Transcript: Integrated Pest Management

Mainstream Green
Episode “Integrated pest management”

Alex: Termites, fleas, and roaches, these of the three big pests that threaten our homes and structures. When any of them infest a home people usually spend lots of money on expensive, yet short-term and often highly toxic treatments to try to get rid of them. My name is Alex Petit; I am a high performance and Green builder in Central Texas. Today we are going to show you a different approach called integrated pest management, it is a long-term plan that reduces toxic exposure, can save you money, and can even your structure. We're going to look at this today, right here on Mainstream Green.
Integrated pest management starts with a way of thinking, first of all you should know that there is no way you can realistically get rid of pests for good. It is not possible, what you need to start thinking about his pest management. We are at a home site at the beginning stages of home construction, prior to pouring the foundation. This is a stage where you can use prevention to keep the pests from ever coming in, in the first place.
This homes foundation is getting ready to be poured. Most foundations are concrete poured on top of soil, then the wood framing will sit directly on top of the concrete. Pests live in the soil primarily because of the moisture. This moisture moves up through the concrete slab, into the wood framing members, and now it is an open invitation for pests of all types.
To keep moisture from seeping into the structure there are various barrier methods that are available. 6-mil polyethylene film is frequently used, but even more popular especially on the West Coast is the sand barrier method. Since the concrete that is poured around your pipes and insulation shrinks with the weather, a gap can form between your pipes and your slab. This stainless steel mesh prevents termites from crawling up through your slab, up your pipes and into your home.
While sand and other similar barriers help block moisture from the home, this stainless mesh actually blocks the termites themselves from being able to come up into the home. They put these pieces down over the penetrations to the slab and they get secured on. These options are great to consider when building a new home but a lot of you all probably already live in a house. I bet that you are thinking hey what about me? Don't worry integrated pest management can work for you to, follow me.
We are here at a century old house that did not get the benefits of preconstruction barrier applications. So what are some green options that you can use if you have a pest problem or want to avoid one?
Integrated pest management is about using non-toxic or least toxic options first before bringing out the heavy chemicals for the old spray and pray approach. Today the homeowners have brought in an expert to use the spray of approach, but this spray approach is they environmentally friendly, borate based product that doesn't give off gas and has minimal toxicity.
It works by penetrating deeply into the wood fibers of the subfloor with the beams and the joyce. The product actually becomes part of the wood and last as long as there is no excessive flowing water where it can leach out and in case you are wondering, but non-IPM alternative would be something like a chemical soil treatment, which would last only a few seasons and could run off into the surrounding area and groundwater.
Here we have a regular house there is a few things going on that you can do at your home to. First let's look at the landscaping; these plants are healthy and well maintained. Healthy plants help resist pests naturally. These are native and adaptable to this region which helps with its natural pest resistance. The plants are trimmed from the exterior of the house; this prevents potential bridging for the past to get to the structure. The planting bed is about a foot and a half below the foundation, frankly the further the better as long as you try to get at least a minimum of 12 inches from the top of the foundation to the soiled bed.
Inside your house the kitchens and bathrooms are the biggest sources of water, check all your pipes and fixtures for leaks and make sure that all your food is stored in sealed properly. If you already have a pest problem makes sure you try to exhaust all your non-toxic options first. Boric acid is very effective and is just about as toxic as table salt. Just be careful of added chemicals to some boric acid products.
Integrated pest management is a preventative way of thinking that combines multiple strategies such as low toxic applications, managing your home's moisture, indoor and outdoor cleanliness, even home design and landscaping considerations that you can make. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure a little upfront planning, preparation and cost can save you a bundle down the road. I am Alex Petit and this is Mainstream Green.