What are Natural Insecticides?
For centuries farmers have had to rely on natural insecticides as a means to control Insect infestation. With the onset of synthetic insecticides, as a means to ensure bumper crops for our commercial farmers, most did not look past their success in controlling insect infestations.
In light of various studies throughout the years scientists have found that many commercially produced insecticides have been hazardous to the food we eat, the water we drink and have been linked to some form of cancers and birth defects within humans and wildlife.
We all know that it is better for the environment and to ourselves to look to nature for a means to control insect infestations. But what are natural insecticides? In general natural insecticides are a derivative of plants that have been known to repel or kill insects. Often many of these natural insecticides can be grown within your garden and can be a lovely addition to your landscape.
One of the most commonly known and most widely used is made from a plant that resembles a Daisy. Pyrethrum, which is of the genus chrysanthemum family, is one of the most commonly used natural insecticides. One of the drawbacks of using this plant as a natural insecticide is that it kills all insects the good insects as well as the bad ones.
This natural insecticide is often spread as a dust form or as an emulsion, and one should take precautions by wearing a breathing mask if dusting it around your yard or in the garden, as this could cause a breathing irritation.
Another natural insecticide is Rotenone. Which is produced in certain South American plants and it is normally applied as a spray for the fruits and row crops. It is lethal to aphids, cockroaches, houseflies, and mosquitoes.
In small doses this is not harmful to humans however it was originally used in South America to stun fish and make them flow to the surface of a stream or pool. Considering that there are other natural insecticide alternatives it may be wise to avoid this form of natural insecticide as it could potentially runoff into our water systems.
The problem with any insecticide is that the majority of them are broad based and will kill the good with the bad. Often some of the best natural defenses come from the good insects and some of these broad based natural insecticides cannot tell the difference between the two.
It has been known that using natural insecticides takes a bit more diligence and planning compared to using synthetic insecticides when trying to control insects within your yard and garden. Natural insecticides do have their limitations such as easily being washed away after rain; some lose their potency in direct summer heat and will need to be reapplied more frequently than synthetic insecticides.
You might have to try several different types of natural insecticides or combinations of natural insecticides in order to find what will be effective for your needs, but the rewards to our planet and to ourselves outweighs the instant gratification of synthetic insecticides. It may take a bit more work and elbow grease but it is very much worth the effort to use natural insecticides as a means of insect control.
