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And with good reason too. The 'non-organic' pesticides don't come with high recommendations in their interactions with other species, fish and man among them. They also have been implicated in damage to other species further up the food chain of the pests you are trying to eradicate. Insects are preyed upon by other insects, birds and rodents and the insecticide you spray today will persist (in fact, is formulated to persist!) and does not simply vanish. The insecticide sprayed today will become a hazard to other species.
And with good reason too. The 'non-organic' pesticides don't come with high recommendations in their interactions with other species, fish and man among them. They also have been implicated in damage to other species further up the food chain of the pests you are trying to eradicate. Insects are preyed upon by other insects, birds and rodents and the insecticide you spray today will persist (in fact, is formulated to persist!) and does not simply vanish. The insecticide sprayed today will become a hazard to other species.
The organic pesticides, on the other hand, are often thought of as 'safer, kinder' because they do not persist. Most of them are only active while still wet. But even at that there are problems. Most organic pesticides are non-pest specific, so while they won't be killing anything tomorrow, they will kill any insect that comes in contact with it while it is still wet. Honey bees, which have been high on every gardener's mind because of the wholesale destruction of hives through out the US, can be killed off wholesale by spraying an organic insecticide at the wrong time of day.
The organic pesticides, on the other hand, are often thought of as 'safer, kinder' because they do not persist. Most of them are only active while still wet. But even at that there are problems. Most organic pesticides are non-pest specific, so while they won't be killing anything tomorrow, they will kill any insect that comes in contact with it while it is still wet. Honey bees, which have been high on every gardener's mind because of the wholesale destruction of hives through out the US, can be killed off by the hundreds by spraying an organic insecticide at the wrong time of day. (Even though insecticides specify to spray early in the day or late in the day to avoid direct sun on a freshly sprayed plant, most conscientious gardeners choose to spray only in the evening when the honey bees have all returned to their hives for the night.)
Grow a healthy plant. Pack the garden with diversity and try to have blooms throughout the growing season to attract lots of insects. If a garden is blessed with a large number of insects of all different species, chances are the insects themselves will keep populations in check. And there is nothing more natural than allowing insects to control themselves.
Grow a healthy plant. Pack the garden with diversity and try to have blooms throughout the growing season to attract lots of insects. If a garden is blessed with a large number of insects of all different species, chances are the insects themselves will keep populations in check. And there is nothing more natural than allowing insects to control themselves.
In a nutshell, that is the basic idea of natural insect control.
Natural insect control uses a wide variety of of 'tools' to deal with insects. The most important 'tool' is to know the insects and wildlife in your area. Information on the pest's (and the pest's enemies) life cycle, mating habits, choice of food and other characteristics can clue a gardener on ways of dealing with the pest. Most practitioners of natural insect control try the following:
# Grow healthy plants - the plant must be given a good chance to live with proper sun and proper water. Insect infestations are often nature's way of killing off unhealthy organisms.
# Allow for some damage to your plants without over-reacting. Pests exist in the world and there will be some around at all times. Decide what is an acceptable level of damage. In an ornamental plant, that level might be quite high if it is common, quite low if the plant is rare. In edible plants, the matrix would be similar based on one's perception of the food value.
# Encourage the largest possible variety of wildlife, including insects, in the garden to find a balance. The gardener with the most insects probably has the least problems with insects because the competing interests of different species keeps populations in control. Having something in bloom during the entire growing season will encourage many beneficial insects to stay close and they are one of the best tools for pest control.
# Avoid spraying until the last resort.