Chemical Insecticides or Natural Insecticides: Which One Works Better?
April 17th, 2011Here is your latest All Natural Insecticide update.
There is this constant debate on using chemical and natural insecticides. Both of these anti-insect items have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s compare the two and judge them yourselves.
Let’s start with chemical insecticides and its advantages. In most cases, using chemical insecticides produce a more immediate effect to insects. The chemicals are especially selected in order to kill insects fast. Chemical insecticides have also a fairly low price compared to other organic methods. Though some organic methods might still be cheaper depending on the circumstances; most chemical insecticides weighs largely more on the cheaper side.
For the disadvantages of chemical insecticides, many of the compounds used for insecticides can affect the fertility of the soil, greatly reducing earthworm populations and breaking down valuable nutrients needed by plants. The chemicals may also seep through the soil and into waterlines underground, contaminating water and affecting plants and animals dependent on that water source.
Now for the organic insecticide’s advantages; from the name itself, it uses natural compounds occurring in nature. Compounds from cedar or grass extracts may contain fungi that are lethal to most insects. Using natural insecticides also reduce the risk of killing of the beneficial organisms like earthworms and keep the fertility of the soil in check. There may also be signs of improvement in the plants growth as the pests are eliminated and the compounds break down as nutrients in the soil, thus making the use of natural insecticides earth-friendly.
There are also disadvantages of using organic insecticides. According to recent studies, some organic compounds used by organic insecticides, like Pyrethins, are known to be linked to the development of autism in children. Also, as natural insecticides adverse the big chemical insecticide companies, some methods for natural insecticides are more expensive than the commercially dominant chemical insecticides.
In either case, both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Whatever method you chose, it is always advisable to take care when using things that kill, whether it is for insects or for heaven-knows what because this may affect you one day.
