It is common for consumers to be conscious of their environmental impact when purchasing goods or services and by the habits they form in their homes. Some people are aware that when choosing a pest control company to fight a pest infestation in their home, it is possible to find an ethical company that uses environmentally sound products and practices. However, many consumers do not know that this option is available to them and will choose traditional pest control companies that use toxic and environment harming chemicals to treat pest infestations. To fully understand the need for green pest control companies and the benefits they provide, you must know what a green pest control company is and in what ways these companies ensure they are not harming the environment through effective pest control solutions. Keep reading to learn more about green pest control companies, the benefits they provide and some of the common practices and products these companies use to preserve our environment and the health of your family, pets and home.
The Differences Between Green Pest Control and Environmentally Conscious Pest Control
When searching for a pest control company that considers the environment during their services, you may come across different terms used to refer to each company. Terms such as “green pest control” and “environmentally conscious pest control” can be used to describe a company that will generally keep their impact on the environment in mind when treating pest infestations in their customer’s homes. Although these companies do have the same goal of protecting the environment, there are a couple differences between these two terms which you should take into consideration before choosing a pest control company. Keep reading to learn more about these differences and what they mean to the environment.
What Is A Green Pest Control Company?
When a pest control company is referred to as “green”, this usually means that the company does not use toxic chemical products to address pest infestations. Green pest control companies will use botanically based products to treat a pest infestation as well as employ non-chemical preventative measures, including Integrated Pest Management, to effectively address the pest infestations of their customers.
In order for a pest control company to be classified as truly “green”, only natural products which come from the earth can be used to treat pest infestations. Botanically based products such as borates, diatomaceous earth, silica and essential oils from plants are commonly used by truly green pest control companies. Many of the natural products just mentioned are classified in the category 25b by the Environmental Protection Agency. Pest control products that are classified as 25b are considered to be so low impact that they are not required to be registered or regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Natran Green Pest Control utilizes these botanically based, category 25b products, and specifically products containing essential oils from plants, to treat the pest infestations in your home. There are a few different plant oils that effectively work to treat pest infestations. Read below to learn about each of these naturally occurring pest repellents and chemical free solutions and which types of pests they treat.
1. Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Spearmint Essential Oils
Peppermint, eucalyptus and spearmint oils can be used to treat pest infestations from insects including spiders, roaches, ants, centipedes, aphids, fleas, ticks, beetles, gnats, caterpillars, live, nits, silverfish, moths and other flying insects.
2. Cedar Wood Essential Oil
The oil from cedar wood is effective in controlling aphids, lice nits, moths, slugs and snails.
3. Lemongrass Essential Oil
Lemongrass oil will offer your home protection from fleas, ticks, no see ums, mosquitos, biting flies and chiggers.
4. Lavender Essential Oil
If you are looking to target chiggers, fleas, ticks, flies, lice nits, silverfish, mosquitos or moths, lavender oil can be used by a green pest control company to rid your home of an infestation by these insects.
5. Sage, Thyme and Oregano Essential Oils
Sage, thyme and oregano oils are used to control infestations of chiggers, beetles and flies.
6. Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree oil is a naturally occurring insect repellent and insecticide that is effective when used to treat infestations by centipedes, fleas, no see ums, flies and other insects.
7. Lemon and Orange Essential Oils
Lemon oil, orange oil and other citrus oils are used by some green pest control companies to combat infestations of fleas, ants, roaches, lice, nits and biting flies.
8. Vanilla Extract
Vanilla extract is more commonly used by consumers as opposed to be applied by a green pest control company. Using vanilla extract can be helpful in treating centipedes, no see ums, mosquitoes and biting flies.
9. Litsea Cubeba Essential Oil
Litsea Cubeba essential oil is an oil derived from a litsea evergreen tree or shrub. This essential oil will help to protect your home against fleas, mosquitos and gnats.
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is not a product used by green pest control companies, but rather a preventative solution that will help to stop your home’s pest infestation from recurring. This strategy focuses on long-term prevention instead of acute treatment and uses a combination of methods including biological control, cultural control, physical control and chemical control. One feature of Integrated Pest Management that makes it a perfect practice for green pest control companies is that pesticides are only used once it has been found that they are necessary. Each initial defense in Integrated Pest Management is focused on using non-chemical solutions to solve a pest infestation.
Integrated Pest Management looks at the environmental factors which impact the pest’s ability to thrive. When you have identified the factors that allow pests to flourish, you can then take steps to eliminate these favorable environmental conditions. As mentioned, Integrated Pest Management uses a combination of methods to prevent and control infestations. Keep reading to learn more about each of these techniques and the effects they can have on pests.
Biological Control
The biological controls in Integrated Pest Management include predators, parasites, pathogens and competitors. Many insects have natural enemies and through Integrated Pest Management, these biological enemies can be used to control pests instead of chemicals or even botanically based products.
Cultural Control
Cultural controls are commonly used in agricultural settings to reduce pest establishment, reproduction, dispersal and survival. Once example of a cultural control in Integrated Pest Management is switching up irrigation practices to change the environment and drive out pests.
Mechanical and Physical Control
Mechanical and physical controls are commonly used by residential pest control companies to prevent infestations from reoccurring or happening in the first place. These controls will directly block pests or make the environment incompatible with the pest’s favored living conditions. An example of mechanical or physical controls include installing door sweeps or caulking windows to block a pest’s potential point of entry into your home.
Chemical Control
The chemical control method of Integrated Pest Management refers to the use of pesticides to treat a pest infestation. For green pest control companies, this step includes the use of botanically based pest control products, including plant essential oils, that will address the pest infestation issue without posing a health threat to you, your family, your pets or your home.
What Is Environmentally Conscious Green Pest Control?
Environmentally conscious pest control companies differ from green pest control companies based on the products they use to control pest infestations. As mentioned, green pest control companies use products that are exempt from registration and regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency, In contrast, environmentally conscious pest control companies use pest control products that are of low toxicity, but that are not necessarily classified as category 25b. While environmentally conscious pest control companies do take some measures to help protect the environment, the products they use can still have negative impacts on the world around us.
If you are trying to reduce your impact on the environment as much as possible, then choosing a green pest control company as opposed to an environmentally conscious pest control company might be the best choice for you. It can sometimes be difficult to know whether or not a pest control company is truly green or if they simply practice environmentally conscious pest control. Keep reading to learn how you can confirm if a pest control company is green and consequently, gentle for the environment, as well as your family and pets.
How To Know if A Pest Control Company Is Truly Green
If you are interested in hiring a green pest control company to treat your home for an infestation, there are a few ways you can tell if the company is truly green and whether or not they are a good fit for the level of environmental and family protection you are looking for. First, it is always a good idea to check out a pest control company’s website to make sure they are marketing themselves as a green pest control company. While on the website, look for any mention of green or organic pest control services and which services offered can be classified as green. You may also be able to find examples of some of the products that a particular company will use and if they implement environmentally friendly practices such as Integrated Pest Management. One specific way you can tell if a pest control company is truly green is to find out whether the products they use are classified in category 25b and therefore exempt from registration by the Environmental Protection Agency.
If you cannot find the information you are looking for on their website, try calling the pest control company and inquiring about whether or not they use botanically based products when treating pest infestations. If you would really like to know more about how green a pest control company is, you can ask how the services they provide will affect the environment.
Even though some pest control products are low in toxicity, this does not mean that they occur naturally or that they are considered to be low risk pesticides. Some common products used by pest control companies, including bifenthrin granules to treat lawn pests such as fleas and ticks, are considered to be low risk but are not non-toxic or truly green. In order to thoroughly investigate each pest control company before choosing the right one for you, you should research any products they use to measure the environmental impact or health risks each product might have. You should also read customer reviews or speak to a neighbor who you know has used green pest control services in the past.
What Makes Natran Green Pest Control A Green Pest Control Company?
Natran Green Pest Control is a truly green pest control company due to a few different factors. First, Natran Green Pest Control is not just conscious of the environment when providing pest control treatment to your home. We take every precaution to ensure that no harm is being done to the environment or to the health of your family and pets during our pest control services. We practice advanced Integrated Pest Management methods that use a combination of physical and chemical controls to treat your infestation. When using chemical pest control in your home, Natran Green Pest Control only uses pesticides and pest repellents with botanically based ingredients including plant oils such as thyme, rosemary, wintergreen cinnamon and clove. Natran Green Pest Control is committed to sustainable and low impact pest control solutions that allow you and your family to live comfortably in your home while also enjoying the peace of mind that comes along with choosing a green pest control company. If you are in need of pest control and also have an interest in preserving our environment and the health of your family, call Natran Green Pest Control today.
