and flea dirt off your pets. Personally the little plastic cheap combs work better for me than the more expensive steel ones. I have tried the more expensive ones with handles and they worked better on my American Eskimo dog with her super thick coat. But for my DSH cats and ferret, the little guys are better. Most how-to's say to dip the comb into the soap water. I find this a total mess. I comb then flick the tines to shoot the fleas into the water. You'll aways get some pet hair on the comb and when the comb gets wet it's just yukky, that's all I can say.  Use a flat-bottomed container 1/3 filled with water and a dash of dish soap to dump the fleas into. I say flat-bottomed since pet grooming always has the chance of becoming messy and I'd rather not knock over a bowl of dead fleas and fur! I use old large yogurt containers. My cats love this time together and virtually line up at the couch for their turns! I do this while watching TV. I dump the water out by my compost pile after it has sat for at least 30 minutes.

4) Garlic and Yeast Powders for Pets
I have added garlic and yeast powders that were made for pets to my pets' food in the past. It seems to work, and there is the added benefit that these things are good for our pet in other ways too. It's primarily the garlic that repels the fleas. I found a pure garlic powder for horses at PetsMart once and sprinkled it on the food. Since I also do all the other things listed here, it's impossible to say how much this contributed.

5) Baths
For dogs and ferrets, a good bath is a good start. I would vacuum, DE and comb first. Then the bath will get the few remaining fleas and once gone, the carpets won't re-infest. Just remember when you bath the pet it is not the toxic chemicals that you need so much as the solid 5-10 minutes with the soap soak! Once the pet is wet, apply the shampoo and lather like crazy, touching on all the favorite flea points, the base of the tail, the ears, the under arms (legs), under the chin, etc. The hard part is keeping the pet still for at least 5 minutes and the more the better. It's the time that kills the fleas. When they get wet they "lock down" onto the pet. It takes that much time before they release some and can be washed off. Then make sure the pet is rinsed very thoroughly since any shampoo is drying on a pet. Dry time is always the pet's favorite and just like with the combing, it's a great bonding time. Use a large absorbent towel and have fun! I've heard that those large shamwows really do a good job.

I personally don't believe in bathing cats unless they have a skin condition that requires it and then only under the care of a Vet.

So there you have it. Flea eradication without chemicals. I highly recommend reading the EPA's tips as well as their report on the toxicity of the topical flea treatments.


Notes:

*Ohio State University. "Cat Fleas' Journey Into The Vacuum Is A 'One-Way Trip'." ScienceDaily 22 December 2007. 24 January 2010 .
Cat Fleas' Journey Into The Vacuum Is A 'One-way Trip'

ScienceDaily (2007-12-22) -- Homeowners dogged by household fleas need look no farther than the broom closet to solve their problem. Scientists have determined that vacuuming kills fleas in all stages of their lives, with an average of 96 percent success in adult fleas and 100 percent destruction of younger fleas. In fact, the results were so surprisingly definitive that the lead scientist repeated the experiments several times to be sure the findings were correct. ... > read full article

They're Ba-ack!

Yep, it's as if the bugs know Spring has sprung! On the 23rd of March I saw my first palmetto bug in four months! And one flea turned up in the ritual cat-combing! It's a combination of sunlight time and warmth that alerts both the beautiful blooms and the not-so-beautiful bugs that it's time to wake up!

So here are some time-tested eco-friendly tips for bug control in the home.

1. Diatomaceous Earth kills fleas mechanically
1. Basically it is microscopic broken glass, that's simplifying it, but that's how it works. We feel nothing but an almost talc-like fineness, but for the flea, it's like walking on shards of glass. It cuts their exoskeleton and they die by dehydration pretty fast. It only works when dry and is dangerous only if inhaled, so use appropriately.
2. I use it several ways.
1. I put it on the carpet overnight and then vacuum in the morning.
2. I put it on the bottom of my ferret's cage where the litter box is and cover it with fluffy bedding. The ferret doesn't spend much time down there, but the eggs drop and it seems to help. 
3. I also sweep it across my wood floors and let it sit there at least a few days - once I mop or vacuum it is gone.
2. Boric acid does wonders keeping the Palmetto bug population down
1. I have cleaned out all my cupboards and put down boric acid around the perimeters. You can blow in a thin stream of it. I push it down into the spaces between the shelves and the sides as well as packing it into any holes.
2. Sprinkle it around the pipes under your sinks. Boric acid works wet as well as dry. The only precaution is to keep it away from food and pets. So keeping it in the hidden pipe areas is best.
3. Containers with water and some dish-soap trap and kill both bugs.
1. Now this is a fun experiment for kids over say 6 or 7: Put down a shallow dish with about an inch of water and a couple squirts of dish washing liquid in it. For palmettos, place it near a place you've seen them in the past for an over night. For fleas, place it in a spot on the floor where pets frequent, but keep the pets out of the room for the night. Add a small desk lamp over it for heat (so use incandescent light bulb, NOT florescent!).  In the morning you'll find some dead bugs...but only if you have bugs. If you use chemicals, this is all moot.
2. I use a wide-mouth mug with water and dish soap when I comb my pets. That way I can flick the fleas right into the soap-water and they sink immediately.
4. Try not to kill all your house spiders. Leave a couple in hidden spots and you'll be amazed at how many fleas and baby palmettos they catch!
1. This has been a great learning tool for kids! I have picked fleas off my cats and dropped them into the tiny webs of the harmless house spider and we've watched the spider run right to the flea!
5. If you have a bad flea infestation, judicious use of topical flea treatments on your pets might be the only way to get them under control. Use all chemicals strictly according to the label instructions and NEVER use dog products on cats!
1. One tip, use one brand for two cycles and then switch to another brand for two cycles. These meds kill 99% of the fleas within 24 hours. This means 1% lives to breed "super fleas" that are immune to that chemical. In the decades that these products have been in use, there have evolved some fleas that are immune. By switching up the chemicals you have a better chance of stopping the immunity.
6. Vacuuming every carpeted area every day.
1. Vacuum the furniture weekly.
2. Use cheap throws on the furniture if pets get up there so they can be washed.
3. Put boric acid and D.E. in the vacuum bag or canister.
4. Sweep D.E. and Boric acid onto wooden floors so it gets between the slats. If your wood floor is sealed, this isn't necessary.
5. Empty the vacuum bags/canisters and take the garbage out of the house.
7. Put stopper in sinks over night when not in use.
1. I've found this very helpful. Most palmetto activity is at night. Sneak into your kitchen around 2 AM and flip on the light - if you have palmettos, you'll see 'em then! Mostly around the sink. There were many fewer in my traps when I started plugging the drains.
2. If you get an infestation in your dishwasher, pour about a galleon of water into the bottom when not in use. Most families won't have this issue. But if you're like me and only run the dishwasher once every other week or so, then this is another drain they can enter.

Mosquitos, not all bad, since they are food for many!

Monday, April 27, 2009 at 3:35pm

Most fish eat mosquito larva. I use the goldfish in my ponds for this since a) they are very hardy and b) they don't cause any trouble with the other critters.

There is a fish called the mosquito fish -

http://www.mosquitoes.org/FISHPAGE.html

Apparently in CA they are given away for mosquito control. Here in FL they are not used as much mostly because they seem to interfere with native species.

Tadpoles, goldfish and even some meat-eating bugs (like dragonfly larva) all eat mosquito larva. I don't have a mosquito issue here at all. Dragonflies also eat the adult mosquitoes, as do frogs/toads, bats, spiders and birds. For that reason I stopped using my "Mosquito Magnet".

http://www.mosquitomagnet.com/advice/how-it-works

A Mosquito Magnet totally collapses the population of mosquitoes in 3/4 to 1 acre within 6 weeks - and it works!

So if you have a serious issue, like a potential disease issue, I'd get the Mosquito Magnet going (you can get them at Home Depot). After 6 weeks all your mosquitoes will be gone. Then just keep normal fish and wildlife in your pond and you should be fine.

In general, we need to consider NOT just killing off everything, since other critters that we like and need depend on these pests for food. And it seems all our chemicals are just creating super bugs that nothing can kill. Seems like that is a much more serious issue. Just MHO, but I'm sticking to it!