In case after case, chemicals that used to be considered "safe" for home use are taken off the shelves as new evidence shows they can be harmful. Why risk it?
For protecting your home from ants, cockroaches, flies, meal moths, mold and rodents, a little prevention goes most of the way. Get rid of that can of pesticide spray, and see our Tips & Tools below for specific pest management solutions. These resources and links offer general solutions to keep your house clean and pest-free without dangerous pesticides.
Pesticides also sneak in our homes as residues on food. We make choices every day about the food we eat that not only affect our health and the health of our families, but also help to shape our food system in a very real way. Visit PAN's website WhatsOnMyFood.org to learn more about residues commonly found on our food.
Ants
- Solving Nuisance Ant Problems Nonchemically from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
- Successful Carpenter Ant Management without Pesticides from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
- Controlling Ants in Your House from the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
Aphids
- Aphids 101 from Our Water Our World
- Managing Aphid Problems without Pesticides from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
Bedbugs
- Got Bed Bugs? Don't Panic from Beyond Pesticides
- Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite! from Scientific American
Cockroaches
- Cockroaches from University of California's "Pest Notes"
Fleas
- How To Control Fleas Without Chemicals from Natural Resources Defense Council
- Keeping Fleas Off Your Pets and Out of Your Yard from the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
- Fleas from University of California IPM Online
Flies
- Flies from University of California IPM Online
- Fruit flies from Iowa State University
Lice
- When Lice Attack: How to Nip Nits in the Bud PAN North America Magazine, Summer 2007
- Beating Lice Without Lindane Success stories from U.S. parents
Mice & Rats
- A Mouse and Pesticide-Free House from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
- Keeping Rats and Mice Away from Our Water Our World
Mosquitoes
- Mosquitoes from Our Water Our World
- Mosquito repellants from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
Moths & Carpet Beetles
- Alternatives to Moth Balls from 'Bugs
Spiders
- Spiders: The Helpful Hunters from the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
Slugs & Snails
- Pull the Plug on Slugs PAN North America Magazine, Summer 2007
- Snails and Slugs 101 from Our Water Our World
- Ugh! Slugs! from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
Termites
- Termites from UC IPM Online provides an overview: controlling termites without resort to insecticides is challenging, and prevention is key — requiring an understanding of termite biology and building construction. Among chemical approaches to avoid, fumigation is perhaps most dangerous (and ultimately ineffective).
- Dampwood Termites from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
Ticks
- Avoiding Tick Problems Without Using Pesticides from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
Weeds
- Weed Solutions - factsheets from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (includes bindweed, blackberries, dandelions, knapweed, moss in lawns, noxious weeds, poison oak and ivy, and roadside spray alternatives)
- How to Control Weeds from Our Water Our World
Yellowjackets
- Yellowjackets from Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides; and
- Yellowjackets 101 from Our Water Our World
- Pest Solutions in-depth factsheets from PAN Partner group Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides.
- Our Water Our World website by Bay Area water agencies to assist consumers in managing home and garden pests without releasing hazardous materials.
- Living with Bugs: Least-toxic Solutions to Everyday Bug Problems by Jack DeAngelis, Ohio State University, 2009, companion book to ‘Bugs website, covering 50+ most common household pests with drawings and photographs to help with identification
- Ask the Bugman! Environmentally Safe Ways to Control Household Pests Book by entomologist and syndicated columnist Richard Fagerlund
- SafeLawns.org Resources for natural lawn care and landscaping from PAN ally Paul Tukey, with a blog about the latest developments and links to businesses providing organic solutions.
Pesticides are on our food — even after washing. They're in our bodies for years and in our environment, traveling many miles on wind, water and dust.
To learn more about the chemical residues on your food, visit the What’s On My Food? website. This searchable database links USDA pesticide food residue data with the toxicology for each chemical, making this information easily accessible for the first time.
Whenever possible, shop for fruits and veggies free of pesticides. More and more families across the country are choosing pesticide-free or organic produce, joining local CSAs, shopping at farmers’ markets or planting their own backyard gardens.
Use the tool at www.whatsonmyfood.org to learn more — and share it with others to keep building momentum for a fair, safe and healthy food system!
