Botanical Insecticides, Eliminating insects with plants
Winning the war on garden insect pests has never been easier, with the many methods we have at our disposal. These methods include biological, mechanical, intergraded pest management, and of course chemical control, and Controlling insects with birds.
What we will be looking at however is how to eliminate insects by the use of plant parts. The use of botanical insecticides is not new but is a method that has been around for some time.
Botanical insecticides have its advantages and disadvantages which we will also be looking at.
Plant use
The extract from plants parts is compounded and formulated to accomplish this goal. A plant that is used in this process is the chrysanthemums. This is pretty neat because it shows how beneficial plants are to us, we can use them in so many ways.
Some botanicals are low to moderate and can be used around mammals but a word of warning here is to be careful when using because skin exposure and inhalation of some of them can cause death because of the nicotine and other active ingredients in these chemicals.
The timing of treatment must be right because botanicals break down rather quickly when exposed to sunlight, air, and moisture. When this happens the chemicals become weaken or loses its strength and becomes less effective in eliminating pest insects.
Botanicals Insecticides
A. The neem tree is responsible for the chemical compounds linalool and limonene which is used in pet shampoos and dips. It may be used to control pests such as aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, thrips and other insect pests.
B. Sabadilla is effective in eliminating insects such as squash and the harlequin bugs.
C. Daisy is responsible for the compounds known as the pyrethrins and pyrethrum. These insecticides are effective against mosquitoes, fleas, and flies.
D. Ryania is also a chemical compound that is effective on thrips, aphids and other soft body insects they suck the sap from plants. This chemical may be applied to crops such as citrus, pears, walnuts, and apples.
Ryania is not recommended to us for home gardens because of its highly toxic level.
E. The roots of legumes plants are responsible for Rotenone. Rotenone is effective against caterpillars and the leaf-eating beetles. This chemical is very poisonous to marine life.
Instructions must be read and followed to the very letter when using these chemicals or a good word of advice is to call in the experts, those who are trained and can better assist when it comes to using these chemicals.
Some names of botanicals are
1. 5 % Rotenone Me. 5. EcoPco WP.X.
2. AzaGuard. 6. Molt-X.
3. Rishi Gold. 7. Harmonix.
4. Safaya Gold. 8. Ecovia EC
Advantages of Botanicals
1. Some botanicals are not Phytotoxic.
2. Most of them will inhibit insects feeding pattern.
3. Because of its quick breakdown, it reduces the risk of particles remaining on food.
Disadvantages of Botanicals
1. Can be very expensive
2. Break down very quickly when exposed to the sun, air, and moisture.
3. May not kill treated insects for days.
4. Some botanicals are toxic.
The final word
Botanicals are a means that can be applied to eliminate insects, this method has been used over the years and have proven to bring some success. Being caution is key here because of some of them being phytotoxic.
If you are not sure then it is best to leave it to the experts, have them come in and take a look. Botanicals another method of winning the war on insects.
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About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
This is a great idea. Using other plants to protect our gardens. An added benefit is that Chrysanthemums and Daisies look great. I knew that some mints were a great deterrent for pests but had no idea that there were other plants that were beneficial in this way as well.
This is something I will be doing some more research on. Thanks for sharing this useful information.
Hello Kevin it is so good to meet you. Plants are truly amazing in that they can serve us in so many ways. I am so happy that I could help. Have a wonderful evening and all the best to you.
Hello very informative site I read through 4 of your articles they were well written some could have used just a little bit more information..
The artical about natural pesticides was very informative I enjoyed it. I believe you could have possibly added soybeans for household use. They keep away mosquitoes. You also could have mentioned some other plants that you can plant around the house.
Your use of meeia was well donne. I liked your Apple campaign it was very well done. They added a little bit of humor as well as helped the written content.
It looks like it’s an up and running site. , you have made use of social networking, on and off-site links.
I liked your site and it has a lot of potential.
Sincerely Ghost.
Hello Ghost. Daniel so good to meet you and thanks a million for your advice and kind words. All the best to you and have a good night,
Daisies look like the perfect plant for my yard! We have a huge flea problem here and I have to get my dogs a monthly flea pill which is costly. So could this possibly work if I have lots of daisies planted around my yard? Would be so nice to not have to worry about the pesky critters! And I like daisies! Would I need to have a lot of them?
Hello my good friend so nice to hear from you and sorry to hear about the challenges you are having with those fleas. It is worth a try using daisies, there is no harm in that. Please let me know how it goes. All the best to you and have a good day.