Our daughter, who lives in Nevada with her family, had enrolled in a Master Garden Class. last year. The fourth class of six was given by Dr. Robert Stauffer the author of ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PEST CONTROL c..2002 TRAFFORD Publishing, Victoria, B.C., Canada.

She sent me copies of the first handouts he gave to the class with a promise to get the above manual . The book's goal is to bring common sense measures to the control of pests and plant diseases. He defines the word ENTOMOPHOBIA as “the UNREASONING FEAR of insects “ The author believes this fear may be a major factor in the use of pesticides by homeowners and owners of businesses The goal of this publication is to reduce “pest problems to an acceptable level through natural means”.

To begin with, Dr Stauffer stresses the importance of evaluating pest problems before using pesticides. When necessary, alternative control choices are available in an array of materials. Careful consideration the author urges should be given to the ecological and biological effects; the target pest itself; and the natural enemies and non-target organisms that may be affected in the control measure. In other words, common sense vs unreasoning fear is the order of the day!

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Dr Stauffer studied at Pennsylvania State University, where he received a bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees. He did post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan, the University of Colorado and Harvard University. He resides presently in Las Vegas , NV.

He dedicated his book to Penny, his 15 year old dog..”who lost several years of her life because of a cancer which was a result of my flagrant use of pesticides”.

Dr. Stauffer's book covers the history of pest control using both natural and chemical controls dating back to 3000 B.C. He then relates environmentally friendly approaches in the 111 page book from ANTS to WHITEFLIES; to BROAD SPECTRUM CONTROL; BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF PESTS; PLANTS THAT CONTROL PESTS; NON-CHEMICAL PEST CONTROL and ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FUNGICIDES. Also included are weed control measures and plant diseases Also, the 3 _ pages of Bibliography for further study and reference should satisfy those persons who seek to minimize toxics in their environs.

Thanks to Dr. Stauffer, our daughter and her husband who did use chemical insecticides for insect control in their Nevada environment, find the natural control very effective and non-toxic for their family of four plus their dog, Dusty.