Pesticide use has increased dramatically around the globe farmers, cities and home gardeners began using it regularly in the 1940’s. Over one billion pounds of insecticides are used every year in the United States alone. The problem – one of many created by insecticides is that they kill indiscriminately, wiping out insects that are harmful to crops and those that are beneficial to crops and to us all. Pesticide overuse has caused havoc for the natural world, adding chemicals to our food and water and poisoning pollinators by the millions.
It’s so easy to replace poison with clean, green beautiful “insecticides”. You can even eat some of them! Your garden, lawn, trees and shrubs will be naturally healthier… and so will you. Perhaps most important, you will not be contributing to collapse of the pollinators we depend upon to fuel our world of food and plants. Here’s just a few plants that offend the chomping insects you don’t want on your plants; and feeding the beauties that you do:
- Dahlias, catnip and petunias. Catnip repels just about everything – except cats of course.
- Mexican marigolds (the most commonly found in the US) are the go-to plant for repelling a host of insects.
- Chive, Dill and Garlic. Oh my! Natural insecticides, super easy to grow, perennial… and you can eat them too!
- Nasturtiums, hyssop and chrysanthemums. Hyssop is favorite as it repels the chompers but attracts honeybees.
There are also a whole host of natural, non-toxic sprays and neem oils available at your nursery or hardware store. My favorite is Captain Jack’s Deadbug. It’s a killer (pun intended) when it comes to aphids, probably the most problematic insect in home gardens, trees and even potted plants.
Finally, the beneficial species of ladybugs are super effective at controlling a bazillion kinds of pest – mostly by eating them. Fun Fact Alert: A single ladybug may consume as much as 5,000 aphids in its lifetime.
They kill aphids, chinch bugs, asparagus beetle larvae, alfalfa weevils, bean thrips, grape root worm, Colorado potato beetles larvae, spider mites, whiteflies, mealybugs, among other insects. Plus, they work for free.
You can attract them to your garden with heavy pollen producing plants like sunflowers. They won’t hurt people, plants or pets and they are also a “self-renewing” or reproducing form of insect control.