Tips for
Managing Pests
There are easy and efficient ways to manage pests in your garden without resorting to chemical pesticides.
Before you start, make sure you know what you are dealing with. Figure out what insect is doing the damage. Next, decide how much damage you are willing to accept before treating your garden.
Beneficial Insects: Predatory and parasitic insects attack only other insects; they won’t bother plants, pets or people.
Biological Pesticides: In most cases, these natural insecticides are specific to a certain pest. They are either living organisms (beneficial garden insects, bacteria, protozoa) or are the toxins produced by them. They have minimal impact on beneficial insects, and will not harm the environment.
Soaps, Oils and Abrasives: These controls smother or dehydrate insects, but they do it to all insects — not just the “bad” ones. On the other hand, they do break down quickly and don’t harm the environment.
Botanical Insecticides: Organic pesticides are derived from plants. They are not selective (they harm both beneficial insects and pests), but are considered better than chemical pesticides because they break down rapidly.
