One of the most difficult things to control in any garden are the many and varied little creatures who appreciate your plants for attributes other than their beauty. Calling in an air strike from a spray gun loaded with noxious, deadly chemicals is pretty effective, but at what price?
Plants managed to survive for a few years before pesticides came onto the scene. So there are other ways of controlling garden pests that are a little less dangerous.
Resistance
A healthy plant has its own defenses against attack, the stronger and healthier the plant the better the defenses. Make sure that you take care of the plant an it will be better prepared to fend off attacks.
Shifting the target
Where possible, move the location of your plants. This can be very effective as the pests that over-winter within the plants proximity will emerge in the spring to find their source of sustenance gone.
Bring in reinforcements
If it's alive then something will like to eat it! Do your best to encourage the right predators and let them take care of the pests for you.
Variety helps the balance
Stick with one type of plant massed into a single area and you are inviting trouble. Vary your planting and this will control the spread of pests.
Physical traps and barriers
It's not subtle but a net can provide 100% security against birds and a slug trap filled with beer will send most of our slimy friends to an early alcoholic demise.
Not for the squeamish
Aphids and other small insects don't react well to being pressed between two fingers and your average slug has little natural resistance to a well placed size 10.
Organic pesticides
As a last resort, a number of substances are acceptable to some organic gardeners. Soft soap in solution contains only natural products and can be quite effective against aphids and other small insects. Other combinations of allowable substances are becoming available as garden centers and companies react to public demand.
Showing posts with label pesticide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pesticide. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Natural Insect Repellent - Repelling Insects The Natural Way
Insects are an natural part of every home. In the air, carpet, counter or cupboard, every home shares it's resources with these tiny, often unseen invaders. Pesticides are available for most common household insect pests, but these potent chemical compounds may be more harmful to you and the environment than the pests.
Here are some natural, non-toxic ways to control household insect pests.
Ants
The first line of defense is to remove the attractants: keep counters free of crumbs and sticky spots. Cover the sugar and put the honey jar in a plastic baggie. Cut off water sources such as drips or dishes left soaking overnight.
If the ant invaders persist, try these simple measures:
Microscopic dust mites are everywhere in the home - in our beds, clothing, furniture, book shelves and stuffed animals. For people with allergies or asthma, dust mites are a problem.
Here's how to reduce the dust mite population in your home:
The best defense against cockroaches is a clean kitchen and bathroom. If roaches are a problem in your home or apartment, vacuum well and wash the area with a strong soap. Dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag in a sealed container.
Also try:
Fleas usually gain entry to your home through your pet or visitors' pets. For every flea on your pet, there may be as many as 30 more in the pet's environment.
Before reaching for pesticides, try these safer choices:
The first line of defense against mosquitos is to seal their point of entry. Mosquitos are most active in the early morning and early evening. They seek areas of still air because they are hampered by breezes. Close windows and doors on the side of your house which are opposite the breeze. Then try:
The active ingredient in most chemical-based mosquito repellents is DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), developed by the US military in the 1940s. This powerful chemical is absorbed readily into the skin, and should be used with caution.
Common side-effects to DEET-based products include rash, swelling, itching and eye-irritation. often due to over-application. For safer use, consider the following:
Thai lemon grass
(Cymbopogon citratus) is a natural and effective mosquito repellent. It contains the natural oil, citronella, which is safe and effective; in fact, lemon grass citronella is considered more effective than true citronella as an insect repellent.
You can buy Thai lemon grass at garden centers and supermarkets, and it grows readily into a clump about 30 cm across and about half a metre tall. To use as a mosquito repellent, break a stalk off from the clump, peel off the outer leaves, until you find the scallion-like stem at the base. Bend the stem between your fingers, loosening it, then rub it vigorously between your palms - it will soon become a pulpy, juicy mass. Rub this over all exposed skin, covering thoroughly at least once. You can also make a tincture using alcohol, for spray applications. Plantings around the patio will also help repel mosquitoes.
Flies
Moths
Silverfish prefer damp, warm conditions such as those found around kitchen and bathroom plumbing. Start by vacuuming the area to remove food particles and insect eggs. Silverfish can be easily trapped in small glass containers. Wrap the outside with tape so they can climb up and fall in. They will be trapped inside because they cannot climb smooth surfaces. Drown them in soapy water. The best preventive control is to remedy the damp conditions. Nontoxic silverfish traps are also commercially available.
Here are some natural, non-toxic ways to control household insect pests.
Ants
The first line of defense is to remove the attractants: keep counters free of crumbs and sticky spots. Cover the sugar and put the honey jar in a plastic baggie. Cut off water sources such as drips or dishes left soaking overnight.
If the ant invaders persist, try these simple measures:
- Keep a small spray bottle handy, and spray the ants with a bit of soapy water.
- Set out cucumber peels or slices in the kitchen or at the ants' point of entry. Many ants have a natural aversion to cucumber. Bitter cucumbers work best.
- Leave a few tea bags of mint tea near areas where the ants seem most active. Dry, crushed mint leaves or cloves also work as ant deterrents.
- Trace the ant column back to their point of entry. Set any of the following items at the entry area in a small line, which ants will not cross: cayenne pepper, citrus oil (can be soaked into a piece of string), lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds.
- Mix a half teaspoon each of honey, borox, and aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet, etc.), in small bottles. Place bottles on their sides, with lids off, in areas of most ant activity. Ants will carry the bait back to their colonies. Important: use indoors only; must be kept away from pets and children.
- Leave a small, low wattage night light on for a few nights in the area of most ant activity. The change in light can disrupt and discourage their foraging patterns.
- Ants on the deck? Slip a few cut up cloves of garlic between the cracks.
- Clove oil-based commercial ant deterrents are available online.
Microscopic dust mites are everywhere in the home - in our beds, clothing, furniture, book shelves and stuffed animals. For people with allergies or asthma, dust mites are a problem.
Here's how to reduce the dust mite population in your home:
- Vacuum mattresses and pillows. For people with sensitivities to dust mite allergens, dust mite bedding is available with zippered, allergen-impermeable encasings designed to block dust mites.
- Wash bedding at 55 degrees centigrade or higher. Detergents and commercial laundry products have no effect on mites unless the water temperature is high.
- Keep books, stuffed animals, throw rugs and laundry hampers out of the bedroom of allergy sufferers. Wash stuffed animals occasionally in hot water.
- Tannic acid neutralizes the allergens in dust mite and animal dander. Dust problem areas with tannic acid powder, available at health food stores and pet centers.
- Cover mattress and pillows with laminated covers which prevent penetration by dust mites. Avoid fabric-covered headboards.
- Cover heating ducts with a filter which can trap tiny dust particles smaller than 10 microns.
- Avoid using humidifiers. Dust mites thrive on warmth and humidity.
The best defense against cockroaches is a clean kitchen and bathroom. If roaches are a problem in your home or apartment, vacuum well and wash the area with a strong soap. Dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag in a sealed container.
Also try:
- It is a little known fact that roaches like high places. If you put boric acid on TOP of your kitchen cabinets (not inside), if space allows between ceiling and cabinets, the roaches will take the boric acid to their nests, killing all of them. Boric acid is toxic by mouth - keep away from children and pets. more info about boric acid
- Diatomaceous earth is a safe alternative which can be sprinkled in areas where roaches congregate, especially hidden areas such a cabinet tops and behind appliances. Harmless to people, the tiny particles cut the waxy exoskeleton and kills the insect within 48 hours. For a week or so after the treatment, the dehydrating insects will search more actively for water. Therefore, do not be surprised if you see roaches more often after the treatment. Most roaches should be killed within two weeks of application. more info or to purchase
- Catnip is a natural repellent to cockroaches. The active ingredient is nepetalactone, which is non-toxic to humans and pets. Small sachets of catnip can be left in areas of cockroach activity. Catnip can also be simmered in a small amount of water to make a "catnip tea" which can be used as a spray to apply around baseboards and behind counters. This natural repellent should only be used in homes without cats!
- (A site visitor who has tried this sends the following comments)
- Keep a spray bottle of soapy water on hand. Spraying roaches directly with soapy water will kill them.
- In an empty half kilo coffee can, place 1 or 2 pieces of bread which have been soaked thoroughly with beer. Place in areas known to have roach infestations.
- Leave bay leaves, cucumber slices or garlic in the affected area as deterrents.
- The fruit of the Osage orange tree, the hedgeapple, is a natural roach repellent. Leave one hedgeapple per room for effective deterrence up to two months. You can learn more about hedgeapples for pest control at hedgeapple.com.
- Non-toxic roach traps are commercially available.
Fleas usually gain entry to your home through your pet or visitors' pets. For every flea on your pet, there may be as many as 30 more in the pet's environment.
Before reaching for pesticides, try these safer choices:
- Bathe and comb your pet regularly. Use mild soap, not insecticides. If fleas are found on the comb, dip the comb in a glass of soapy water.
- Citrus is a natural flea deterrent. Pour a cup of boiling water over a sliced lemon. Include the lemon skin, scored to release more citrus oil. Let this mixture soak overnight, and sponge on your dog to kill fleas instantly.
- Add brewer's yeast and garlic, or apple cider vinegar, to your pets' food. However, it is not advisable to use raw garlic as a food supplement for cats.
- Cedar shampoo, cedar oil and cedar-filled sleeping mats are commercially available. Cedar repells many insects including fleas.
- Fleas in the carpet? The carpet should be thoroughly vacuumed especially in low traffic areas, under furniture, etc. Put flea powder in the vacuum cleaner bag to kill any fleas that you vacuum up, and put the bag in an outdoor garbage bin.
- Trap fleas in your home using a wide, shallow pan half-filled with soapy water. Place it on the floor and shine a lamp over the water. Fleas will jump to the heat of the lamp and land in the water. The detergent breaks the surface tension, preventing the flea from bouncing out.
- In the yard or garden, plant fleabane (Fleabane Daisy Erigeron speciosus) to repel fleas. This is an annual growing 16-24" tall with violet, daisy like flowers.
- Nontoxic flea traps are available commercially.
- Flea Control Nematodes can be used to control fleas in outdoor areas your pets frequent.
The first line of defense against mosquitos is to seal their point of entry. Mosquitos are most active in the early morning and early evening. They seek areas of still air because they are hampered by breezes. Close windows and doors on the side of your house which are opposite the breeze. Then try:
- The most important measure you can take is to remove standing water sources. Change birdbaths, wading pools and pet's water bowl twice a week. Keep your eavestroughs clean and well-draining. Remove yard items that collect water.
- In a New England Journal of Medicine study, oil of eucalyptus at 30% concentration prevented mosquito bites for 120.1 minutes, while Bite Blocker with 2% soybean oil kept bites away for 96.4 minutes. (the eucalyptus oil must have a minimum of 70% cineole content, the active therapeutic ingredient.) Citronella, a common alternative to DEET, performed poorly, warding off bugs for only 20 minutes.
- If you're using the barbeque, throw a bit of sage or rosemary on the coals to repel mosquitos.
- An effective natural bug repellent, mix one part garlic juice with 5 parts water in a small spray bottle. Shake well before using. Spray lightly on exposed body parts for an effective repellent lasting up to 5 - 6 hours. Strips of cotton cloth can also be dipped in this mixture and hung in areas, such as patios, as a localized deterrent.
- Neem oil is a natural vegetable oil extracted from the Neem tree in India. The leaves, seeds and seed oil of the Neem tree contain sallanin, a compound which has effective mosquito repelling properties. Neem oil is a natural product and is safe to use. Look for new Neem Oil-based commercial products on the market.
- Planting marigolds around your yard works as a natural bug repellent because the flowers give off a fragrance bugs and flying insects do not like.
- Campers often report that the very best mosquito repellent is Avon Skin-So-Soft® bath oil mixed half and half with rubbing alcohol.
- Safe, nontoxic pheromone-based mosquito traps are now commercially available.
The active ingredient in most chemical-based mosquito repellents is DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), developed by the US military in the 1940s. This powerful chemical is absorbed readily into the skin, and should be used with caution.
Common side-effects to DEET-based products include rash, swelling, itching and eye-irritation. often due to over-application. For safer use, consider the following:
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that repellents used on children contain no more than 10% DEET. Parents should assist children in applying DEET-based products.
- Lotions can be applied more effectively than sprays. Only a thin layer should be used.
- Be careful to avoid areas near the eyes or mouth.
- Wash skin exposed to DEET after coming in from mosquito areas.
- Minimize exposed skin areas by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, if possible.
Thai lemon grass
(Cymbopogon citratus) is a natural and effective mosquito repellent. It contains the natural oil, citronella, which is safe and effective; in fact, lemon grass citronella is considered more effective than true citronella as an insect repellent.
You can buy Thai lemon grass at garden centers and supermarkets, and it grows readily into a clump about 30 cm across and about half a metre tall. To use as a mosquito repellent, break a stalk off from the clump, peel off the outer leaves, until you find the scallion-like stem at the base. Bend the stem between your fingers, loosening it, then rub it vigorously between your palms - it will soon become a pulpy, juicy mass. Rub this over all exposed skin, covering thoroughly at least once. You can also make a tincture using alcohol, for spray applications. Plantings around the patio will also help repel mosquitoes.
Flies
- Use mint as a fly repellent. Small sachets of crushed mint can be placed around the home to discourage flies.
- Bay leaves, cloves and eucalyptus wrapped in small cheesecloth squares can be hung by open windows or doors.
- Place a small, open container of sweet basil and clover near pet food or any open food in the house.
A few drops of eucalyptus oil on a scrap of absorbant cloth will deter flies. Leave in areas where flies are a problem. - You can make your own flypaper with this simple recipe: Mix 1/4 cup syrup, 1 tbsp. granulated sugar and 1 tbsp. brown sugar in a small bowl. Cut strips of brown kraft paper and soak in this mixture. Let dry overnight. To hang, poke a small hole at the top of each strip and hang with string or thread.
- A site visitor suggests a plastic bag filled with water is an effective fly deterrent.
- A site visitor suggests the colour yellow may deter flies.
- Safe, nontoxic, pheromone-based outdoor and indoor fly traps are available.
Moths
- Cedar chips in a cheesecloth square, or cedar oil in an absorbent cloth will repel moths. The cedar should be 'aromatic cedar', also referred to as juniper in some areas.
- Homemade moth-repelling sachets can also be made with lavender, rosemary, vetiver and rose petals.
- Dried lemon peels are also a natural moth deterrent - simply toss into clothes chest, or tie in cheesecloth and hang in the closet.
- Natural attractant pheromones have been developed for controlling moths, and are now available as clothes moth traps and pantry moth traps.
- Diatomaceous earth is a safe and effective way to control earwigs in the home. One application in key spots (bathroom, baseboards, window frames) can be a long-term repellent.
- To trap earwigs, spray a newspaper lightly with water, roll it up loosely and secure with a string or rubber band. Place on the ground near earwig activity. The next morning pick up and discard the paper in a sealed container.
- Another method to trap earwigs is to take a shallow, straight-sided container and fill it half full with vegetable oil. Clean the trap daily; the oil can be re-used.
Silverfish prefer damp, warm conditions such as those found around kitchen and bathroom plumbing. Start by vacuuming the area to remove food particles and insect eggs. Silverfish can be easily trapped in small glass containers. Wrap the outside with tape so they can climb up and fall in. They will be trapped inside because they cannot climb smooth surfaces. Drown them in soapy water. The best preventive control is to remedy the damp conditions. Nontoxic silverfish traps are also commercially available.
Organic Pest Control Recipe
Are you interested in "Do it yourself" pest control? Here are some homemade natural pesticide, insecticide, insect repellant, organic pesticide, biocide and fungicide recipes. Organic pest control and pest management techniques are covered, along with several ways to kill powdery mildew on plants.
Repel everything from insects to rabbits, kill mold, fungus or mildew, and exterminate pests... all with natural or organic pesticide alternatives to chemical pesticides.
Garlic for organic gardening pest control, natural pesticide and insect repellent
Garlic pesticide spray
Soak 3 to 4 tablespoons of chopped garlic bulbs in 2 tablespoons of mineral oil for one day. Dissolve 1 tsp of fish emulsion in a half a litre of water and add it to your solution. Stir. Strain liquid and store in a glass container - not metal! Dilute 1 part solution to every 20 parts of water. Kills aphids, mosquitoes, and onion flies.
Garlic pest control and insect repellent
Add two litres of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to tomato leaves crushed in your vegetable juicer. Strain it. Keep the unused spray refrigerated. Works good on roses too.
Control Gardening Pest With Insecticidal Soap
Has value against flea beetles, aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies, sometimes caterpillars and leafhoppers. Insecticidal soap works only on direct contact; spray it right on the target. Combined with horticultural or botanical oils, insecticidal soap manages powdery mildew.
Onion and Mint as bug repellent
Onion and mint are natural flea-beetle repellants.
A natural insecticide product, Pyola™ combines canola oil with pyrethrins. It's effective on beetles, squash bugs, and aphids. Most canola oil comes from genetically engineered canola, so organic vegetable growers should check before using.
Repel everything from insects to rabbits, kill mold, fungus or mildew, and exterminate pests... all with natural or organic pesticide alternatives to chemical pesticides.
Garlic for organic gardening pest control, natural pesticide and insect repellent
Garlic pesticide spray
Soak 3 to 4 tablespoons of chopped garlic bulbs in 2 tablespoons of mineral oil for one day. Dissolve 1 tsp of fish emulsion in a half a litre of water and add it to your solution. Stir. Strain liquid and store in a glass container - not metal! Dilute 1 part solution to every 20 parts of water. Kills aphids, mosquitoes, and onion flies.
Garlic pest control and insect repellent
- If you plant garlic with tomatoes, it will keep away red spider mites.
- If you plant garlic around fruit trees, it will repel borers.
- Spray garlic pesticide on sweet potatoes to repel rabbits.
- Spray ponds with garlic-based oil to kill mosquitoes.
Add two litres of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to tomato leaves crushed in your vegetable juicer. Strain it. Keep the unused spray refrigerated. Works good on roses too.
Control Gardening Pest With Insecticidal Soap
Has value against flea beetles, aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies, sometimes caterpillars and leafhoppers. Insecticidal soap works only on direct contact; spray it right on the target. Combined with horticultural or botanical oils, insecticidal soap manages powdery mildew.
Onion and Mint as bug repellent
Onion and mint are natural flea-beetle repellants.
A natural insecticide product, Pyola™ combines canola oil with pyrethrins. It's effective on beetles, squash bugs, and aphids. Most canola oil comes from genetically engineered canola, so organic vegetable growers should check before using.
- Use caution with broad sprectrum pesticides
- As much as possible, target pests directly to avoid killing beneficial insects.
- Milk as a fungicide?
- An article in New Scientist (10/16/99) related that spraying diluted milk on cucumbers and zucchini killed powdery mildew.
- Boric Acid: Natural Insecticide, Biocide, Fungicide to Control Gardening Pest
- Kills ants, roaches, fleas, ticks, grasshoppers, termites and more! A biocide/fungicide, it kills mold and fungus (also stops body fungus diseases.) Read about its many uses here.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Growing Garlic At Home - Co-Planting
What Is Co-Planting?
The term co-planting ("companion planting") refers to growing different plants together with mutual benefits to both. Garlic is an especially friendly plant and can assist other crops in a variety of ways. Not only does growing garlic result in your own crop for the kitchen, it can assist the rest of your garden.
The main benefits of garlic to the home gardener are its natural fungicidal and pesticidal properties. These can help keep neighbouring plants healthy.
The powerful antibiotic and antifungal compound allicin is released when garlic cloves are crushed. This also occurs when the clove is bitten into. Thus pests attacking garlic are likely to release its natural pesticide. Some have speculated that allicin evolved this way as a defence mechanism for the crop.
Garlic co-planting is especially beneficial to lettuce (where it deters aphids) and cabbage (deterring many common pests).
As well as protecting other plants garlic can also improve their flavour. Beets and cabbage are reported to be especially good companions that benefit from this.
Not all companion planting combinations are beneficial. Garlic doesn't seem to cooperate well with legumes (beans and pulses), peas or potatoes. Try not to plant these too near your garlic.
As well as co-planting the cloves themselves, you can use garlic extracts to protect other crops. There is a long tradition of treating plants with garlic solution. Recently, scientists at Newcastle University confirmed scientifically that garlic oil is effective at repelling and even killing snails and slugs.
These properties make garlic an excellent choice for the gardener who wants to avoid artificial chemicals and prefers to grow crops as near organically as possible.
The term co-planting ("companion planting") refers to growing different plants together with mutual benefits to both. Garlic is an especially friendly plant and can assist other crops in a variety of ways. Not only does growing garlic result in your own crop for the kitchen, it can assist the rest of your garden.
The main benefits of garlic to the home gardener are its natural fungicidal and pesticidal properties. These can help keep neighbouring plants healthy.
The powerful antibiotic and antifungal compound allicin is released when garlic cloves are crushed. This also occurs when the clove is bitten into. Thus pests attacking garlic are likely to release its natural pesticide. Some have speculated that allicin evolved this way as a defence mechanism for the crop.
Garlic co-planting is especially beneficial to lettuce (where it deters aphids) and cabbage (deterring many common pests).
As well as protecting other plants garlic can also improve their flavour. Beets and cabbage are reported to be especially good companions that benefit from this.
Not all companion planting combinations are beneficial. Garlic doesn't seem to cooperate well with legumes (beans and pulses), peas or potatoes. Try not to plant these too near your garlic.
As well as co-planting the cloves themselves, you can use garlic extracts to protect other crops. There is a long tradition of treating plants with garlic solution. Recently, scientists at Newcastle University confirmed scientifically that garlic oil is effective at repelling and even killing snails and slugs.
These properties make garlic an excellent choice for the gardener who wants to avoid artificial chemicals and prefers to grow crops as near organically as possible.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Organic Pesticide - What is an organic Pesticide?
Will the real organic pesticide please stand up? by Gerhard Verdoorn
"Since when are organic pesticides not chemicals?" asks Prof Gerhard Verdoorn, Director of BirdLife SA. The word 'organic' is probably one of the most abused in the English language as far as a chemist is concerned. Consumers lured into believing the promises of so-called organic pesticides, take heed, there is no such thing as an environmentally friendly pesticide, says Verdoorn, they are designed to kill.
Pesticides are as old as modern civilizations and were first recorded long before the Renaissance in both the Western world and the Orient. Development of modern pesticides took a quantum leap forwards after the First World War and the developments advanced even faster after the Second World War. In a rapidly changing world people realize the importance of safer agricultural practices and in particular the more responsible use of pesticides. The question is, however, how do we achieve effective food production while minimizing the impacts of pesticides on the broader environment? The same question holds true for the control of garden and household pests.
"Organic" pesticides
It has recently become a favourite topic of the environmental lobby to promote the so-called 'organic pesticides' while slating the classic pesticides as environmentally damaging. The word 'organic' is perhaps the most misused and misunderstood word as far as pesticides are concerned and leaves someone like me as an Organic Chemist with a rather bitter taste on the tongue. Organic in scientific terms means a molecule that consists mainly of a carbon skeleton with other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus and a few others as contributing building blocks. The majority of modern pesticide molecules are organic and fit in 100% with the scientific classification of organic. The so-called organic pesticides should thus definitely be called natural as they are also mostly organic (in scientific terms) but are strictly of natural origin. The classic pesticides that are often referred to as chemical pesticides are in fact all chemicals but they are synthetic (such as organophosphates) or semi-synthetic (such as pyrethroids) whereas the natural pesticides are chemicals of a natural origin such as salts of fatty acids and plant oils. Some of the so-called organic pesticides contain active ingredients such as copper octanoate. Any environmentalist that is worth his or her salt will know that copper is extremely damaging to the environment, yet the marketing agencies of these products brand them as environmentally friendly organic pesticides. Copper is inorganic and at best the product may be branded as organo-metallic.
Synthetic pesticides
Synthetic pesticides are in most cases highly effective against the pests that they are registered for, have a good residual activity (which means they are active for a certain length of time) and are fairly cheap, depending on where the consumer acquires them from. The dangers of synthetic pesticides lie in their toxicity to life forms and their persistence in the environment. Note that different classes of synthetic pesticides have different toxicities towards different organisms and have a highly variable range of persistence in the environment. There is no such thing as an environmentally friendly pesticide; they are designed to kill and that is what they will do in varying degrees of efficacy. As conservationists we should be concerned with biodiversity and that means all life forms and not just the birds and mammals. Pyrethroids for example may be quite soft on mammals and birds but this particular group of semi-synthetic pesticides is extremely toxic to insects, fish and amphibians. Some products within the organophosphate and carbamate groups of synthetic pesticides are extremely toxic to basically all forms of life, including human beings. Such products should never be used by the general consumer.
"Contains no chemicals..."
Natural insecticides are popping up all over the market and are often accompanied by extremely risky claims. Labeling such products as 'safe', 'contains no chemicals' and 'harmless to children and pets' are not only highly unethical but also encourages the public to seriously misuse such products. As mentioned earlier, all pesticides are chemicals, even the natural ones and if the natural ones were safe, how would they kill the pests?
In South Africa no pesticides may be branded as environmentally friendly, not even the naturals. Fatty acids and plant oils such as canola and garlic oils are toxic to the environment because they kill invertebrates and aquatic organisms. If we remove the goggas from the cycles of life the entire biological network will fall apart. The advantage of natural pesticides lie in their low toxicity to warm blooded creatures and fairly rapid decomposition; this latter characteristic may be construed to be a disadvantage as there is no or little residual action on their part. If you don't contact the gogga directly with the natural poison, then the application is in vain.
Comparing the application rates of natural insecticides with that of synthetic insecticides paints a somewhat ridiculous picture in certain cases. As much as ten times more natural insecticide is required per litre of spray mixture compared to the dosage required for a synthetic pesticide. This is naturally more expensive and may be somewhat less attractive to the consumer. I see it as a great disadvantage for the environment and for garden biodiversity to have to apply such a load of even a natural chemical. In most cases the application of natural pesticides is required more frequently than with synthetic pesticides. In many cases the lifespan of natural insecticides has not been assessed properly, so we don't even know how long they remain active in the environment and what their effects may be, yet producers claim rapid breakdown of the products. I cannot imagine that a spider would be happily crawling around on a plant that is covered in a layer of plant oil that is supposedly 'natural'.
Pesticides and the law
All pesticides in South Africa are governed by the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, 1947 (Act No. 36 of 1947). All products that claim to control, kill or repel any vertebrate or invertebrate pest have to be registered with the Registrar of Act No. 36 of 1947 whether such products are natural or synthetic of origin. The Act is highly prescriptive in terms of the registration requirements, claims that are made on the labels of such products and a host of other things. This is to ensure that products are effective, that they do not pose a significant risk to human beings and the environment, and do what they are supposed to do.
Pesticide manufacturers are bound by law to print warnings and precautions on their labels but of course we can expect that the in many cases the public do not read and follow the advice presented on the labels. In the Poison Working Group we deal with wildlife, domestic animal and human poisoning on a daily basis and sad to say, virtually all incidents are the result of some end user failing to follow safety precautions and application instructions. Someone who fails to follow the instructions supplied with pesticides causes as much harm with a natural pesticide as with a synthetic pesticide. The synthetic pesticides sold in the household and garden markets are generally much less toxic than those products supplied to agricultural industry, yet home owners poison themselves, their pets and their garden wildlife by not adhering to instructions.
The greatest danger as far as I am concerned lies in people's general perceptions that synthetic pesticides are dangerous and natural insecticides are safe. There is no safe pesticide!! People should start having a respect and concern for all life forms and not just for the big and hairy. Take for example the practice of killing spiders with so-called environmentally friendly natural pesticides. Spiders come as close to a natural insecticide as you will ever find and should never be killed, irrespective of whether they are poisonous or not. Some synthetic insecticides are extremely toxic and it is justified to be very cautious about such products but from a responsible and environmental point of view, natural insecticides should be used with as great a respect and caution as the synthetics. Or do we not regard the insects that keep our gardens alive as less important than the birds?
By all means people have a right to choose a product that they believe will do the job and be less harmful to the environment, but base your selection of pesticide on the holistic facts of wildlife and human life and not on fictitious marketing claims. Don't believe that synthetic pesticides are all bad news. These products have all been tested rigorously and approved by the Department of Agriculture and if used according to the label instructions pose little risk to life. There are organophosphates such as mercaptothion that are soft on warm blooded creatures but there are natural insecticides that will wipe out fish and frogs faster than mercaptothion can hope to achieve. Don't believe that natural insecticides are the answers to all our problems. Rather use a legally approved synthetic pesticide than some so-called organic pesticide that has never been tested nor approved by Agriculture. This spells danger to some form of life in your garden.
Should you prefer a natural insecticide choose one that is registered with the Department of Agriculture and follow the instructions on the label as rigorously as you would follow the instructions on a container of oxydemeton-methyl. It is your responsibility to use all pesticides only as instructed to get the desired effect, to minimize impacts on the environment and to prevent poisoning yourself. I have never come across a bad pesticide but I have come across thousands of bad pesticide users.
Some pesticide producers are very concerned about the misuse of their products and offer training to retailers on product safety and responsible use. Sadly, this training stops there as members of the public are hardly ever trained in responsible use. The Poison Working Group and certain pesticide companies offer telephonic advice to the public as well as training. I manage an information service and it is heartening to see how many people care and call for advice. Those are the ones who should be using pesticides. The rest? Well, I have my doubts even if they use an organic insecticide! Call me on my Nashua-PWG Emergency Helpline 082 446 8946 for any advice you may seek on responsible pest management and don't be surprised if I sometimes refuse to recommend a pesticide for a gogga that is not really a pest!
More information:
Article by Prof Gerhard H Verdoorn, Director: BirdLife South Africa
"Since when are organic pesticides not chemicals?" asks Prof Gerhard Verdoorn, Director of BirdLife SA. The word 'organic' is probably one of the most abused in the English language as far as a chemist is concerned. Consumers lured into believing the promises of so-called organic pesticides, take heed, there is no such thing as an environmentally friendly pesticide, says Verdoorn, they are designed to kill.
Pesticides are as old as modern civilizations and were first recorded long before the Renaissance in both the Western world and the Orient. Development of modern pesticides took a quantum leap forwards after the First World War and the developments advanced even faster after the Second World War. In a rapidly changing world people realize the importance of safer agricultural practices and in particular the more responsible use of pesticides. The question is, however, how do we achieve effective food production while minimizing the impacts of pesticides on the broader environment? The same question holds true for the control of garden and household pests.
"Organic" pesticides
It has recently become a favourite topic of the environmental lobby to promote the so-called 'organic pesticides' while slating the classic pesticides as environmentally damaging. The word 'organic' is perhaps the most misused and misunderstood word as far as pesticides are concerned and leaves someone like me as an Organic Chemist with a rather bitter taste on the tongue. Organic in scientific terms means a molecule that consists mainly of a carbon skeleton with other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus and a few others as contributing building blocks. The majority of modern pesticide molecules are organic and fit in 100% with the scientific classification of organic. The so-called organic pesticides should thus definitely be called natural as they are also mostly organic (in scientific terms) but are strictly of natural origin. The classic pesticides that are often referred to as chemical pesticides are in fact all chemicals but they are synthetic (such as organophosphates) or semi-synthetic (such as pyrethroids) whereas the natural pesticides are chemicals of a natural origin such as salts of fatty acids and plant oils. Some of the so-called organic pesticides contain active ingredients such as copper octanoate. Any environmentalist that is worth his or her salt will know that copper is extremely damaging to the environment, yet the marketing agencies of these products brand them as environmentally friendly organic pesticides. Copper is inorganic and at best the product may be branded as organo-metallic.
Synthetic pesticides
Synthetic pesticides are in most cases highly effective against the pests that they are registered for, have a good residual activity (which means they are active for a certain length of time) and are fairly cheap, depending on where the consumer acquires them from. The dangers of synthetic pesticides lie in their toxicity to life forms and their persistence in the environment. Note that different classes of synthetic pesticides have different toxicities towards different organisms and have a highly variable range of persistence in the environment. There is no such thing as an environmentally friendly pesticide; they are designed to kill and that is what they will do in varying degrees of efficacy. As conservationists we should be concerned with biodiversity and that means all life forms and not just the birds and mammals. Pyrethroids for example may be quite soft on mammals and birds but this particular group of semi-synthetic pesticides is extremely toxic to insects, fish and amphibians. Some products within the organophosphate and carbamate groups of synthetic pesticides are extremely toxic to basically all forms of life, including human beings. Such products should never be used by the general consumer.
"Contains no chemicals..."
Natural insecticides are popping up all over the market and are often accompanied by extremely risky claims. Labeling such products as 'safe', 'contains no chemicals' and 'harmless to children and pets' are not only highly unethical but also encourages the public to seriously misuse such products. As mentioned earlier, all pesticides are chemicals, even the natural ones and if the natural ones were safe, how would they kill the pests?
In South Africa no pesticides may be branded as environmentally friendly, not even the naturals. Fatty acids and plant oils such as canola and garlic oils are toxic to the environment because they kill invertebrates and aquatic organisms. If we remove the goggas from the cycles of life the entire biological network will fall apart. The advantage of natural pesticides lie in their low toxicity to warm blooded creatures and fairly rapid decomposition; this latter characteristic may be construed to be a disadvantage as there is no or little residual action on their part. If you don't contact the gogga directly with the natural poison, then the application is in vain.
Comparing the application rates of natural insecticides with that of synthetic insecticides paints a somewhat ridiculous picture in certain cases. As much as ten times more natural insecticide is required per litre of spray mixture compared to the dosage required for a synthetic pesticide. This is naturally more expensive and may be somewhat less attractive to the consumer. I see it as a great disadvantage for the environment and for garden biodiversity to have to apply such a load of even a natural chemical. In most cases the application of natural pesticides is required more frequently than with synthetic pesticides. In many cases the lifespan of natural insecticides has not been assessed properly, so we don't even know how long they remain active in the environment and what their effects may be, yet producers claim rapid breakdown of the products. I cannot imagine that a spider would be happily crawling around on a plant that is covered in a layer of plant oil that is supposedly 'natural'.
Pesticides and the law
All pesticides in South Africa are governed by the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, 1947 (Act No. 36 of 1947). All products that claim to control, kill or repel any vertebrate or invertebrate pest have to be registered with the Registrar of Act No. 36 of 1947 whether such products are natural or synthetic of origin. The Act is highly prescriptive in terms of the registration requirements, claims that are made on the labels of such products and a host of other things. This is to ensure that products are effective, that they do not pose a significant risk to human beings and the environment, and do what they are supposed to do.
Pesticide manufacturers are bound by law to print warnings and precautions on their labels but of course we can expect that the in many cases the public do not read and follow the advice presented on the labels. In the Poison Working Group we deal with wildlife, domestic animal and human poisoning on a daily basis and sad to say, virtually all incidents are the result of some end user failing to follow safety precautions and application instructions. Someone who fails to follow the instructions supplied with pesticides causes as much harm with a natural pesticide as with a synthetic pesticide. The synthetic pesticides sold in the household and garden markets are generally much less toxic than those products supplied to agricultural industry, yet home owners poison themselves, their pets and their garden wildlife by not adhering to instructions.
The greatest danger as far as I am concerned lies in people's general perceptions that synthetic pesticides are dangerous and natural insecticides are safe. There is no safe pesticide!! People should start having a respect and concern for all life forms and not just for the big and hairy. Take for example the practice of killing spiders with so-called environmentally friendly natural pesticides. Spiders come as close to a natural insecticide as you will ever find and should never be killed, irrespective of whether they are poisonous or not. Some synthetic insecticides are extremely toxic and it is justified to be very cautious about such products but from a responsible and environmental point of view, natural insecticides should be used with as great a respect and caution as the synthetics. Or do we not regard the insects that keep our gardens alive as less important than the birds?
By all means people have a right to choose a product that they believe will do the job and be less harmful to the environment, but base your selection of pesticide on the holistic facts of wildlife and human life and not on fictitious marketing claims. Don't believe that synthetic pesticides are all bad news. These products have all been tested rigorously and approved by the Department of Agriculture and if used according to the label instructions pose little risk to life. There are organophosphates such as mercaptothion that are soft on warm blooded creatures but there are natural insecticides that will wipe out fish and frogs faster than mercaptothion can hope to achieve. Don't believe that natural insecticides are the answers to all our problems. Rather use a legally approved synthetic pesticide than some so-called organic pesticide that has never been tested nor approved by Agriculture. This spells danger to some form of life in your garden.
Should you prefer a natural insecticide choose one that is registered with the Department of Agriculture and follow the instructions on the label as rigorously as you would follow the instructions on a container of oxydemeton-methyl. It is your responsibility to use all pesticides only as instructed to get the desired effect, to minimize impacts on the environment and to prevent poisoning yourself. I have never come across a bad pesticide but I have come across thousands of bad pesticide users.
Some pesticide producers are very concerned about the misuse of their products and offer training to retailers on product safety and responsible use. Sadly, this training stops there as members of the public are hardly ever trained in responsible use. The Poison Working Group and certain pesticide companies offer telephonic advice to the public as well as training. I manage an information service and it is heartening to see how many people care and call for advice. Those are the ones who should be using pesticides. The rest? Well, I have my doubts even if they use an organic insecticide! Call me on my Nashua-PWG Emergency Helpline 082 446 8946 for any advice you may seek on responsible pest management and don't be surprised if I sometimes refuse to recommend a pesticide for a gogga that is not really a pest!
More information:
Article by Prof Gerhard H Verdoorn, Director: BirdLife South Africa
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