…it’s an Integrated Pest Management tool!
[Note added after-the-fact: this was a tongue-in-cheek bit of hyperbole – kind of like “it’s not just a Job, it’s an Adventure.” Did not mean to imply that it actually IS an IPM tool. Very badly worded. Hence the beating I took in the comments. Live and learn.]
Fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are a pain in the bottom for commercial greenhouse growers. The adults are more of a nuisance than anything else –it just looks bad when a customer picks up your 6” pot of pansies and a bunch of little black gnats take flight. It’s the larvae that are problematic. Adult females lay the eggs in especially damp growing media, and the newly-hatched larvae feed on the roots. There’s both direct damage and also speculation of easier infection of root-borne pathogens, of which there are plenty.
Fungus gnat larvae, just making a living…
Standard control measures include insecticide drenches, biological controls including a specific strain of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis – sold as GnatrolTM), nematodes, etc. One of the easiest control measures is the one I teach my students: to not over-water, i.e. “grow dry”. But that can be difficult in a big greenhouse range with many different-sized containers, all which drain/dry out at different rates. Propagation houses also have high humidity levels and have to stay moist for rooting/germination purposes and are thus favored by fungus gnats.
Entomologist Dr. Raymond Cloyd of Kansas State University and his group were intrigued by Master Gardener anecdotes of dryer sheets repelling mosquitoes, though no research had been done. Could your common Bounce sheet also repel other pests? And, to take it a step further, what, exactly, repels them? The answers are “yes” and “lots of volatile compounds.”
Their study was published last month in the journal HortScience. Honestly, I’ve never seen descriptors like “controls static cling” and “gives clothes a fresh scent” in a Horticulture journal. Hee! Plus the researchers made it clear this experiment specifically used Bounce Original Outdoor FreshTM. Still kind of humorous, but really good science and the part that’s usually overlooked in the translation to a News Story. Do NOT extrapolate results to include Bounce Spring Fresh, Fresh Linen, and certainly not Downy or Snuggle brands.
The study had a simple design, releasing lab gnats (ha!) into a many-chambered container and observing to which chamber the gnats gravitated to (or away from). There were five different variations on this theme, including an alluringly soggy media sample; when the sample of fabric softener sheet was introduced, they stayed away in droves. All five experiments showed a fairly drastic aversion to the sheet. To determine what was fending off the gnats, they did a steam extraction on sheet samples and ran the condensate through a gas chromatograph – mass spectrometer to measure the volatiles.
Figure from Bounce® Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets Repel Fungus Gnat, Bradysia sp. nr. coprophila (Diptera: Sciaridae), Adults. Raymond A. Cloyd, Karen A. Marley, Richard A. Larson, and Bari Arieli, HortScience Dec 1 2010: 1830–1833
Well, there you have it. Linalool is a monoterpene alcohol found in lavender, basil, and coriander, and is known to be toxic to mites and insects. Citronello is another monoterpene and lends lemony-freshness to lemon balm, pennyroyal, and rose geranium and has short-term “repellent activity against mosquitoes.” Benzyl acetate, though not specifically mentioned in the results, is another natural fragrance compound, found in jasmine – and is also an industrial-strength solvent. One man’s solvent is another man’s perfume. Or fabric softener. I bet their lab smelled GREAT, by the way.
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So where do you put the dryers sheets? On the top surface?
I am wondering the same thing. I grow my own veggies from seed in the winter to plant in spring and summer.
The old housewives way to kill them is a cup with apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish detergent. It works.
Maybe I should start using lavender in the chicken coop to discourage leg mites. I’ve been using rosemary. I’ll have the freshest smelling chickens in town.
From an IPM education standpoint, I have a problem with this post. Promulgating an off-label use of a product is a definite no-no in my book. As a mechanism for study to see what compounds may be usable in a future repellent formulation, fine, but absent EPA testing and proper labeling, there are a host of potential unintended consequences.
Ray is correct. This post is for information on research only. Do not try hanging sheets of Bounce Original Outdoor FreshTM around your seedling trays to keep away the fungus gnats. (But if you do, let me know if it worked.)
Since Bounce…… is not labled as a pesticide to begin with, can its use as a deterrent/repellent rather than a poison be prohibited? I’d like to know what the host of potential unintended consequences may be?
Not labeled as a pesticide
Precisely the problem. What directions are to be used, then, when used as a pesticide? Remember also that according to the EPA, repellents are a pesticide. Reminiscent of the hoopla surrounding the use of vinegar as an herbicide:
http://aenews.wsu.edu/Oct02AENews/Oct02AENews.htm#Vinegar
If any material claims to kill pests (weeds) it becomes a pesticide, no matter who does the “claiming.” We cannot make a recommendation for an unregistered pesticide. Okay, so what if the material does not claim to be a “pesticide,” it is simply a “food grade 20% solution” (normally) sold to those who make pickles? Can we recommend it then? The answer is again, NO. As Ms. Sturgess pointed out, making lists of 20% vinegar outlets is tantamount to directing people to use an unregistered pesticide.
Is there an MSDS for Bounce? Compounds are volatile and being used in an enclosed space. Any PPE recommendations? Reentry restrictions? Does size of greenhouse matter? What’s the LC of linalool in combination with the other ingredients? Have they been tested with fertilizer combinations? What’s the maximum amount to be used? What’s the minimum effective rate? How do these compounds compare with existing compounds for effectiveness?
What if maker of Bounce changes its ingredients/percentages/etc.?
What are the legal impacts in potential violation of FIFRA? Liability issues?
Not labeled as a pesticide
If any material claims to kill pests (weeds) it becomes a pesticide, no matter who does the “claiming.” We cannot make a recommendation for an unregistered pesticide. Okay, so what if the material does not claim to be a “pesticide,” it is simply a “food grade 20% solution” (normally) sold to those who make pickles? Can we recommend it then? The answer is again, NO. As Ms. Sturgess pointed out, making lists of 20% vinegar outlets is tantamount to directing people to use an unregistered pesticide.
Boy, reading the above comments I fear for our country.
Liability issues? That’s why billions are wasted each year on labels, Jackpot justice and greedy lawyers.
It’s a damn dryer sheet!!
Use your head, try it at the base of the pot, or draped over the side, don’t suck on it, stuff it up your nose or any other body cavity.
Our gene pool is going to hell ’cause we’re protecting idiots.
Love this post, finally someone with some brains.
I’m sure there is an MSDs sheet for Bounce. You’ve listed a lot of questions but what are the potential consequences? How likely are these consequences? Would the hazzard in an enclosed green house be any greater than the hazzard in an enclosed laundry room? I doubt that bounce sheets will be used in commercial operations. Whats the likehood the causual home user would be exposed to any greater levels of the chemicals than with normal use? I’m with you Karen.
I’m not promulgating an off-label use, and neither were the researchers. I’m reporting on a study I found interesting; the authors note all the normal caveats that this is simply exploratory especially to which compounds might be causal, more work has to be done etc. etc. It was the first step in following up on anecdotal info with real research.They DID NOT suggest that it should be actually used, nor did Bounce, nor did I.
I interpreted ” …it’s an Integrated Pest Management tool!” as a suggestion to use it as such. The first two commenters also sought further directions, and their unanswered queries played in my decision to comment as I did.
I had no intention to offend, condescend, or play nanny. Apologies if I came across that way.
As I’ve said before, IPM is not well understood by the public, and any suggestion that a product unlabeled for use as a pesticide could be used as a tool in an IPM approach remains, in my mind, problematic. I look forward to hearing from Dr. Daniels.
The author clearly did not intend that the booboisie use Bounce to repel unwanted gnats on their own plants. (Read the “Kids: Do Not Try This at Home” sign.) Testing volatiles to repel undesirable insects is a valid first step in determining *which* compounds best and most safely achieve that goal. (The carcinogen benzene is a common volatile organic compound, too. Get it?)
The research produced positive results that could lead to further research or recommendations.
In any case, animal testing notwithstanding, not all of us consider Bounce and a plethora of other volatiles used in household products to be safe, regardless of whether they are “natural” or “organic.” See http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html. Slightly off-topic (and slightly on-), why is the average consumer so eager to introduce volatile chemicals into their own
habitat?
On a personal note (on short-term effects only), whether the volatile compound comes from Bounce or Febreeze or my organically grown rosemary plant, I have to dash for the asthma rescue inhalers, which have their own toxic effects.
Interesting. Wouldn’t a cotton ball infused with these herbal/ essential oils pretty much offer the same results?
Karen is my hero!
Ray, Lighten up buddy….Yer draggin everyone down…..
Jeez! Hanging the sheets over your propagation trays will probably expose you to less volatiles than putting the sheets in your dryer. Just because something hasn’t been kissed by EPA and research universities doesn’t mean it can’t be used in an IPM program! Tim’s right Ray, yer draggin’ us down!
If dryer sheets weren’t grandfathered in, they’d never be approved now. They are far more detrimental to human health than most of the silly things people worry about. Home fragrances, including laundry fragrances, are a much larger source of indoor pollution and VOCs over the long term than pretty much anything the EPA has banned, like high VOC paints.
In defense of Ray (who is a university volunteer) and all of us university employees, we can’t recommend home remedies that are not registered for pesticidal use in our respective states. That’s just the way it is. Universities have a legitimate concern with liability – the last thing we need is to get sued.
I’m sure there is an MSDs sheet for Bounce. You’ve listed a lot of questions but what are the potential consequences? How likely are these consequences? Would the hazzard in an enclosed green house be any greater than the hazzard in an enclosed laundry room? I doubt that bounce sheets will be used in commercial operations. Whats the likehood the causual home user would be exposed to any greater levels of the chemicals than with normal use? I’m with you Karen.
would like to know more related to these questions.
Be sure to read the January 6th post about home remedies and recommendations by university faculty. We are held by fairly strict regulations about what we can and cannot recommend to the public in this regard.
love you Karen! It’s the voice of common sense that rings true…awesome comment.. 😉
on the money Karen. 3 cheers for Karen
well said Karen.
Karen for president!
Well, well. What ever happened to common sense. There has never been anything written about anyone being overcome with any toxic fumes being emitted from the laundry sheets being heated up in dryers, (excluding smell sensitive people). I mean millions upon millions have used those things in every country on earth. Not a one has been overcome by the chemicals being emitted by the heat of the dryer. I won’t include it into my salad at dinner, common sense again. Hanging it in the air around your plants, being exposed to ambient air temperatures seems okay. After all heating it up doesn’t hurt us in obvious ways. I am an old man and I would like everyone to be safe as well as anyone else. Stop, please people. Common sense. I have been exposed to so many harmful chemicals and lived to be an old man. Hahahahahah getting excited over bounce hanging in ambient room temperatures. Now if they put it into the soil then we have another set of common sense rules we can create. Ha. I am glad I never lived with the type of intellectual fear some of you have. Although I am sure most of you have higher IQ’s than mine. Quit trying to be so right all the time, it’s a drag. Maybe an appropriate response would be, curiosity. david
Actually, it does hurt many people. Some are hurt severely enough to have immediate and severe reactions. Others don’t realize why they feel vaguely stuff-nosed and itchy or get headaches in certain rooms. IT’s not the fresh linalool that’s the problem but rather what happens when it is oxidized. It can be both a topical and respiratory allergen, and chronic exposure induces allergic reactions.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12084079
http://www.echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13626/attachment_2_linalool_en.pdf
so, where do you put the fabric sheets? If your going to tell a story tell the whole story!
I have orchids in my bathroom. Recently replanted all and having a gnat problem. Did not use soil, only the orchid potting mix. So, in a few minutes, going to put a sheet on windowsill to see what happens. Don’t use Bounce, so gonna try what I have. But, will definitely pick up a box of bounce next time I am at store. Overall, this entire discussion took up way too much of someone’s time.
I was totally in awe of the amount of hoo-ha this post generated. Much more exciting than the actual post.
Teana,I’m no expert on Bounce, I was just reporting some interesting research I came across. Not making any recommendations AT ALL.
Andie, I CAN, however, guarantee a fresher-smelling orchid, bathroom, and fungus gnats.
Just curious, how did you all stumble across this? Five comments in one day almost a year after the original post?
http://www.stylelist.com/2012/01/03/5-new-uses-dryer-sheets_n_1180860.html?ref=stylelist-home&ncid=webmail7
Please, People, you put these smelly, nasty, waxy things in a dryer,(the wax is what keeps the cling down) and it goes on your clothes that you wear next to your skin. How much more harm could be done if you put a sheet or two on your plants in the house. And don’t forget, the box with the sheets is sitting open in your laundry area!
Actually, I don’t, as it would cause me to itch constantly and two other people in my family to break out in hives and have problems breathing.
Linalool is highly sensitizing and is listed as such by the EU. I wouldn’t promote a working environment for anyone that maintained a high linalool content in the atmosphere. The health consequences could be literally life-changing. Linalool is used in so many cleaners that an acquired sensitization can make living in society quite challenging. I’ve known people with severe turpene sensitization, and that was bad enough! This is really quite irresponsible.
Honestly… I was just seeing if this left over fabric softener would kill weeds in a rock bed when I stumbled across this page.
I did hope the panties that were wadded up by some of the comments …. well… were dug out. Panty wads can be uncomfy. Though softer with Bounce Original Outdoor FreshTM. LOL