I think you should ask your neighbors for a copy of the pesticide company's invoice which should show what chemicals were sprayed today. If they won't give it to you, call the company and ask them for the name of the chemicals. Then you can research those chemicals to determine whether you need to worry about long-term danger to your soil or garden food during the rest of the summer. It seems likely that at least some of the chemicals blew over onto your yard, and obviously the pesticide company employee thought that was happening or he would not have warned you to go inside and take your dog with you.

I don't see any reason why you couldn't talk with your neighbors about your concerns. They have a right to spray their own home and property, but if it's going to affect you, too, you should be able to talk about it with them. If you were to learn that the chemicals used are dangerous to human beings (especially children, elderly, or those with allergies or otherwise compromised health) or pets, and shared that information with them, they might even appreciate your interest, as long as you share it in a spirit of neighborliness and concern, not anger.

You might also research whether there are any local laws requiring pesticide companies to post warnings during and after spraying outdoors. Some cities require that. If there is such an ordinance and the company didn't post the required flags, I'd report them if I were you. You don't have to tell your neighors that you're making that report.

My neighbors on both sides use chemicals. One side uses chemlawn, the other brings out a 4-wheeler with a big tank on the back and sprays roundup around the fence (of course my lawn and garden blow theirs away).
I spoke with each of them, expressed my concerns and they were both gracious and willing to accommodate my "weird" gardening habits. They, of course, can do what they want to their property but both neighbors are trying to keep the sprays away from the property line.

Our past (and first) next-door neighbors were a family with a father who sold herbicides as a living. Soooo yeah, they used 'em. But they were nice enough people and all that. :) About a year or so ago they moved and now we've got new neighbors- just a couple, they spray too.

Actually, neighbors spraying bug the crap out of me and I HATE that time of year when they all do it and you can't take a relaxing walk without smelling it. Most of them are nice people, though, so... We had neighbors with kids who lived nextdoor about three years ago and they didn't spray, and now we've got a new family there (the dad probably takes a little can of the stuff and sprays in the front lawn, but seems to leave the backyard alone).

I always worry about the stuff leaking over because there's no real barrier between our lawns, especially after rain, but I never see anything over here seeming to be affected...

I've always been afraid to talking to anybody about it because people are so dang touchy about it being "their property" and whatnot... Some neighbors are more than others. Hmm.

I would brew a fresh batch of compost tea and spray my entire yard. The microbes in the tea will devour any chemicals that have leached/strayed into your yard, and the tea will help your plants grow better. I live on a farm where our land is leased to a cotton grower each year. Needless to say, they spray all year long, and not just for bugs either. However, when he sprays, I spray. The farmer is kind enough to make sure the wind is correct to blow away from our home, but I spray anyway. Since compost is used to clean up toxic spills/waste, I am sure whatever your neighbor sprayed can be nullified with a good compost brew.

As to weather to talk with your neighbor, why not? Communication about your concerns should be welcomed and open, IMO. Of course, you know your neighbors better than I do, so your best judgment will go a long way. You may be surprised to learn your neighbor may not be aware of any possible danger they have put themselves in. An approach with open-mindedness and respect should go a long way, and may possibly set the stage for a safer environment between you both. Better to know either way is my thinking.

One thing to keep in mind; if you do spray your lawn, you may be in for some extra cutting of the grass this year. Compost tea is a great amendment, and it does make things grow. Add to that the fact that it may rid your property of possible dangerous chemicals, and give you a peace of mind. I trust this helps in some wayÂ

Blutranes

In NY, there is a growing trend among counties to enact NNL's (Neighbor Notification Laws) concerning pesticide applications. Individual counties must adopt a local law to "opt in" to the NNL on their own. To date, there are 10 counties (including NYC and all 5 boroughs) that have signed on.

Since your home is close to your neighbors, it is reasonable for you to let them know the way you feel. If you have obtained the pertinent information from the company who sprayed, concerning what they sprayed, it would be easy for you to give printed out info about dangers/health issues to your neighbor concerning what they just applied to their property. Google searches on the health issues associated with the chemicals used will give you enough ammo to make them think twice.

The positive side of spiders and other beneficial insects should be noted to them, too.

In the end, they will either dismiss you as a "tree hugger" (a truly proud mantle to wear), or consider you a neighbor with a legitimate concern that should provoke a little thought on their part.

Let us know how it goes. Good luck!

The day after our neighbor sprayed I found a bunch of jet black dead cicadas around the yard. Usually when they die they keep their colors. Scary stuff, it got rid of the carpenter ants in the fence tho.

She's a self-admitted bug phobe and sprayed for SPIDERS! ARRRRRGGGHHHHH! Jokes on you honey, cuz the spiders came over to my house as a self haven, love em! And YOU are gonna get even MORE bugs ultinately.

Well for the last week I have been hand picking Japanese Beetles off my corn and Hibiscus because the neighbors sprayed and off course it is only a side street away from my garden they come over. My neighbors already know I am trying to be totally organic. They moved in about 3-4 years ago. They always have used 10-10-10 and stuff like that but they always have bug problems. We really dont because we are vigilant. But there is no courtesy there at all. I take the small satisfactions in having the good bugs and healthy plants. The right way. Try the compost tea for sure that will help. Good luck.

Some organic practices (like spreading steer manure) are offensive to non-organic type people. (it can stink.)

I would prefer the smell of steer manure to spratyed chemicals, personally, but we're all in this together and should try to get along ---

A friendly open discussion of your concerns seems best. Be prepared that they might not be too happy with some of your practices (my neighbors are not thrilled with mine.).

Beyond Pesticides http://www.beyondpesticides.org/ is a great place to do research on whatever chemicals your neighbors are using. You can print out the information and give it to them. If they have children or animals they need to know that they will be affected by the chemicals even more than the adults in the family. A crawling baby will come into contact with the chemicals when they are tracked into the house on other people's shoes, for example. If you can suggest organic alternatives that work, that might help. For example, the Garden's Alive product "Wow" for lawns instead of Weed and Feed, which contains 2,4D, which is an ingredient of Agent Orange.

If none of this information makes any difference, can you talk to them about at least trying to keep the poison on their side of the fence? As if that were ever possible!

It is a private property issue. If you feel otherwise and can prove actual damage, then you can file a civil lawsuit take them to court. You cannot sue a person over "concerns" whether founded or unfounded. Here in New Hampshire a judge would laugh it out of court.

Who said anything about suing over concerns?

I believe everyone in this thread has said a friendly chat with the neighbor was the best way to address the concerns.

My point was that it's not a private property issue when the pesticide isn't confined to one's own property/person.

"My point was that it's not a private property issue when the pesticide isn't confined to one's own property/person."

The point is that unless you can prove damage to you or yours then what ever they do on their property is their business. So yes, it is a private property issue as long as they are within the bounds of the law.

Look, I personally choose to use organic methods but I'm not going to start a range war over the fact that some folks don't. A lot of guys I know that are picky about their lawns and use chemicals on them are not going to want to hear about not doing it.

You might as well tell them you're offended that they drive a car.

Well said, cobalt_blue

The neighbor is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his property. He is also entitled to conduct his private lawful business on his property as he sees fit. That includes spraying his house for bugs as he wishes. The neighbor hired an exterminator who the law presumes to be competent otherwise he would not have passed the license exam.

Unless she actually saw pesticide being sprayed on her property however, that is just a guess. If I was the neighbor I would say, "I'm sorry you feel that way but I have an insect problem and I am using a licensed pest exterminator to take care of it. And will continue to do so in the future if the need arises" It would be a brief, polite discussion.

I really don't understand this sudden thrust toward rights, private property and law suits. Nobody is suggesting any such thing.

A neighbor is using pesticides and someone else is concerned. The suggestions are to research the chems used and have a friendly conversation.

Where things turned to right and lawsuits I don't know.

There is a chemical lawn company where I live called Tru-Green/Chem-Lawn. I used them years ago. Then my golden retriever died at the age of 7 with a body riddled full of cancerous tumors. I had saved the sheets they gave me listing the chemicals used and looked at the studies that had been done on them. One of the chemicals appeared fairly benign. It was tested on mice, pigs and other animals and was very low in toxicity. There was, however, one exception. It was associated with a sharp increase in tumorous cancers in canines.

The trained, licensed applicators didn't know this and neither did the office manager (or so they said).

Home much less knowledgeable is the average homeowner who hires this task out to professionals?

Often times doing some homework on the chemicals used will either reassure the one concerned the chems aren't that bad or the opposite will occur and one will be problematic enough that the neighbor might cease the pesticide applications.

Either way, a little homework and a polite conversation is all that is usually necessary. No law suits are suggested, it doesn't make for good neighbor relations.

Perhaps I misunderstood your position before. Since you now seem to agree with me that a property owner has every right to spray his property, there is no need to discuss the property rights issue any more.

Then on the neighborly relations level is the "mind your own business" factor. As in, live and let live: do not provoke a confrontation. Sound like there is already some bad blood betwen them from the OP: "But I'm a little peeved. They never told me that they were going to spray and I think it is because they know I grow my edibles organically ..."

Let me share an anecdote of my own: My neighbor hires a landscaping company to mow his lawn and last week I noticed they mowed onto my yard over the property line and snapped one of the sprinkler heads right off so it was spewing a geiser of water. That was an actual cost to me, if I had a landscaper do it, it would cost $60 to replace the head. This is actual damages. I did not go to the neighbor and hand him a bill and raise a stink and I did not go to the landscaper and raise a stink. Why? Because I am a good neighbor. I let it pass. I fixed it myself and put up a red landscaping flag next to the new sprinkler head, so the guy will see it next time. This is actual damage mind you, not "maybe a bit of spray got on my pristine organic garden that is right over the line from my neighbor".

I outlined the polite conversation I would have with the OP were I her neighbor. It would be along the lines of "no dice" but delivered in a more cordial and neighborly fashion of course.

I would definetly water a little extra each day to wash away the chemicals qicker. also I would have picked the tomato's before they had a chance to absorb the chemicals. Luckily neither of my neighbors spray for anything infact they know how against it I am and have been over for organic pest control advice...

I would think a little common courtesy would go a much longer way with me. I went to take my dog for a walk this a.m. and I see this big giant truck parked alongside my neighbors house with a guy "blanket spraying" pesticide all over their lawn. We pretty much share a yard since we have a duplex. I don't have a problem with what they are doing, it is their lawn; HOWEVER, I'm a little p/o'd to the fact that they didn't even warn me that pesticides would be sprayed this a.m. Had I known that, I would not have taken my little puppy for a walk, I would have brought my kids toys and the puppy's toys inside and I would have worn a mask. I have severe asthma. I think being a good neighbor is someone who would say "heads up, I don't care whether you like it or not, but I have pesticides being sprayed on my lawn tomorrow just to warn you". That's just plain common courtesy to let a neighbor know that and pure ignorance to not let them know. Just my 2 cents................

Sorry about your golden retriever dying of cancer but that breed is extremely cancer prone. Most of them get cancer. Hard to say that Chemlawn had anything to do with it or not, in your case.

As you know, Golden Retrievers have a high incidence of cancer, with a 1998 Health Survey (http://grca.org/healthsurvey.pdf) indicating that 57% of females and 66% of males will be affected. While many types of cancer are elevated in the breed, approximately half of the totals are lymphoma (1 in 8 Goldens) and hemangiosarcoma (1 in 5 Goldens)

Here is a link that might be useful: 2/3 of male golden retrievers get cancer

I agree that there is no way to know for certain why the dog got cancer at the age of 7 (golden retriever/yellow lab mix BTW). However the chemical in question ( I really wish I could remember what it was) was found to cause tumorous cancers and the dog had over a dozen tumors in her respiratory system and one in her head that destroyed her eye.

She was a grass eater.

The signs tru-green puts in the yard say to keep off the lawn for 24 hours after application, but what I realized too late is that only applied to contact residues.

For dogs (and toddlers) that like to eat grass as mine did the grass is essentially an edible crop and all bets are off in terms of how long one has to wait before the lawn again becomes safe to eat.

So, no, I can't prove it was the lawn care company's chems, but I don't have to prove it as I have no intention of suing anyone. It was my wake up call to fire chemical care companies and start researching everything I was using in the lawn and gardens.

My research had, quite honestly, alarmed me. What alarms me most is how little relevant information the government requires companies to provide on their labels, but even that doesn't alarm me as much as the number of home owners who are using chemicals they know nothing about.

Just this past weekend I learned of another person who hosed their yard with RoundUp and didn't realize it wasn't just a weed killer. That person got a very expensive lesson in the necessity to at least read the provided label ;-)

I shudder to think of the produce being given to the food banks to feed the poor grown by gardeners using pesticides they haven't read the label on so their usage exceeds the permitted amount or the waiting period wasn't followed or god forbid, the grower didn't even realize (because the label wasn't read) that they were using chemicals unsafe for use on edibles.

I guess you could say irresponsible pesticide use is a pet peeve of mine. ;-) It can affect far more than just the owner of the property.

NNL(Neighbors Notification Laws) is really great advice from largemouth. My Golden Retriever is 13 years old still spry and has all her teeth, her Mother died at the age of 18. But,when all is discussed and done, information is power. Research your local ordinances go to your local township meetings and bring awareness to other neighbors too. The advice of printing off the information of pesticides is also great power to have at these meetings to it will bring awareness to the whole community.

Let's keep the political activism to a bare minimum shall we?

kubotabx,

To my eyes, there isn't political activism occurring. If you believe it is, please report it to the moderators for them to investigate.

Sorry, it wasnt meant to be political. It was meant to be organic. When we go to a County, Township or a Lake Association meeting we always grab one of each of most of the paper fliers and information sheets, and that would give people a bit of information that may sway their belief in some of the pesticides their using. I honestly apologize. I am deeply sorry you took my babble wrong.

Hi, I am confused by the political reference myself. Telling people to be informed and inform others is to be preferred over apathy and ignorance, isn't it? I believe the politics that we are supposed to avoid on Gardenweb are more of the 'you're so dumb, how could you support the president/certain political party/particular political view/whatever' sort.

As for neighbors spraying, we are supposed to be concerned about it according to our state Dept. of Natural Resources. I live across from a field and down the road from others in all directions. We are advised to have our well water tested once in a while for atrazine and other herbicidal residues due to the close proximity of farm fields under continuous cultivation.

Marcia

How about building a solid fence on the property line to keep fertilizers/lawnmowers/pesticides from hitting your property?

Good fences make good neighbours.

If you happen to have breathing problems or allergies, you could tell your neighbours that whatever is being sprayed is causing health problems for you and work out some sort of solution with them.

(The problem with Agent Orange wasn't the 2,4-D, it was the dioxin produced as a byproduct in the manufacturing of the other herbicide, 2,4,5-T.

And Robert Frost's opinion on fences is NOT that "good fences make good neighbors", but rather:

Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
"Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down!" )

Hell there are worse things you are probably already eating from the grocery store and all that junk in our food. Think about daily plastic products you use that can leech into your body, like your flexible plastic shower curtain as the hot water heats it up.

See im on the other side but.ima jerk because its been like 5 years and our house is infested w every bug that I know them all from meely, silverfish, earwigs, lacewigs, spring tails. Never did before but know em now because i see them constantly near me all times of year, anytime i look. I am sensitive to energy but still its ridiculous. Mice. Flies like u wont believe. I have an indoor zapper and the rats... they are some brazen sob. See i dont care about laws or anything like that but i will do my homework and be respectful to make sure what I put on their nasty garden is safe... Its grandules and idk if they are organic...im anti pest so we both been compromised, far as i can see. Especially when my husband is on his car while his brother hold trash can with 2 rats in it and my husband looks crazy blasting b bs at like 2am like that but we are over ran to the point i see 2 or 3 rats every time i look outside for a min...day or night. My toddler is always yelling "i see Lil animals out here" .so im over it. They dont want what i give but i don't want what i got so far..ohh they can't speak English but they are nice. Probably wouldn't mind but hard to explain its not toxic on food

I am 74 and have asthma and neighbor is spraying his car about 2 or maybe 3 feet off from my yard and the fence is about 6 feet away Is there anything that can be done?