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"Green" Insecticides
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Taken from the P.E.S.T. (Pest Evaluation and Suppressiona Techniques) Newsletter
Dr. David Shetlar (OSU Plant Entomolgist) in partnership with Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association |
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It’s not surprising that several companies are marketing all kinds of “environmentally friendly” or “green” pesticides. I’ve looked at the active ingredients of many of these products and most have various mixes of natural or exempt plant extracts or oils. Many also have soaps of one form or another.
While I’m convinced that some of the concoctions can kill insects and weeds (herbicides), most don’t have any real residual efficacy. In other words, they only work by contacting the insect or plant. For the insects (and mites), this is no different than using a good grade of horticultural oil or an insecticidal soup. |
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| What is more worrisome to me is that these products are being advertised as being just as effective as standard insecticides and herbicides, but much safer. This will begin to take us down a path that anti-pesticide groups are hoping for EVERYONE to follow. These folks don’t care whether you can control a pest or not they just want all “unnatural chemicals” to be eliminated. I have to live by scientific, replicated trials to determine whether products work or not. And, frankly, if you had told me some years ago that we would have new insecticides and herbicides that are in the EPA category of “practically non-toxic”, AND they were more effective than what we are using now, I’d have said you’re crazy. But, that is our current reality. We have such an insecticide and a similar herbicide was also registered last year. I just hope that these “synthetic” chemicals won’t get thrown out just because we have marketing folks claiming that we have effective “green” pesticides. |
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