Commonly asked questions about bugs and pesticides:

Why are bugs sometimes considered to be pests?
Bugs like cockroaches, houseflies, dust mites, mosquitoes, wasps, bees and flies can spread disease, contaminate our food supply and cause allergic reactions.

What can I do to prevent bug problems?
There are a few simple things you can do to discourage bugs before they become a nuisance:

• Close food packages securely and keep kitchen counters free of crumbs and dirty dishes.
• Empty the trash regularly and secure the lids on the cans.
• Don't leave pet food out in dishes overnight, or for extended periods.
• Caulk and/or repair holes or cracks that may allow pests to enter your home.
• Keep screens or windows closed to prevent pests from finding and/or creating nests in your home.

What are pesticides?
You may think of pesticides as the bug spray we may use to kill cockroaches or ants or the insect repellant used to protect us from mosquitoes. But in the broadest sense, pesticides are the chemical and biological tools used by all living things to protect themselves from other living things. Pesticides were evolved in nature from the earliest formation of life: as soon as there were different life forms in existence, there was the need for protection from one another. For example, the life-saving drugs we know as antibiotics are, in fact, the natural pesticides that bacteria and fungi have evolved to protect themselves. Penicillin is the natural pesticide produced by the penicillin mold to prevent bacterial from attacking it, as it competes for food.

A "pesticide" is defined by law in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act as any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest, and any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant.

What is "integrated pest management"?
"Integrated pest management" refers to broadly defined pest management measures intended to effectively manage pest populations to acceptable levels. It includes using non-chemical control measures, such redesigning and repairing structures, improving sanitation, employing pest resistant plant varieties, and altering watering and mowing practices, and where necessary the judicious use of commercial pesticides according to product labels.

Why do we need pesticides?
There are two major benefits of using pesticides - health and quality of life. The health benefits of pesticides are many. Pests -- cockroaches, ticks and mosquitoes, just to name a few - carry disease. Malaria, yellow fever and bubonic plague are on the long lists of insect-borne major epidemic diseases that have been controlled by pesticides. Some other health threats, like Lyme disease, are not yet completely under control, but their spread can be slowed by use of pest control products and techniques.

Biting pests, such as mosquitoes, ticks, flies, fleas and others, sometimes carry infectious diseases. They can also cause wounds and the chance for septic infections. Wasps and spiders can be a direct health treat. Their stings are painful, and the venom of some of them can result in wounds that are slow to heal and frequently get infected. People die each year from allergic reactions to wasps, hornet and bee stings.

Aside from the risks of disease, pests also detract from the quality of life. Who wants to live in a roach infested house? What gardener wants weeks of tending and weeding to be destroyed by an insect infestation? Mosquitoes and other biting insects can make working and playing outdoors unpleasant, and ants can make eating in a kitchen or on a picnic miserable.