All About Insecticides

 

            Hi everybody and welcome! With all the heavy rains we have been having, we are sure to be soon fighting lots of insect pests in our yards and gardens. There are many options you can use for controlling these pests. Some options use highly toxic pesticides and there ar4e other more natural options that might not be as effective but they are much safer for you and the environment. Probably two of the most common insecticides ever used were just recently taken off the market because they were so toxic to humans and the environment. The products were known as Dursban and Diazinon. Both were very effective but if used incorrectly, were also very dangerous. Both of these products have been replaced with newer and somewhat safer products but in many cases I have been told they are not quite as effective. These new varieties are primarily synthetic pyrethroids, which can include chemicals such as Delta Guard, Talsar and Tempo. These chemicals are actually refined from a type of chrysanthemum flower, which makes them more of a natural product.

 Most of these Dursban replacements are considered broad-spectrum insecticides and are suitable for most general-purpose tasks. Most of your granular and liquid products on the market today will contain either one of the chemicals mentioned or something similar.

With all the talk of going natural, many people today are using insecticidal soaps. These products offer good control of many soft-bodied pests such as whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs, caterpillars and spider mites. People like to use these products because they are far less toxic then many other alternatives. One of the main drawbacks of insecticidal soaps is the chemical has to come in direct contact with the insect in order to kill the pest. Once the spray is dry, is no longer going to be effective against killing the insects. New pests that hatch or arrive on your plants after the solution dried will not be killed. Frequent applications of this type of product is needed in order for it to be effective. This product is not effective for hard-bodied critters such as scale. For these type of insects, you need to use a systemic product such as Orthenex.

Treating a vegetable garden for insects can be even more of a challenging task because most people do not want to use highly toxic chemicals on plants they are going to consume. One of the most common chemicals used for garden vegetables is Sevin dust, which is also called carbaryl. The product can be applied by using a special duster or you can often buy it in containers that have a duster spout for easy application. Sevin can also be applied to pets to control fleas (read package directions). Personally, I would do this with caution even though the directions state you can safely do this. . I have heard of many people using the dust on their carpets and after a few hours simply vacuum the dust up. It is very effective against fleas. Always use goggles, a mask and gloves when applying this or any insecticide for safety.

Some people even want to go more organic when it comes to using insecticides. There are some home remedies you can mix up yourself and experiment with. Lets start out with nicotine. You heard right, nicotine can be highly toxic to certain pests such as aphids, whiteflies and leafhoppers. You can go to a specialty nursery supplier and try to find a nicotine concentrate or you can make “nicotine tea” by using chewing tobacco and apiece of old stocking. Put a “wad” of tobacco in a piece of nylon stocking and let it steep as you would any other tea. Use one wad with a gallon of warm water. Also you can add ¼ teaspoon of pure dish detergent to act as a spreader sticker.

Another great home remedy is made from garlic. Garlic spray can be a great pest repellent and can also be sprayed around your yard to deter mosquitoes. Here's how to make the solution.

Soak 3 ounces of minced garlic cloves in about 2 teaspoons of mineral oil for about 24 hours or so. Then add about a pint of water along with about a ¼ teaspoon full of liquid soap. Strain the concentrate and store in a glass container. As you are ready to use the concentrate, mix about 2 Tbsp. in a pint or so of water. You can test your mixture to see how well it performs and make adjustments as needed. When you spray your plants, do so while the sun is not directly on the plants. Spray the plants thoroughly and always test spray when you are treating sensitive ornamentals to be sure you get no leaf damage. And you thought garlic was only for pizza!

That’s all for this week and I hope you found the content useful and entertaining. See you next week!