These days, many home gardeners are growing their own herbs and vegetables for the dinner table. Having a truly organic veggie garden is healthy, safe and fun. But what happens when one morning you discover some bugs chewing on your lettuce leaves? Using synthetic pesticide solutions to get rid of garden pests like aphids and carpenter ants is a big concern - we don't want toxins and poisons in our food and we want to keep our garden environments safe for children and pets! There are many great natural pesticides that satisfy our health-conscious organic needs. By natural I mean the non-synthetic solutions that are made from materials like animals, minerals, plants and even bacteria. Some of these natural insecticides are applicable for many garden pests, while there are others that only work effectively for a specfic species - knowing how much and which one to use for various garden bugs is important.

EcoExempt IC-2 - This general pest control spray can be applied directly to plants. It is made from spearmint, rosemary and other botanical oils.

MotherEarth D - For use against crawling bugs such as cockroaches, ants, and earwigs. Made of 100% freshwater diatomaceous earth, spread this dust around and it essentially dehydrates bugs to death.

Ortho EcoSense - This spray is made from a soybean oil formula and claims to kill bugs on contact.

Boric acid: From the element Boron which is naturally found in soil, rocks and water. You can get this in garden supply and hardware stores. It is effective against ants, spiders and mites.

Pyrethrin: - Formulated from chrysanthemum flowers ( Dalmatian chrysanthemums), this solution effectively paralyzes a variety of bugs including ants, mosquitoes and ticks. This biodegradeable solution can be applied in its dust form or mixed with water to spray. Smaller concentrations are effective in repelling pests, not killing them.

Neem oil: Otherwise known as azadirachtin, neem oil is formulated from the oil of seeds from a tree indigenous to India, called the Neem tree. It is effective against mites, moths, larvae, and aphids. It is also effective as a fungicide.

Rotenone: Derived from the roots of sub-tropical plants including the jicama vine, rotenone, like pyrethrin can be applied as a dust or in a water mixture. It is a general insecticide and repellent (in smaller dosages), effective on a broad variety of insects.

Bacillus Thuringiensis: This is a naturally soil-dwelling microbe which produces chemicals (proteins and spores) that interfere with insects' ability to eat. Effective against moths, beetles and worms, Bacillus Thuringiensis has been used in pesticides for decades and is an active ingredient in pest-control products such as Thuricide and Dipel.

Sabadilla: Derived from seed extracts from a South American lily, sabadilla is an effective repellent and pest poison. It deteriorates when exposed to light and is biodegradable. Can be applied as dust or diluted spray form. It is known to be highly effective on squash bugs.

Spices and household products: Some traditional home-spun tinctures have been known to be highly effective as pest controls. Mixtures that include spices like cloves, cayenne, cinnamon, onions, garlic, rosemary, or pepper and oils like soybean or liquid soap dilutions have been effective against aphids and other plant-eating pests. Baking soda, applied over popular ant areas also can be an effective deterrent.

Traditional Soap water spray mixture:

Mix a tablespoon and a half of ivory liquid soap and quart of water spray mixture

For a slightly more potent variation, add a tablespoon or two of cayenne pepper and a purée of a small onion, and a handful of garlic cloves.  This works well as a natural indoor pesticide too.

Just because they are natural, doesn't mean that they are 100% safe. Just as with synthetic insecticides, natural ones should be applied as minimally as possible. For example pyrethrin, though made from chrysanthemum flowers, is slightly toxic and dangerous in mass quantities.

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