Late winter or early spring is not too early to think about pest control in the home landscape. Remember that many of those problems pests are actually spending the winter on or near the plants they will infest during the next spring. One way of getting at these pest early is the use of horticultural or dormant oils.

These oils are specially formulated products or pest control and differ from motor oil or vegetable oils used for cooking. Horticultural or dormant oil is a very good chemical that has minimal impact on the environment and usually has little effect on beneficial insects in the landscape. Dormant oils target overwintering pests such as scale and certain mites. The oil acts by suffocating the pests.

One precaution with the use of horticultural or dormant oil it that it should not be applied during extreme temperatures. Avoid applying oil when the temperature will drop below freezing the day before or the day after application. Also, avoid application if the temperature will rise above 90F. As will all chemicals, be sure to read and follow label directions when applying and make sure the plant you are treating is listed on the label.

By treating pest in the overwintering stage you can avoid a potential outbreak later in the season.

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