Benefits of Natural Insecticides

By Kaycee Marlett

Natural Pesticides help in preserving safe usages of insecticides

Many insect fighting chemicals on the market are the same basic ingredients with just enough variation to allow a different brand name.  It's similar to buying ibuprofen,bleach or any other retail item that comes with a different name brand. You can buy many different versions and strengths of it, but it all boils down to the same basic ingredient. The concern as a consumer is mistakenly purchasing watered down versions can cause a problem as well as be a waste of money.

People are usually, either for, or against, the use of natural insecticides. While natural insecticides has its benefits the use of them may be an act of redundency. It depends upon whether or not your particular choice is a benefit or not, will solely depend upon the circumstances.  How advanced is the insect infestation?  What are you or family allergic to?  What will harm your plants?  What will be safe to use around your pets or livestock?  What is available? How accessible is it to you? How fast can you get it when you need it?  Do you need to use more than one method of control and removal?  What is cost effective?

Where To Start With Natural Insecticides

To begin to get the most benefit from natural insecticides, you'll need to understand the best way to use them. Taking time to research your choices will enable you to get the most from your purchase. Talking with your local nursery for ideas and tips is a great way to determine if using all natural insecticide or not. You should know what works best for the type of insect you're trying to control or eradicate.  Be careful what you mix together as even natural insecticide can create a plume of gas that can be dangerous to your health. 

One of the biggest benefits of a natural insecticide is that it comes from nature in some form. By using a natural substance the implications on the water table are less harmful, no matter where the substance may filter away to. You will be using something made from the earth, so it will be less invasive. However, that does not mean it is problem-free.  It just means you are benefiting the environment and actively participating in preserving the natural enviroment.

Example of Natural Insecticides

An example, of a natural insecticide is liquid garlic.Garlic is a natural plant that is grown around the world. It can be used to keep insects off garden or farm plants.

Another example of a natural pesticide is boric acid. Boric acid is defined as a white crystalline weak acid that contains boron. Boron is a mineral substance, and minerals are mined from the earth. You can ask your local pharmacist for boric acid.

If you use natural insecticide or pesticides, made from what the earth provides, you benefit as well as your enviroment around you. Using natural insecticide is a choice. It is not always the quickest way to solve your insect problem. It is not always less harmful. That is why you should educate yourself on your choices of type and amount of insecticide you are going to use.

The Benefits of Using Natural Insecticides

The earth suffers a lot of abuse, often by well-meaning gardeners and home owners who choose to take the quickest and easiest way out to complete a pest eradication. Taking the fastest way out over the past decades has allowed the enviroment to suffer, and have caused many of the natural beneficial predators and plant life to be purged from their natural enviroment. Using natural insecticides is one way to protect the enviroment in a positive way.

Natural insecticides have increased in sales over the past few years, allowing for more organic vegetables and fruits to be produced insect-free because of their use. When the mosquitoes scared us with the West Nile Virus, the citronella plant and its derivatives and products made with citronella increased dramatically in sales. Natural insecticides have always been around, but people have forgotten about them as companies provided a faster solution that was not always the best solution as we have found out. Some people just do not have the patience to use them not do they want to take the time to learn about alternatives. Just like anything else, you do not know if you will like them until you try them.