CHAPTER 11 - The Best Control 2

we die. Check out magnesium in Chapter 41.Magnifying Glass - Useful in inspections, diagnosis and bad boys use them for “burning ants.”Maintenance - Proper maintenance prevents pests from entering and removes conditions conducive to infestationinside and outside.Manage - Take charge; make a plan and then implement it to correct the problem(s).Manroot, Wild Cucumber (Echinocystis fabacea) - Powdered root is toxic to European cornborer larvae andother insects.Manual and/or Mechanical Removal - can be an extremely effective tool in your IPM toolbox. Remove pestsby hand. Control weeds by hoeing and/or mulching. Use vacuums to simply suck up pests.Manure - One of the oldest and most effective fertilizers known to man. The problem is not insufficient manure,but its misuse and/or contamination. See Composted Chicken Manure, Get Set Grow.Manure Tea - Healthy, well nourished plants resist disease and insects better than sick, hungry ones.Margosa (Azodirachta indica) - Roots of this plant are toxic both to soil nematodes and the larval hatch ofnematodes.Marigolds - The non-herb marigolds and African marigold (especially Tagetes patela, T. patula, T. erecta) rootsmay kill or repel (root lesion) nematodes, wireworm, verticullium wilt, potato eelworm and other pests. All marigoldsare excellent companion plants to repel insects, e.g., asparagus beetle and Mexican bean beetles, fromyour garden. The marigold blossoms attract hover flies which attack aphids and the blossoms are attractive. W.Coles writing in his book Adam in Eden or Nature’s Paradise published in 1657 noted the juice from marigoldflowers (Tagetes) “dropped into the ears, killeth worms.” When marigolds are planted as a rotation crop, theyleave secondary compound residues that act as phytoalexins. Plant marigolds around your home or in yourgarden and many flying insects will avoid these areas. See Calendula.Marshmallows - (Althaea officinalis) Any wild mallow flower is an excellent compress for a wasp sting. Marshmallowscan be used to trap armadillos.Mayonnaise Jar - use a large 1-gallon mayonnaise jar with a screw top lid; install/secure a 1/2” - 1” plastic orcopper crook neck pipe (an upside down j) through the top of the lid extending into the jar 2” - 3” and above thejar 5” - 6”; put 1 egg mixed in 1 cup of milk into the bottom of the jar - you will catch flies usually without odor.Mealy Bug Destroyers - Look like black, 1/8” ladybugs with orange-red heads. Adult mealy bug destroyers willeat certain stages of scale insects, aphids; they are very partial to mealy bugs.Measure - Do not simply pour out a “glug” or assume or guess - measure. Measure twice — cut once.Mechanical Barriers - can be used to prevent the access of many pest species.Mechanical Pest Controls - Use natural or physical controls first, e.g., hoes, swatters, traps, caulking, exclusion,repairs, decoys, sanitation, step on the bugs, birds, bats, toads, handpicking, fences, sanitation, screens,doors, doorsweeps, bacteria, mowers, fans, vents, predators, parasites, washing, drying, vacuuming, etc. tokill or remove pest problems. In 1763, Linnaeus won a prize for an essay he wrote under the name C. N. Neinon how caterpillars could be removed from orchards. He suggested both mechanical and biological controls.Medicated Body Powder - lightly sprinkled controls most crawling insects.Melaleuca (Melaleca alterniflora) - Melaleuca oil is anti-fungal and anti-microbial and gives relief to ache andinsect bites. This oil can cause stains, contact dermatitis and can harm cats.413