Pesticides are any product intended to prevent, destroy, or repel a pest. Pesticides are more than just herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Pool chemicals, rodent or ant baits, and cleaning products that sanitize or disinfect are also considered pesticides.

Pesticide safety education is important because pesticides impact lives in many ways. Pesticides are used to improve food and feed yield and quality, protect public health, and control pests in our homes. Their safe use is essential to protecting human and environmental health.

Invasive species are organisms that spread from their original range, creating destructive populations in new areas. Early detection is key for control. Spot a new insect or weed? Send a specimen to your extension service for ID. More info: buff.ly/4gG417e

Hands and forearms get the most exposure when working with pesticides. Gloves reduce that exposure. Using a florescent dye, this applicator shows the protection that gloves offer. Take time to look at your pesticide products to make sure you have the correct gloves to stay safe.

As spring approaches, it's time to plan your garden! Start with pest management by using pest-free inputs like weed-free mulch and disease-free plants. Remember last year's pests and stay ready to scout for them this season!

Weed of the Month - Grape Hyacinth Grape hyacinth may be a popular garden plant for its colorful blooms in early spring. However, this perennial plant can become invasive if not managed. This plant can even be considered a weed in wheat and soybean production.

Start of Season – IPM With spring right around the corner, beware of broad-spectrum products for your home lawns and ornamental beds. Purchasing products ahead of time or applying them before pests are present is not always the best plan. You may be harming beneficial insects.

As the weather finally starts to warm up, it's time to think about pre-emergent crabgrass control. The rule of thumb is that if any yellow flowers are left on the forsythia bushes in your area, you still have time to put down pre-emergent crabgrass control.

Weed control By this point in the spring, most of the weeds have germinated and begun to grow. Now is the time to control them. Use good weed and feed products, and remember to withhold mowing and irrigation for at least 24 hours to allow the product to work.

With all our recent rain, mosquito populations are running strong now. Minimize bites by steering clear of shady, still-air mosquito habitats, wearing long pants or long sleeves, using repellents, and eliminating still-water breeding habitats like this flower pot drain tray.

Prickly lettuce has spines under its leaves & produces a milky sap—easy to ID. Mature plants are tough to pull due to a deep taproot. Clip back now to stop seed spread, and plan to monitor for new growth next year.

Many insects and relatives can invade homes throughout the summer, especially if the weather goes to extremes of temperature or moisture. While they are a nuisance, they generally are not harmful and will not survive for long indoors.

Raising your mowing height during extreme heat helps protect your lawn!.Taller grass shades the soil, reduces moisture loss, and promotes deeper roots. Stay cool and mow smart. Mowing the grass too short can harm your turfgrass during extreme heat and drought.

While bees are the best-known pollinators, other insects can also be effective pollinators, like this swallowtail butterfly pollinating common milkweed. Maintaining a diversity of native flowering plants helps most pollinators. Video by Jamie Kopco

The emergence of 17-year cicadas may be loud—but the real damage comes after. Females lay eggs in small tree limbs, causing “flagging” (wilting or breakage). Young trees are most vulnerable.

🚨 It's time! ⏰ If you're planning pre-emergence grub control, now's the window to apply. Pre-emergent grub products like work best before grubs hatch—typically late June to early July in many areas. Irrigating after applying is crucial.

Join Penn State's Pesticide Education program at Ag Progress Days – Pennsylvania’s premier outdoor agricultural event! This event will continue on Wednesday and Thursday, August 13 and 14th. Explore the latest in ag research, equipment, and innovation.

As summer rolls into fall, yellowjackets can be at their most bothersome. Minimize encounters at picnics and barbecues by keeping food and trash covered as much as possible and promptly cleaning up any messes.

Seasonal home invaders like stink bugs, seed bugs, boxelder bugs, and Asian lady beetles have begun to migrate to winter refuges, including buildings. Keep them out by sealing up places they use to enter or by hiring a pest control company to treat potential entry points.

After a hot, dry PA summer, your lawn’s probably begging for help. September can be the perfect time to overseed, aerate & feed it back to life. Cooler temps + fall rains = prime recovery season. Let’s get that green back.