Pest Control Professionals

Pesticides & Water Quality

Pest control professionals in San Mateo County play a critical role in keeping pesticides out of our local creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. We need your help to protect our waterways from pesticides that may be mobilized during storm events after being applied.

Water quality monitoring data in San Mateo County Show ongoing toxicity impacts in local creeks related to the application of structural pest control products, including pyrethroids and fipronil, among others. Because of this, we encourage all pest control professionals who work in San Mateo County to adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to help minimize the negative effects on water quality and aquatic life.

About Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a strategy that emphasizes less-toxic control solutions that have the least environmental impact to keep pests at acceptable, low-levels. As an ecosystem-based strategy, it focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and nontarget organisms, and the environment.

IPM programs combine management approaches for greater effectiveness. The most effective, long-term way to manage pests is by using a combination of methods that work better together than separately. Approaches for managing pests are often grouped in the following categories.

• Biological Control: Biological control is the use of natural enemies—predators, parasites, pathogens, and competitors—to control pests and their damage. Invertebrates, plant pathogens, nematodes, weeds, and vertebrates have many natural enemies.
  
• Cultural Control: Cultural controls are practices that reduce pest establishment, reproduction, dispersal, and survival. For example, changing irrigation practices can reduce pest problems, since too much water can increase root disease and weeds.
  
• Mechanical & Physical Controls: Mechanical and physical controls kill a pest directly, block pests out, or make the environment unsuitable for it. Traps for rodents are examples of mechanical control. Physical controls include mulches for weed management, steam sterilization of the soil for disease management, or barriers such as screens to keep birds or insects out.
  
• Chemical Control: Chemical control is the use of pesticides. In IPM, pesticides are used only when needed and in combination with other approaches for more effective, long-term control. Pesticides are selected and applied in a way that minimizes their possible harm to people, non-target organisms, and the environment. With IPM you’ll use the most selective pesticide that will do the job and be the safest for other organisms and for air, soil, and water quality; use pesticides in bait stations rather than sprays; or spot-spray a few weeds instead of an entire area.

IPM Certification For Pest Control Professionals

IPM Pest Control Operators in San Mateo County

Pest control professionals in San Mateo County play a critical role in keeping pesticides out of our local creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. Below are pest control companies that use IPM strategies and service the San Mateo County area. Note – the Flows To Bay program does not endorse these companies or their practices, but provides the list as an informational resource to the public. If you are a certified IPM business and are not listed below, please fill out the contact form below with your company’s certification information and the information you would like listed on this site.

Safe Pesticide Disposal

Pesticides are considered household hazardous waste and must be taken to your local hazardous waste facility. Please note that empty containers are not hazardous waste and can be recycled. Leave the lids off so waste haulers can see that the container is empty and non-hazardous. Never dispose of pesticide rinse water in any indoor or outdoor drain.