1. Pest Control

2. Pests
Biological Pests –any species that competes with us for food, invades lawns and gardens, destroys food, and spreads disease
~100 species of organisms cause 90% of crop damage worldwide.

3. Pesticides Natural or synthetic Broad spectrum vs. selective Herbicide
Insecticide
Fungicide
Rodenticide
Broad spectrum vs. selective

4. Current Pesticide Use 5.3 billion pounds used in US annually.
Applied to food crops, cotton, fruit trees
US accounts for 1/3 of worldwide pesticide usage

5. Pesticide Benefits Disease Control Crop Protection (profitable)
Increase food supply

6. Pesticide Problems Negative effects on non-target species
Persistent
Ex. DDT-bioaccumulation
Nonpersisent
Kill beneficial predators
Pesticide treadmill
Contaminate surface and groundwater

8. Pesticide Protection Laws in the U.S.
EPA, USDA, FDA regulate the sales of pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
EPA has only evaluated the health effects of 10% of the active ingredients of all pesticides

9. Alternatives To Pesticide Use
There are cultivation, biological, and ecological alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides.
Fool the pest through cultivation practices.
Crop Rotation to disrupt life cycles
Growing in Pest-Free Zones
Adjusting Planting Times
Mix plants (polyculture instead of monoculture)
Intercropping
Provide homes for the pest enemies.
Implant genetic resistance.
Use pheromones to lure pests into traps.
Use hormones to disrupt life cycles.
Mulch to control weeds

10. Alternatives to Pesticides
Biological Controls
Use of predators and parasites to regulate pest populations
Praying mantis
Lady bugs
Wasps
Bees \

11. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Uses a variety of techniques to minimize pesticide inputs
Goal is to reduce crop damage to an economically tolerable level

12. What Can You Do? Reducing Exposures to Pesticides
Grow some of your own food
Buy organic food
Wash and scrub all fresh fruits and veggies
Eat less meat
Trim the fat from meat