Common-Sense Pest Control: Least-Toxic Solutions for Your Home, Garden, Pets and Community (Hardcover)

~ William Olkowski (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you have a home, an apartment, a garden, or a pet (or, in some cases, housemates or tenants), you've probably got pests. And if you want to control pests, there's no need to poison yourself. While the Green Revolution and DDT and other pesticides dominated the world of agribusiness, thoughtful scientists world-wide were simultanously and silently working on "Integrated Pest Management", which is often as effective as pesticides at reducing or eliminating pests. From ridding your apartment of cockroaches to dealing with the regional deforestation threats of Gypsy Moths, this is the authoritative book on how to control pests by using the natural mechanisms of control that have kept our planet from being savaged, prior to our human disruptions.

From Publishers Weekly

The authors of this impressive volume are founders of the Bio-Integral Resource Center in Berkeley, Calif., dedicated to nontoxic pest management. Throughout the book, their knowledge of environmentally friendly controls is richly evident. They begin by discussing basic plant, animal and insect names and information on management and natural pest controls--a section which, as they admit, readers may well want to skip, preferring to zero in on whatever particular pest they'd most like to stamp out. A thoroughgoing education follows: we learn nearly everything we'd ever want to know about pests and their control, ranging from indirect treatments to the physical (e.g., hand-removing Japanese beetles) and from the biological (releasing beneficial insects) to the chemical (insecticidal soap and baits). Pests of the home and greenhouse, the body, garden and the lawn are covered in unusual detail. (A section on pests in homes, for example, could serve as the basis for an annual homeowner's checkup.) The squeamish may not wallow in the lore of bugs so generously shared, but they'll marvel at the research that has fed the book--marvel enough, perhaps, to go back and read the introductory chapters.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: Taunton (May 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942391632
• ISBN-13: 978-0942391633
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #406,824 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reference for any home owner or renter., August 7, 1998

By A Customer

A detailed, well-indexed reference dealing with pests from lice to rats. This is a how-to book as well as a general reference, and although Common-Sense Pest Control is not always the most pleasant reading, it is a godsend to anyone in the trenches. The authors approach is scientific and non-alarmist, with an emphasis on least-toxic solutions. Excellent illustrations. An example of their style: "Few pest problems cause more panic and premature decisions among home owners than those involving wood-destroying insects such as carpenter ants or termites... Whatever the reason, you should not feel pressured. You have plenty of time to find the least-toxic treatment and decide whether you want to do some of the work yourself and contract out the rest to a professional or turn over the entire job to a professional."

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully balanced book, June 22, 2001

By A Customer

This book is a wonderful resource for anyone who cares about balancing their own needs as residents of the planet with the needs of all the bugs out there. Insects are introduced, their contributions to their ecosystem detailed, possible ways of controlling them discussed where that is needed, and final, more dire solutions are available where needed. A great resource for those who want their pest control to be as little destructive as possible, and in many cases this is also what is most effective. A good resource to have on hand.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful guide for causing the least harm, January 13, 2002

By	R. Wilkinson (Corvallis, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Despite the opinions of another of the book's reviewers, many responsible, ... homeowners and gardeners have the need to sanely deal with pest infestations. This is the best book for learning about the least toxic and often the most humane way of dealing with pest problems. I have used it for my own home and garden and also as a Master Gardener recommending solutions for other gardeners. I highly recommend it.