5.4.12

Organic Pesticides For Controlling A Broad Spectrum Of Insects

By Steven Vander Woude


Several of the commercial pesticides available in the market place for consumers and agricultural producers are poisonous and if not handled with care can be dangerous to your well-being and the environment. Fortunately , a number of potent insect controlling organic alternatives are currently available to homeowners and commercial users. Many of these new organic pesticides are composed of ingredients derived from neem seeds.

The neem seed comes from the fruit of neem trees which are evergreen trees native to the country of India. It has been disputed that the most bioactive ingredient in the neem seed is Azadirachtin. It has also been proven that Azadirachtin (after its processed and mixed with other buffering agents) can be used very effectively to control over three hundred insect species.

Chemistries made up of 1.5-3% Azadirachtin formulations control insects by way of 2 modes of action. For one, Azadirachtin regulates the growth of the insect by restraining the production of an insect hormone called ecdysone which inhibits the insect from molting. Second, it has anti-feeding affects on the insects whereby the insects (due to secondary physiological affects) simply stop feeding after they have ingested Azadirachtin.

An important question to ask when conducting research on Azadirachtin based insecticides is: How can they be used?

Research has demonstrated that they can be used as an insecticide, anti-feedant and repellent on ornamental plants, trees and shrubs. Some formulations can also be used indoors, in greenhouses and on agricultural crops and it is also feasible to tank-mix Azadirachtin based chemicals with other insecticides for additional insect control.

For agri-producers and consumers that are looking to be more eco-friendly when they have to deal with an insect problem, they may want to look into a neem insecticide or two to see if they can find a solution that has minimally a 1.5% formulation of Azadirachtin. Some of the current options on the market also have 3% formulations.

Historically, the word insecticide would not generally be associated with natural products, but with the rise of many neem seed derived chemistries lately, agri-producers and property owners now have several organic pesticides to choose from .




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