The Greco-Romans are the progenitors of much of our culture. Besides aqueducts, lead plumbing, asbestos curtains, and functional forms of government, they had wonderful representations of human flaws. The ancient Roman personification of treachery and fraud was the goddess Fraus. She is depicted in artwork and described as having the head of a woman, the body of a snake, and the tail of a scorpion. The Romans could not have come up with a more pertinent and apt description of the snake oil seller that feeds on our insecurities. At first it appears pleasing and trusting, then we slowly unravel it to reveal venomous stinger waiting to dig into our flesh and our bottom line.

I wanted to address the issue of faulty and misleading products and provide a few tips to help you the PCA or the grower to avoid this pitfall. Experienced growers and PCAs will already know, but it’s nonetheless a good reminder. A few principles can help you avoid the lessons learned from the pain of existence.

The following is a list of cues and clues to avoid the ruse of the peddler of solutions to all manner of misfortunes.

1. The product contains a secret ingredient that is both safe and efficacious. It is so novel that you cannot be told what it is.
2. It works great on [insert insect or disease]!
3. It operates on a newly discovered principle or method. If the pitch involves lots of scientific sounding jargon, be wary. If they mention magnets or enzymatic action, run!
4. Lots of purported environmental benefits, usually unverified.
5. Check to see how long the company has been in existence, where is it headquartered? Remember that FTX, the faulty cryptocurrency exchange, was based in the Bahamas.
6. Run a check on the person proposing the solution, what does it say on their LinkedIn?
7. If it sounds similar to the pitch of a weight loss supplement, run!
8. Makes too many claims (not only does it control insects, but also disease; it also improves shelf life and flavor, etc.)
9. Uses testimonials instead of replicated studies to back up claims.

Here are the questions you should ask and actions you need to take if your spider mite senses start to tingle:

1. Do you have an EPA registration number? If not, what about OMRI listed?
2. Do you have an MSDS?
3. What’s your pesticide broker license number? What is the pest control dealer number?
4. Do you have data to show me that was conducted by reputable scientists?
5. Verify testimonials by calling the quoted person.
6. Have you used the product and where? What crop?
7. Who specifically have you sold this product to? Immediately contact said person to confirm.

If you are still unsure or want to do your due diligence, please contact your extension agents, a trusted PCA, and the Strawberry Center and ask. The collective knowledge of these organizations will be helpful in protecting your pocket. But asking questions should be enough to repel these folks away from you.

Remember buyer beware, it’s better to lose a sock rather than losing your shirt.

This blog post was inspired by a newsletter from Gerald Holmes in 1994 and the author’s own experiences with the agents of Fraus.