Food Chain Radio News
Urban Farming Agriculture
Food Chain Radio Host Michael Olson
#940• October 19, 2013 • Sat 9AM Pacific
Guest: Thomas Wittman, Gophers Limited
PESTERING THE PESTS
We build our farms, gardens, and homes to suit our needs, then they sneak in and steal everything they can. And there are millions, and billions, and maybe even trillions of them!
There are the deer that jump the fence and eat the roses; gophers that tunnel in and eat the roots out from under the new peach tree; raccoons that march their entire family through the dog door to wreak havoc in the kitchen; rats that move in and foul up the place with fleas and fecal matter; skunks that waddle through as if not to be denied; and perhaps the most pernicious pest of all, people who think all property is their property.
If we do not control pests, pests will control us. What can we do to gain control.
One control strategy is to poison the pests. The friendly farm and garden supply store down the way will, most likely, stock enough poison to wipe out several million pests, give or take. However, we have come to recognize a significant downside to this strategy: Poisons are indiscriminate. When we poison mosquitos, we also poison pelicans.
Another strategy is to outwit the pests. As Sun Tsu said, in The Art of War, “If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.” And so we go in search of ways to control pests by asking: Which pests pester us most? What are the seasons of my pests? And…
How can we control pests?
