Scotts, the parent company of Ortho, continues to put out dangerous insecticides that are killing our pollinators and other bugs. This leads to a decrease in the number of fruits and vegetables plants can produce and the death of the many animals (especially bird) that feed on insects. Ortho has committed to consider the effects of their products on insects which will supposedly result in their producing “safer” insecticides.

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     But make no mistake about it. Insecticides serve only one purpose - to kill. Some kill a broad spectrum of bugs while some target only a few. But it does not matter. They are poisons and poisons have no place in or around our bodies. When insecticides are applied, we can smell it. Doesn’t that tell you something? And when we eat foods that were sprayed with insecticides, especially if we don’t wash them first with soap first, we ingest the poison. Is that what we want? And this does not even begin to address the way that insecticides throw off the balance of nature.

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     So while we urge you to buy “safer” insecticides, we more strongly urge you to buy natural alternatives - non-chemicals. Natural alternatives include things like

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• wasps that lay their eggs on or in the unwanted “bugs” which then devour the bug as the eggs develop

• nematodes that attack eggs of specific unwanted “pests” such as fleas and Japanese beetles while leaving earthworms unscathed

• funguses that disturb the life cycle of the “bugs” giving them an unwelcome place to live

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None of these are poisons. None harm people or our pets. More naturally occurring, non-processed alternatives that reduce the populations of unwanted pests but don’t harm the beneficial bugs, our plants or the environment as a whole exist - you just need to look for and ask for them. 

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Such products are available mostly online because there is not enough local demand for them. But as more consumers go to their favorite retailer and ask for these natural alternatives and as more of them are ordered online, more local retailers will stock them.

 

Just don’t be fooled - “organic” does not mean safe. Many organics are deadly to humans (for example, the fluid from the plant Datura which was used by native Americans on their hunting arrows because once it’s in the blood stream, it kills quickly).

To find safe alternatives, go online and search for “natural pesticides”. When you do, you will also find some alternatives that are made from household items such as salt, vinegar, citrus, oils, and garlic. Some work well but most aren’t as immediately or completely effective. But isn’t it better to have some good-for-you flowers, veggies, fruits and plants than ones that would harm you and your loved ones?