It is obvious that pest prevention is superior to any other type of pest control, you know that already. You just need to know what you need to get the job done.

What you need to prevent pests

Pest prevention is a combination of botany, entomology, lawn, garden, and landscape maintenance, and craftsmanship. If you can handle these basic tasks, you can do it for yourself. The botany and entomology part is not that complex. Note that bugs and weeds like to have certain things in their environment. They need water and food and protection.

What insects need

Insects need cover and food, and water to survive, and if you deprive them of the things they like to eat, places to hide, and the water they need to live, they will go away and look for more hospitable accommodations. Spiders like bugs to eat, if the bugs go away, the spiders go away. June bugs like certain types of light, deprive them of the light, and they will go away, without laying the eggs which would become the grubs that eat your lawns root system, and attract moles, skunks and armadillos. Eliminate standing water, and mosquitoes have no reason to stick around.

Weed prevention

Exclude weed seed from your property, mow frequently, and most of the weeds that are there, will die out without being able to reproduce themselves with seed. Others may require manual removal, or other forms of treatment to get rid of them, and avoiding the practices that reintroduce them will prevent them from coming back.

The science you need

In other words, the science you need for pest prevention is simply knowing what the bugs and weeds need to survive.Changing the habitats and habits that provide them with what they need to survive is a function of good lawn, garden and landscape practices.

If you do the work that needs to be done to the outside of your property, you will solve most of your homes pest control problems, which will reduce the number of insects trying to get into your home.

If your home becomes the source of food, water and cover for insects and arachnids, the same rules apply. don’t leave anything for them to eat, don’t leave anything for them to drink, and stop them from coming inside, and the battle is won. To stop them from coming inside, you need to practice the art of exclusion. Exclusion is where the craftsmanship part of the equation comes into play. It involves plugging holes, repairing screens, sealing cracks, and repairing weather stripping. It is really as simple as that!

Beyond the science of prevention

All the science in the world will not prevent bugs and weeds from becoming a problem. You will need to actually do something to make it happen.  There are a few things you need in order to carry out the work of pest prevention.

What do I need in my pest prevention tool box?

Safety first: Your tool kit should include gloves, protective eye wear, boots or shoes that will protect your feet, and any other safety wear your particular location, or tool, and danger level might require.

A safety tip: Keep edged tools sharp! Sure a sharp tool can cut you more easily than a dull one, but a dull tool is likely to be used in an inappropriate way, and is more likely to cause injury due to excessive exertion and fatigued aggravation! “If the workman does not sharpen the edge, he must put forth more strength.” Solomon

Basic Tools

1. Edged tools, like hatchets, axes, machetes, saws, and anything you can think of to help you clear away brush and weeds from places where brush and weeds don’t need to be.
2. Something to sharpen the tools. In general, that would be a file or a whet stone.
3. A means of transporting brush, weeds, rubbish, and rubble, and other materials, like a cart or wheel barrow.
4. A caulk gun.
5. A hammer.
6. A set of screwdrivers.
7. A pair of tin snips.
8. An extension ladder

These tools will be needed to clear away brush and debris from your property, and seal up cracks and holes in your home.

A list of basic materials would include:

1. Caulk
2. Hardware cloth
3. Stainless steel wool
4. Small nails
5. Any weather stripping, door sweeps, or other types of door and window seals.

These materials are used to seal holes and cracks, and cover vents and other such large openings where pests might gain entry.

As you can see, this list is short, and the operations relatively simple. You probably already own all the tools you need, so, get started!

Pest control can be a complicated issue. The variety of products available, plus natural dislike for insects and rodents, plus the natural fear of the pesticides that are used to get rid of them, plus the wealth of information and misinformation on the subject, all add up to confusion! Let’s break through the fog and look at the subject of green pest control in the light of logic.

Green pest control and integrated pest management

Integrated pest management is the use of the least toxic means of controlling pests, while having the least possible damage, both structurally, and economically, and is a sensible alternative to the more common pest control practices used throughout history. Some versions of IPM however, start at the wrong place, or manipulate the practice in favor of one type of control. Still, one thing is true, no matter where you stand on the issue: Preventing pests, is better than trying to control or manage pests.

Pest prevention and green pest control

Pest prevention is the first and best option for pest control. If pest prevention options are used properly, and effectively, the use of other methods of control is minimal at worst. The need for the use of chemicals felt to be hazardous is greatly diminished. Pest prevention is green pest control by definition.

Natural pest control products and green pest control

Although there is no more natural form of pest control than pest prevention, there are some products available that will work, and that do not rely on synthesized toxins to exterminate pests. These are marketed as green pest control products.  Most of these products are some type of botanical oil which will either kill, or repel the pest without introducing synthetic nerve agents. Do not be misled, pyrethrins, even if derived from natural sources, are still nerve toxins, and high concentrations can have physical consequences. Some botanical, or natural products use these, and some do not.

Related environmental concerns for synthetic and natural products

No matter how safe, and how effective green pest control products, or there synthetic cousins, there is still a downside if you are concerned with the size of your carbon footprint, especially when compared to preventing pests. These concerns are:

• The energy spent on the shipment of raw materials for the product to a factory.
• The energy to manufacture the product.
• The energy spent to ship raw materials for packaging.
• The energy to manufacture packaging.
• The energy to ship raw materials for labeling.
• The energy to manufacture and print labeling.
• The energy spent on storage at the factory.
• The energy spent on shipment to a warehouse.
• The energy for storage in a warehouse.
• The energy for shipping the finished product.
• The energy for displaying in a retail store.
• The packaging could end up in a landfill.

Sonic and ultra sonic pest control

It is the nature of the human being to seek better ways to do things, and a part of our quest to deal with pests always involves trying to build a better mousetrap, or find a better way to deal with insects. There are other products available for pest control which work on some form of sonic or ultrasonic principle, but the effectiveness of such products is still questionable, and the same environmental concerns are still present, and the long term effects on humans have not been studied as completely as we might like.

Pest prevention as green pest control

The superiority of pest prevention is that it requires nothing more than some common sense and basic skills. There are no devices to purchase, no health hazards, no packaging, and no energy spent above the level of what you may use to clean up your property and seal your home, and these are things that should be done anyway. The simple act of sealing your home against pests, will also prevent energy loss. With good pest prevention practices, you get pest prevention, a smaller carbon footprint, and energy savings, and it is hard to be more green than that!

Weeds, brush, and debris feed and hide insects and rodents. These insects and rodents are continually probing for better circumstances, and human housing looks like ideal lodging to them.

Brush, weeds, and debris serve as hiding spots or cover for insects and rodents. Getting rid of brush, debris and weeds around your property will lower the insect and rodent population, which will lower the numbers of creatures trying to get inside.

Lawns and insect cover

Lawns can also provide cover, especially when they are not frequently mowed. Insects and rodents use the grass cover to edge closer to your home. Infrequent mowing allows the buildup of a layer of thatch. Thatch buildup develops it’s own environment, complete with it’s own set of pests, fungi, and problems. Grass mowed at irregular intervals, or with long periods of time between, provides cover for insects, and rodents, and produces it’s own crop. To avoid this problem, regular mowing is essential. Excess fertility adds to the problem, as does over irrigation. Proper lawn care is critical to preventing insects and rodents.

Insect and rodent cover in the landscape

The broad landscape of a property, including trees, outbuildings, landscape beds, and other components also play an important part in preventing pests. Landscape beds in particular can be a problem. The products commonly known as mulch, which are used for preserving moisture, preventing weeds, and insulating the roots of landscape plants, can also provide cover for pests. Mulch may be a necessary part of a home landscape bed, but it does not need to touch the home. If it can be kept 1 to 3 feet away from the home, insects will not use it as a bridge into the home.

Removing cover from your property will lower the insect and rodent population, and provide a solid foundation for other pest prevention and pest control efforts.

Before you let insects get the drop on your lawn, there is a method you can use to determine the likelihood of an infestation or invasion. Consider it a sort of low tech radar warning of incoming enemy troops. You can do this simple test with items you already have around your home. It is called a “soap test.”

Why do a soap test?

Many of the little critters that cause lawn damage are already present before the problem becomes obvious. Eggs are laid on the ground or in the thatch, some are laid in the ground by burrowing insects like mole crickets, and they hatch and live much of their early life in the soil. This method will help to bring them up so they can be counted. Why would you want to count them? Well, so you will know if there are so many of them that you can expect an invasion, and do something about it before the major invasion takes place. The soap test gives you the ability to make a preemptive strike.

The purpose of the soap test is to determine the approximate types and numbers of insects in the soil. This will aid in knowing what we have to deal with, and whether the numbers of insects per square foot warrant treatment.

What you will need for a soap test

Material:

Large coffee can with both top and bottom removed.
Dish soap.
Water.

Solution:

Mix 1 ounce of dish soap with 1 gallon of water.

Method:

• Place the can on the ground and push it partway into the ground.
• Pour in the water, soap mix.
• Wait.

What you will learn:

If there are any pests in the ground, this soapy solution will irritate them, and they will begin to rise to the surface where you can count them and determine whether an infestation is present. This will be determined by what levels of each type of pest are considered acceptable. These rates are usually expressed in terms of numbers of pest per square foot. Specific data on individual pests is available from county agents, various university horticulture and agriculture departments, and other places on the world wide web.

To control pests, like everything else, the best form of control is prevention. Preventive pest control provides a solid base for your entire pest control system, and, if carried out properly, will provide almost all the pest control you will need.

What to check 0utside your home

Frequency: Monthly

1. Check the outside areas of your property for weeds and brush.

2. Check for trash, rubble, and debris. These provide cover and food for insects and rodents. Remove anything found.

3. Check all containers like bird baths, pet food or pet watering bowls for stagnant water, and left over food. If you are feeding more than your pet needs, you are inviting predators to dine on your lawn. If you leave standing water, you are inviting mosquitoes to breed.

4. Check for puddles, and standing water. If you find any, be certain to make and execute plans to provide permanent drainage.

5. Check the effectiveness of your mowing program. Look for the presence of thatch. If the grass is getting a little too high between mowings,  you may need to add an extra mowing day. High grass and thatch allow insects and rodents to move undetected in your lawn, and allows weeds time to mature and replant themselves. See also: Lawn Mowing Tips Mower Size Lawn Mowing Tips Mowing Frequency Lawn And Garden: Less Lawn More Garden

6. Check for tree limbs, shrubs, vines, and landscape plants touching your home. Trim them back if they are. They provide a roadway for insects to get onto, and into your house.

7. Check for holes, cracks, and poorly sealed plumbing, electrical, and communication line openings, and seal any you find with caulk or other appropriate materials.

8. Check doors and windows to be sure that screens fit tightly, that the caulking  joints are in good order, and that weatherstripping and sweeps are are not letting light, and pests through.

9. After these steps have been taken, any outdoor pests remaining can be treated with the appropriate insecticides and herbicides. There should be few if any, if the above steps were taken correctly.

What to check inside your home

1.  Check all entries corresponding to those outside, such as cable, plumbing, and electrical entry, and door and window frames. Make any repairs needed.

2. Make sure that the inside of your home is clean, free of  clutter, and free of food crumbs.

3. Look for signs of insects and rodent entry and activity such as feces, and gnawing marks. Use traps for rodents before using rodenticides if at all possible. Use insecticides sparingly if needed, and then only according to label directions.

See also: Home Pest Control Theories and Practices and Home Mosquito Control And Prevention

Aquatic weeds can be a huge problem for the property owner. If you use your lake primarily for recreational activities, lake weeds can put an end to your fishing, and other water sports in a matter of weeks if the wrong conditions exist. A lake weed invasion can also cause other problems, like pests in general, and mosquitoes in particular.

What is the best way to handle lake weed problems?

That depends on the nature of the problem. If the problem is an overly fertile body of water, you will need to lower the fertility.

Too much fertilizer

Excess fertility can be caused by nutrient runoff ending up in your lake. These nutrients can come from agricultural sites like adjacent farms and ranches existing upstream from your lake, or from over fertilized lawns in your area, which could even be your own.

Low fertility.

Low fertility means that the pond or lake is not getting the nutrients it needs to produce plankton. If plankton is not produced in sufficient quantity to tint the water enough to keep light from penetrating to the bottom, light will reach the bottom, and plants will grow up from it. This includes the filamentous algae that is often seen floating on a lakes surface.

Shallow lakes

Is your pond or lake so shallow that lake bottom gets light, weeds will grow. The best way to solve this problem is by either raising the water level if possible, or dredging.

Weed types

You should also know which category your lake weeds fall into. Are they submersed, emergent,  floating, or algae. There is a difference when it comes to treating them. There is a great tool from Texas A & M to help in the identification process. It is called Aquaplant. Aquaplant is also an excellent example of what a website should be!

Methods of aquatic plant control

Prevention:

This is the very best method for controlling any situation. If you can prevent it, you won’t have to control it or manage it in other ways. It just makes sense.

Biological control:

Most environmentally aware individuals prefer biological controls to chemical controls. There are some problems with that idea. Biological controls can be unpredictable, and run the risk of getting out of control if conditions should change. After all, you are adding another invasive predator into the mix!

Mechanical control:

Mechanical controls are great for some aquatic weed work, but not for all. Many aquatic weeds can reproduce from fragments at rates higher than fifty percent!

Unless you are resigned to mowing your lake as you do your lawn, it is a bad idea to fragment the living plants. If they can be cut smoothly, without much fragmentation causing vibration, and completely collected , that is great, but the problem will return from the roots.

Chemical Controls:

Sometimes, in fact, most of the time, the best weed management method, the most eco friendly method after prevention, is chemical lake weed control. It can, and should be, selective.

Aquatic weed control chemical types

Chemicals for controlling and managing aquatic weeds, fall into two categories:
Contact, and Systemic.

Contact Herbicides

Contact herbicides, work quickly, and kill all the vegetation they touch.

Systemic Herbicides

Systemic herbicides, work more slowly, but travel to the root of the plant to kill all parts of the plant.
Which one should you use? That depends a lot on the conditions, and the plant you are trying to get rid of. For more information on lake weed control types see:

Lake Weed Prevention

Biological Lake Weed Control

Mechanical Lake Weed Control

Chemical Lake Weed Controls

Home pest control by attrition

Most people approach pest control as though at some point, if we kill enough of them, they will eventually go back where they came from.

There are a few problems with this theory:

• Bugs and weeds do not think, they only react, and their reaction will always be the same as long as nothing changes in their environment.
• The bugs and weeds are already where they came from. When we build a home, we are the interlopers in their territory, and we have displaced them. They will always try to get it back.

Pest control by attrition is a life long commitment to the war against “bugdom”. It is a series of battles that will go on forever, unless something is done to modify the environment. We are occupying territory that they once dominated, and they are always trying to reclaim it!

Home pest control by prevention

In order to make any progress in keeping our property free from these pest insurgents, we have to make our property less inviting, and less accessible to pests. In other words, we must modify our environment to favor us and not the pests. We must make it difficult for pests to gain entrance, and difficult for them to survive. We must create an environment that:

• Denies them what they need to survive.
• Exposes them to natural predation.
• Seals them out.

That is pest prevention in a nutshell.

The practice of home pest prevention

There is a logical sequence that should be followed for controlling home pests by preventing them. The practice involves removing the things that insects and rodents need to survive from the outskirts of your homes environment.

1. Start by clearing away any brush, weeds, rubbish, or rubble from your property. That is what insects use for cover, and for food. If you remove the cover, they will fall back to the next available cover, which will probably be your neighbors yard, so, you might want to share this with your neighbors. Now move toward your home. Remove the things that provide cover throughout your lawn, and mow your lawn more often. I know it is a pain, but it really helps. If the grass is high, insects and rodents use it to provide cover for getting closer to your home.
2. As you move closer to your home, look at your trees. If they are hanging over your roof, or touching your roof, they are providing a way for pests to get to the top of your house, so, trim them back. Don’t just cut the ends off, but trim them back to a lateral branch. If you do this improperly, you could cause an increase in pests, and disease in your trees. Keep your own safety in mind, use ladders cautiously, and pay special attention to power lines.
3. Your landscape beds next to your home are an important area for your pest control efforts. The typical landscape bed is a hotbed for pest activity. Keep vines away from the walls, they provide a road for insects. The same is true for the shrubs in the bed, they should be cut back a foot or more from the wall. Landscape mulch should be kept at least a foot from the homes exterior. This is not standard landscape practice, but it needs to be done.
4. Regulate your irrigation carefully. Too much water invites all sorts of critters into your place. Too little can weaken the lawn, and invite weeds to live in the place of the lawn grasses and landscape plants.
5. Now, to the exterior of your home. Seal everything! cracks, openings around doors and windows, replace worn weatherstripping, caulk around frames, caulk around all pipes, wires, cables, inlets, and anywhere else a bug might get through. Make sure all eve and soffit vents are screened. The same goes for your dryer vent.
6. Do the same inside, with all the corresponding areas. Almost every hole in the outside will have a corresponding hole in an inside wall, and they should all be sealed.

Consider a lawn and landscape makeover

While going through this process, you should also consider major modification to your entire lawn and landscape. Don’t let the word major bother you, this is one area where a little change can be done over a long period of time, and have a major impact, without huge expense. In fact, this could save you money in the long run.

Encouraging natural predation can help lower insect populations. This can be done by adding native trees and shrubs, where lawn once existed, and replacing non natives with native plants in the existing landscape. The native plants will be less susceptible to pests, and the native birds will have more of a reason to hang around and eat the remaining bugs. See: Lawn And Garden: Less Lawn More Garden for more information.

Prevention is always the best means of control, and with mosquitoes, prevention offers the only control that is remotely successful for home mosquito control.

Pesticides offer only limited control for a limited time, mosquito misters are falling under increasing scrutiny, repellents are only moderately successful, and are often dangerous for the user, mosquito magnets and other types of mosquito traps are limited to the ones that are already hatched, and do nothing to stop the larvae, nets and screens are also limited in scope.

There is nothing wrong with any of these methods, they are all helpful in their own way, but they all fall short because they do not deal with the problem at it’s root. To ultimately win the battle against mosquitoes, and the diseases they transmit, attrition will not work. They can always reproduce faster than we can kill them! To win, we need to keep them from becoming a problem to begin with.

Home mosquito control through prevention

Mosquitoes, like any other type of pest, prefer certain habitats. In the case of the mosquito, they need:

• Water for larvae to hatch and grow.
• Cover to avoid predation.
• Blood for reproduction.

Eliminating any of these, will stop reproduction in your area.

Water:

If you have puddles of standing water, buckets, tubs, or any other receptacle for water on your property, mosquitoes can find it, and use it against you. If receptacles are the problems, dump them, and make sure that they can no longer hold water. If the problem is standing water in low spots or puddles, provide a way to drain the water either through surface drainage, that is, fill the low spots and holes, or sub surface drainage, such as a french drain, or a pipe drain with a catch box. If you use the catch box and pipe drain, make sure that the grade on the system is consistent, so that water doesn’t accumulate in the pipe. This could cause mosquitoes to use it as a basin, and become a home for other pests.

Don’t just look at the ground, there are other areas which might hold enough water to encourage mosquito populations such as home gutter systems, which should of course, be cleaned and maintained frequently.

If the water problem is a pond or lake on your property, the problem is not only water, but also cover. In fact, it probably has less to do with water, than with cover.

Cover:

If ponds or lakes exist on your property, you obviously do not want to drain them to get rid of mosquitoes, but you can reduce the amount of cover available. High weeds, and shallow water around the shallow edges of a pond should be removed. If filamentous algae, or pond scum as it is commonly called cover a large part of the body of water, the mosquitoes have a perfect habitat. They have water easily available for producing young, they have blood available from the animals that come to the water to drink, and they have cover in the water for protection from the fish who would otherwise dine on them! Skimming off the algae, or otherwise eliminating it will remove the cover, and and allow the fish to do their job.

If mosquitoes are exposed to natural predators, the predators work very well as a biological mosquito control method. If the predators can’t get to them, they can’t eat them. If you have brush and weeds around your home, it gives mosquitoes a place to hide from the things that like to eat them. It also gives them a place to find small animals for the blood needed for reproduction. If you eliminate hiding places like brush, weeds and high grass, you will drastically lower the population by exposing them to predation by their natural enemies.

Blood:

The female needs a blood meal to produce offspring. That may often come from you! Sometimes it comes from small animals. Reducing the availability of water and cover, reduces the numbers of small animals present to feed the hungry female.

Off site mosquito problems

If you paid attention to the mosquito prevention information above, and followed the suggestions, most of your problem with mosquitoes is gone. There are however, other circumstances that can allow mosquitoes to be a problem for you and your family, and some of them may not be within your means to control. This could include such problems as swampy areas on adjacent properties, or ponds and lakes that exist nearby, and are not properly maintained.  Even if this is your situation, you should still use the home mosquito control methods mentioned above, which will still eliminate most of the problem, and then concentrate on the things you can do about your off site problem.

Neighbors and Officials

Talk with the people who own the adjacent property about the problem. Do this before contacting public health officials. See if there is something that can be done by the owner before involving officialdom. If not, that is your next step. Encourage them to practice long term control rather than short term controls like pesticides. It will cost them less in the long run. If they are reluctant or obstinate, explain the health and public safety issues involved.

Prevention is the most natural of home mosquito control methods because it denies them what they need to thrive and reproduce, and exposes them to natural predators like birds, bats, and fish. These natural predators are the next step in our mosquito control system, biological control.

Biological mosquito control

Biological mosquito control is the next best step in home mosquito control, after we have used the best prevention methods. You have modified the habitat to work against the mosquitoes, now, you should modify the habitat to work in favor of their predators. This can be done by providing shelter and other encouragements for such predators as birds and bats. This can mean providing food sources like natural, native plants that birds enjoy, and a source of clean water like a fountain, or a well maintained, non stagnant bird bath. Bats require the same things. Bird and bat houses differ, but are fairly easily attained.

Other home mosquito control measures

In small areas where water cna not be drained immediately, a light spray of mineral oil over the surface of the water will prevent mosquito reproduction.

There are botanical products available which are effective in killing the mosquitoes that find their way to you. These, used in conjunction with a sound prevention program, work well as a backup.

Mosquito misting systems with plant oils offer a usable tool when used with prevention.

More natural, and native style gardens may offer answers to some of the difficulties  facing the homeowner. Traditional lawns require a lot of resources like extra water, fertilizer and pesticides to keep them looking the way we have grown accustomed to seeing them.

Good landscape planning using native trees, shrubs and ground covers may produce more efficient results. Perhaps even backyard wildlife habitats will become the gardens of the future as we head toward predicted times of more water use restrictions for lawns. The cost associated with traditional lawn irrigation can be expensive as well. Having a huge lawn and not having the water available to irrigate it could become a big brown ugly fact of life in many states.

If lawn care costs are getting you down, you might consider this idea from the “green” community: To be more green, have less green! By less green, we mean less turf covered area. Turf grasses are pretty efficient at cycling water and nutrients if they are fed and watered properly, and they do a good job of providing clean oxygen, but most of them are not native to our area, no, not even Bermuda grass, and they require more nutrients, and more water than other types of plants in order to maintain that lush green color we all love! They also require an inordinate amount of pesticides compared to trees, shrubs, and ground covers.

This extra cost and attention results from the need to modify the environment to allow a non native species to thrive in it. Sometimes the modifications can be relatively small, but in many cases they become nearly all consuming.

Planting native trees and shrubs can be a nice alternative, and offer a little relief for your pocketbook in these tough times. There are even some pest control benefits if you plant the right combination. If birds are attracted to your yard, they will handle a lot of your pest control for you!

You don’t even have to suffer the ravages of massive lawn and landscape renovation projects to accomplish this. Renovation can occur over a long period of time, gradually allowing and encouraging a more native habitat to take over the non native habitat. The results can be amazing.

Native habitat advantages

Natural, garden like habitats are:

• Less thirsty for water beyond what the weather in an are naturaly provides.
• Less hungry for extra nutrients.
• Less likely to suffer from weather conditions in your area.
• Less likely to be destroyed by pests.
• Less likely to attract pests.
• Less likely to attract non native predators.
• Less likely to cause biodiversity problems.
• More likely to thrive.
• More likely to attract native species which eat pests.
• They will not escape into the wild and displace other natives.

Just because it is cold, and there are no lake and pond weed problems visible, does not meant that the lake and pond weed problems you had last year have disappeared.  They are busy under the surface, soaking up nutrients, gaining energy in each node, preparing for that first warming, chlorophyll forming sunlight to get through when spring is sprung. The sunlight is the problem. Not that it is bad, but if it can reach the lake bottom, weeds will grow. Even pond scum starts at the bottom.

The weeds are preparing, but what are you doing to prepare for your battle with them?

To give yourself an advantage in the weed wars, there are a few things you can do during this season, at least if you are living in the warmer regions of the country.

Pond and lake pH

Check your lake or pond’s pH. If the pH is lower than 6.8,  it is too low to support the plankton algae bloom that prevents sunlight from reaching the bottom of the lake during the warm season. Even if you don’t have lake weed problems, low pH should be resolved. The single cell algae that colors your water green also provides food for the micro invertebrates that feed the bugs and the fish that eat them. This plankton is the beginning of the visible life cycle in your pond or lake.

Lime

You can solve your low pH problems with agricultural lime. If the lime is spread evenly over the bottom of the reservoir, it will provide a barrier to the acidic elements rising from the bottom. This can be done from a tractor and fertilizer spreader set to a headland setting if the body of water is small enough for the spreader to reach halfway.

If you are industrious and want to drain your lake or pond, you can apply the lime directly to the bottom. Draining the water is not necessary though, since the lime will eventually drift through the water to the bottom, and settle there.

Lime can also be spread with shovels from a plywood sheet on the top of your favorite boat. This can be a lot of work. A pump and hose can be used to wash the lime from the plywood if you want to make the job physically less taxing.

One of the nicest innovations of our time is liquid lime which can now be purchased at many agriculture supply stores. You simply purchase the required amount for your acreage, and apply it from your watercraft. It can be poured slowly into the prop wash, or you can poke several holes in the bottom of the container, loosen the lid, and pull it behind the boat until the container is empty. If you use this method, you will need to criss cross the lake several times to assure even coverage. The water will turn a milky white so it is easy to see where you have been.

Treating now with lime will aid any lake fertilization program you use during the warm season.

Dredging

If the reason you have lake weeds is that your reservoir is shallow, that is, under 2 feet deep in places, this is a good time of year to dredge to increase the depth. Water depth is a key factor in lake weed control. Once again, sunlight is the key. The deeper the water, the less the penetration, and the fewer the weeds.

Lake structure repairs

This can also be a good time of the year to repair docks, boat houses, boats, and any other equipment you use in or on the water. So, replace those weak boards and rails, repair the lift, and repair that boat or motor now while you have the time, and in the spring, all you will have to do is enjoy the fishing!