Nontoxic Pest Control

American homeowners used an estimated 163 million pounds of pesticides in 2001, the most recent statistic available. That's overkill, literally: Lawn pesticides decimate as many as 7 million birds annually in the U.S. Human exposures result in health problems that include higher cancer rates among children whose parents work with pesticides. And pesticide use in gardens is "a major source, if not the major source" of pesticide exposure for children with gardens, says Mark Miller, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at U.C. San Francisco.

Know Your Pesticides
Organophosphates (OPs), carbamates and pyrethroids all work by interfering with the nervous system. Chronic exposure to these chemicals can cause headaches, trouble seeing, problems with memory and concentration, confusion, fatigue and depression. Some varieties of pyrethroids can also trigger asthmatic reactions.

Better Choices
Indoors
Effective integrated pest management (IPM) is as much prevention as extermination. The first step is "depriving pests of food, water and entryway," says Miller.

Ants
Soapy water or citrus oil and water kill ants. Sugar and boric acid baits* will eliminate nests.

Moths
Moths prefer soiled wool, so clean and vacuum frequently. Extreme heat and cold kills moths and larvae; use a dryer or place garments in a freezer for a few days.

Cockroaches
Maintain a clean kitchen and fix leaks; place sticky traps with pheromones (chemcials released by roaches to attract other roaches) along the walls; place boric acid baits* along the walls and near food-prep areas; seal all cracks.

Bedbugs
Eradicating bedbugs can take several attempts. Seal all cracks and spaces along floorboards, apply petroleum jelly as a barrier around bed legs, vacuum mattress and frame, and replace or steam infested mattresses.

Outdoors
Plant-eating insects
For an insect-resistant garden and lawn, "choose plants that are appropriate to your climate and follow water rules proper to your region," says Miller. Enlist birds and insects to help: Ladybugs and lacewings—both eat aphids—are sold for this purpose. Pick bugs off by hand, shake them onto a cloth or hose them off. Two-sided tape wrapped around tree trunks will stop crawling bugs.