10 Commandments

for a Healthy Yard

Think, plan and plant around the 10 Commandments. Choosing strong native trees, shrubs,
and grasses is your best defense against pests and weeds. Test your soil before planting.
Adjust nutrients and pH accordingly. Post a sign designating your property a Wildlife Sanctuary.

What is the Stuff on Your Shelves?

1 Go Organic
Just say NO or limit
exposure to toxic chemicals.
Nourish with brown gold
(compost), slow release organic
rock fertilizers or limestone.
Be safe. DO AN INVENTORY NOW, before you tackle pests and weeds in your
yard! Pesticides create risks for birds and other wildlife. Your CHILDREN AND
PETS are exposed similarly. The more commonly used pesticides listed below
carry the EPA toxicity rating of caution or warning. Why risk pesticide exposure
when you can try safer alternatives?
8 Follow Directions
and Protect
Yourself
Read labels before you buy
or use a product.
INSECTICIDES cause death by acting on the nervous system of insects.
But they also poison birds, fish, and beneficial insects. Residues are left in Always wear protective clothing
soil, grass, air, water, and on fruits and vegetables. while mixing and applying.

2 Make Your
Turf Tough
Use grass varieties
developed for your area.
Use sharp blades to mow 3 to
ACTIVE
INGREDIENT

*Acephate
PRODUCT and USES

Orthene for aphids,

leafminers, caterpillars,
sawflies, thrips
ALTERNATIVES

Mail order lacewings and

ladybugs for aphids. Hose
down plants. Use insecticidal
Never use more than
recommended. Remember
LESS IS BEST for survival of
beneficial insects!
Do not apply pesticides in
soaps, superior or summer windy conditions, near water
4 inches high. Short clippings
oils, or yellow sticky traps. sources, people, pets or wildlife
decompose fast to add
habitat.
nitrogen instead of thatch.
*Bendiocarb Ficam for mosquitoes,
flies, fleas, ants, cockroaches,
Use pyrethrum for flying
insects, boric acid for fleas Learn signs of pesticide
Water deeply only when
ticks, silverfish, snails, slugs, and cockroaches, parasitic poisoning.
needed and aerate for
dense, deep roots. wasps nematodes for fleas, ground
level plates with beer, or

3 Go Native!
Native plants mean less
care, less time, less expense.
The more native plants in your
* Chlorpyrifos Dursban, Dragon, Ortho-Klor
for ants, crickets, armyworms,
lettuce leaves picked up
in the heat of the day for
snails and slugs.
Use bait stations with
diflubenzuron (Siren Termite
9 Respect Your
Neighbors Right
to Know
Notify your neighbor before
using pesticides that could
yard, the more healthy habitats ticks, mites, chinch bugs, Bait) or hexaflumeron
drift, remain active on lawn
for birds and other wildlife. roaches, fleas, earwigs, (Sentricom) for termites,
areas, or settle in water.
ChallengeREDUCE LAWN cutworms, grasshoppers, bifenazate (Floramite) for
Children and pets are easily
AREA by 25% this season. millipedes, sowbugs, white spider mites, milky spore
exposed and can take residues
grubs, turf weevils disease for Japanese beetle
into homes.
grubs, Beauvaria bassiana

4 Know Your
Enemies
Get a field guide
to identify insects.
Match control to pest.
*Diazinon Bonide Soil Granules, Knox-
Out, Real-Kill for aphids,
fungus for chinch bugs, para-
sitic nematodes for grubs,
beetles and grasshoppers.
See Chlorpyrifos above. Use
insecticidal soap for aphids,
Ask neighbors and lawn
services to do the same.
Contact local municipalities to
learn what, where, and when
chemicals are used.
bagworms, carpenter ants, whiteflies, and mealybugs. Ask decision makers to
Use control only if a high lacebugs, scale, whiteflies, consider safer alternatives.
number of insects exist. fire ants, grubs, cockroaches,
Learn life cycles so that you fleas, termites
do not treat unnecessarily.
*Dimethoate Cygon for caterpillars, mites,
aphids, thrips, plant hoppers
Use superior or summer
oils for mites, aphids,
10 Teach Tolerance
and Be Tolerant

5
and whiteflies thrips, and whiteflies. Use
Treat Only Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
Create natural yards with a
When Necessary variety of pests, predators,
on caterpillars (can kill
weeds, wildlife and native
Use nontoxic methods first. beneficial insects) and
plant species.
pyrethrum for insects.
Pick off and dispose of insects, Plant bird and wildlife habitat.
vacuum, prune out infestations,
or hose off garden plants.
*ALERT! Residential products containing any of these active ingredients are
being phased-out and soon will no longer be available for purchase. Make the
Enjoy controlled untidiness,
not time-consuming lawn
switch NOW to nontoxic alternatives for pest control. Dispose of unused pesti-
maintenance.

6
cides and pesticide containers according to label instructions and local guidelines.
Pick Your Pesticides Show by doing.
Not all chemicals are RODENTICIDES kill rats and mice by hindering blood clotting so that internal Encourage neighbors
created equal. bleeding leads to death over several days. Brodifacoum can last more than to build continuous
four months and is toxic to wildlife. habitat from yard
Shotgun killers harm
beneficial insects. ACTIVE PRODUCT and USES ALTERNATIVES to yard.
Ask your lawn-care service INGREDIENT
to list pesticides used. Brodifacoum d-CON, Talon-G for rats Rodent proof your house. Important
Place cotton over peanut
Look for EPA toxicity ratings:
caution (least toxic), warning,
and mice
butter on traps. Phone Numbers:
poison (most toxic). Cooperative Extension
HERBICIDES such as 2,4-D kill broadleaf plants. Contested studies have for safe disposal sites:
linked 2,4-D to cancer. It is moderately toxic to birds and highly toxic to fish

7 Use Biological and aquatic plants. GLYPHOSATE causes cell death in virtually any plant. Use
carefully since toxicity varies depending on formulation and exposure.
Controls or Poison Control Center:
Biopesticides ACTIVE PRODUCT and USES ALTERNATIVES
INGREDIENT
Most have very little Wildlife Rehabilitator:
environmental impact. Glyphosate Roundup for killing virtually Use better mowing
anything green techniques, mulching,
Most decompose quickly hand weeding
and affect only the target pest. Native plant retailer:
2,4-D Scotts Turf Builder Plus 2, Maintain a healthy lawn by
Weed-B-Gone for control of using grasses developed for
many broadleaf weeds your area, hand weeding,
dethatching, aerating. Add
native plants and reduce lawn.

Copyright 2002 by National Audubon Society, Inc. All rights reserved.

Adapted from The Audubon Guide To Home Pesticides by Joel Bourne as featured in Audubon
Magazine (May-June 2000). Design and illustrations by Jan McCracken.
For reprints, e-mail audubonathome@audubon.org.
To join Audubon, call 800-274-4201.