Good Morning America to Showcase Natural Pesticides

Paul Tukey is scheduled to join ABC weatherman Sam Champion on Good Morning America Wednesday morning.

With synthetic chemical pesticides being linked in new studies this year from everything to ADHD in children to colony collapse disorder in bees, Good Morning America will focus a segment Wednesday on newer classes of pesticides that are derived from natural ingredients. Barring any unforeseen news event that takes precedence, I’ll be on the air sometime between 7-9 a.m. eastern time.

The bottom line is that consumers want safer products. Manufacturers are getting the message by delivering new products that are kinder for the environment and far less risky for human and animal health. Many times, the ingredients are food-grade products that are exempted from regulation by the EPA under FIFRA:
http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/regtools/25b_list.htm.

The oil spill in the Gulf makes this another timely issue. Virtually all synthetic pesticides are derived from petroleum; a transition to natural products reduces our dependence on oil.

THE PRODUCTS
Earth-tone Insecticidal Soap from Espoma: A fast-acting contact insecticide that is approved for organic gardening, it may be applied to edibles up to the day of harvest and does not persist in the environment. INSECTICIDAL SOAPS work by breaking down the bug’s protective coating, causing it to dehydrate and die. It’s NOT dish detergent like many people think. This has been formulated with proprietary fatty acids.

Targeted Insects (This insecticidal soap helps control insect pests such as, but is not limited to):
Aphids, Mealy bugs, Spider mites, Soft brown scale Psyllids, Rose or pear slugs (sawfly larvae), Earwigs, Whiteflies, Thrips, and Tent Caterpillars.

Web address: http://www.espoma.com/p_consumer/earth_t_overview.html

Bulls-Eye Bioinsecticide from GardensAlive: Legend has it that a scientist on vacation on a Caribbean island found a previously undiscovered soil organism around an abandoned rum distillery. Though the organism, a bacterium called Saccharopolyspora spinosa, has never been found anywhere in the world since, the story — and host of new BIOINSECTICIDES — live on.

The active ingredient in Bull’s-Eye is Spinosad. Bull’s-Eye Bioinsecticide is for residential use in home gardens, lawns and ornamentals. Bull’s-Eye reportedly does not significantly impact predatory beneficial insects, predatory mites and spiders, while controlling target pests. The product doesn’t kill immediately since the insects must feed on it first.

Targeted Insects: Foliage-feeding worms (caterpillars), leafminers, Colorado potato beetles, thrips, fruitworms, cabbage loopers, borers, tent caterpillars, gypsy moths, webworms, spider mites, fruit flies and FIRE ANTS (a big one in the South).

Web address: http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8756

Mosquito & Tick Control from EcoSmart: Here’s a brand that is taking the marketplace by storm because it’s made with eco-exempt FOOD-GRADE INGREDIENTS. The company makes all sorts of insect controls, but this one is especially valuable to gardeners in regions like the Northeast where Lyme Disease has become a major concern. The active ingredients read like a Simon & Garfunkel song: Rosemary, thyme, along with peppermint and sesame.

Targeted Insects: Mosquitoes, Ticks, Fleas, Gnats, Crickets, Millipedes & Mites.

Web address: http://www.ecosmart.com/shop/individual-products/mosquito-and-tick-control-32-oz.html

Fruit & Vegetable Insect Spray by Dr. Earth: Made from ESSENTIAL OILS including cinnamon oil, clove oil, garlic extract, coconut oil, mineral oil, wintergreen oil, safflower oil, molasses and water, this product blocks the insects’ neurotransmitters so they quickly perish.

Targeted Insects: Controls Aphids, Leafhoppers, Japanese Beetles, Caterpillars, Whiteflies, Mealybugs, Mites, Scale and others.

Web address: http://www.drearth.com/products/organic-insecticides-fungicide/

LawnSafe Insect Control by Firebelly Organics: Made from the oil of cedar trees, this product deters insect with an aroma that can be lethal to the bugs, but safe for humans and the environment. This is also a good product to apply BEFORE the insects arrive on the scene as a deterrent.

Targeted Insects: Beetles, Chiggers, Chinch Bugs, Crickets, Fleas, Flies, White Flies, Gnats, Grasshoppers, Mosquitoes, Moths, No-See-Ums, Roaches, Scorpions, Silverfish, Ticks, Weevils and even Snakes

Web address: http://www.firebellylawncare.com/product.php?item=18

LADY BUGS

Probably the most famous and common “beneficial” insect is the lady bug, which eats aphids, mealybugs, mites, scale insects and thrips. We will have a few bags of lady bugs from GardensAlive on the air with us: http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=5065&ss=lady%20bugs

THE DISCLAIMER

ALWAYS read the directions even though these products are safer and approved for organic growing. Don’t overuse them and be careful, especially, when you’re applying some of these products around bodies of water.

The goal ought to be to use as little product as possible and if you garden in a healthy, organic way, the need for even natural insect controls should be minimal.

OTHER COMPANIES WORTH CHECKING OUT FOR NATURAL INSECT CONTROLS:
Gardeners Supply: http://www.gardeners.com/Bon-Neem-Spray/GardenPests_Insects,18486,default,cp.html

Monterey Lawn & Garden (organic line): http://www.montereylawngarden.com/products/organic/

Bonide Garden Naturals: http://www.bonideproducts.com/products/product.php?category_id=917

Safer Brand: http://www.saferbrand.com/

Ortho EcoSense: http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productCategorySubSelf.jsp?itemId=cat10060006&navAction=jump