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Organic Insect Control

Dangers of chemical based insect control

PESTICIDE FACTS

Compiled by RATE (Real Alternatives to Toxins in the Environment)

“Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as
the main threat to health. The diseases we’re beginning to see as the major causes of death in the latter part of this century and into the 21st century are diseases of chemical origin.” — Dick Irwin, toxicologist at Texas A&M Universities

WHAT ARE PESTICIDES?

Pesticides are poisons designed to kill a variety of plants and animals such as insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), and mold or fungus (fungicides). Pesticides include active ingredients (chemical compounds designed to kill the target organisms) and inert ingredients which may be carcinogens or toxic substances. They also include rodenticides and wood preservatives.

HOW DO PESTICIDES REACH US?

Pesticides can be absorbed through the skin, swallowed or inhaled (most toxic). During application pesticides drift and settle on ponds, laundry, toys, pools and furniture. People and pets track pesticide residue into the house. Only 5% of
pesticides reach target weeds. The rest runs off into water or dissipates in the air. Drift from landscaping ranges from 12 feet to 14.5 miles. More serious effects appear to be produced by direct inhalation of pesticide sprays than by absorption or ingestion of toxins. 

ARE REGISTERED PESTICIDES SAFE?

NO!
Many of the “safety tests” used to test these products are fundamentally inadequate: they test for the acute (not chronic) effects of single (not multiple) chemicals on healthy (not sick, chemically sensitive or immuno-suppressed etc.) adult (not fetal or young) animal (not human) subjects exposed over short (not long) periods of time.  Some of the companies testing pesticides have been charged and convicted of falsifying residue and environmental studies that were used to support pesticide registration in the US and Canada . Some pesticides become even more toxic as they break down. (In the US it is a violation of federal law to state that the use of pesticides is safe.)

Pesticides initiate and propagate multiple chemical sensitivities. About 16 million US citizens are sensitive to pesticides (i.e. they have compromised immune functioning as a result of pesticide exposure). 

Your lawns Brix value

So, What Exactly Is Brix?

Brix is often referred to as the “sugar” or sucrose content of a plant or the produce from it, but this is a very simplistic and incomplete view of Brix. In actuality, Brix refers to the total soluble solids (TSS) in the juice of the produce or sap of the plant. Total soluble solids refers not only to sucrose (sugar) but also to fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, hormones, and other solids found in the plant, fruit or vegetable. The higher the TSS or Brix value, the healthier and more nutrient/mineral rich the plant is.

How Does a High Brix Help Me With My Lawn?

A liver is necessary to digest sugar. If an insect, which does not have a liver, ingests sugar, that sugar will eventually turn to alcohol and kill the insect. Insects instinctively know this, and plants with high Brix value (and, as a result, high sugar content) will emit different UV light patterns and electrical charges which communicate to insects that they should stay away.

Unfortunately, it has become the norm to ignore those warning signs and simply kill off all the bugs – either with some toxic chemical or with some natural alternative. Of course, of those two options, the natural insecticide is certainly the better option, but it still does not address the central problem of this situation. The bugs are there for a reason. The plant is not healthy. Make the plant healthy and the sugar content of the plant will rise, the insects will move on to a more attractive food source.

Grass Has a Brix Value Too

The higher the Brix value, the higher the sugar content. Therefore, the higher the Brix value of your grass, the more likely it is that insects will not be feasting on your lawn (if they do, they will die trying). In fact, a Brix value of 12 or higher is all it takes to eliminate most insect infestations of any plant, including a lawn. Brix values for many grasses can reach values well over 30.

I use a 0 – 32 Reflectometer and find most lawn Brix values at 3 – 6, some at 7 – 9, and very few at 10 – 12. I have found none above 12! The length, amount and time of chemical and synthetic fertilizer use greatly negatively affect the Brix value.

Most grasses have such low Brix value (typically no greater than about 6 or 8 and often much lower) that insects will feed on them all day long.  Raising the Brix of a plant is really quite simple. Provide good nutrition, including a balanced diet of macro and micronutrients and trace elements. Organic fertilizers and soil amendments such as humic acid will provide much better nutrition to any plant than chemical fertilizers will. Some fertilizers will raise Brix values more effectively than others will. For instance, kelp fertilizers are probably the most effective means to improving the overall nutrition of any plant (and, therefore, the Brix value) because most kelp fertilizers are made from Kelp grown in very cold, virtually toxin free and nutrient dense waters, such as the North Atlantic. Since kelp is a plant itself, the macro and micronutrients it provides are completely balanced and easily available to a plant. Thus, the addition of kelp to any fertilization program is probably the easiest way to increase the Brix value of that plant, which includes grass. Therefore, adding regular doses of kelp to your lawn care and landscaping fertilization program will increase the Brix of your grass and plants. The higher that Brix value gets the less insect and disease problems you will have. if you have any sort of insect problem, it is a fact that your lawn is receiving very poor nutrition, and is, therefore, very sickly, even if it doesn’t necessarily look sick at this particular moment. Improve the nutrition the plant is receiving and the bugs will move elsewhere.

It is time for outdoor activities.  Activities like pool parties, barbecues, lawn care, yard parties, outdoor weddings, and just sitting on the patio in the evening.  Then our unwanted friends arrive, Mosquito’s, we load up with insect repellant, some wear a body tent, we put our very little ones in tents to protect them.

Guard Your Yard Naturally

All gardeners and homeowners should know that there is an alternative to synthetic chemical insecticides, one they can confidently use on their grounds. Nature’s Insect Guard is a blend of organic ingredients and scents, including garlic extract, that have been shown to repel harmful insects and thus protect plants, people and animals. This formulation has been used successfully around homes, zoos, municipal and private parks (including Busch Gardens), stables and farms. There is very little odor to this product, and it usually dissipates within an hour.

This is a garlicbased product that works extremely well, after spraying you will be able to smell the Garlic however it will disappear in 4 to 5 hours, it does not kill the insects, it simply keeps them away.

Here is some information from the manufacturer, as always quotes are free and we suggest a three to four month spray program.

Why is it so effective?

Mosquitoes, Biting Insectssuch as fleas and ticks are 10,000 times more sensitive to garlicthan humans are. Their life cycle normally takes place over a number of weeks within a 100 sq. yd. area. Once they leave the area, they do not prefer returning. Farmers have been using it for decades to help protect cattle, horses and other livestock.

It is the ideal organic solution for backyards, cottages, resorts, marinas, RV parks, outdoor events, weddings, back yard pools, barbeque areas, golf courses, day care centers and municipal recreation parks. 

 Worldwide there are approximately 3,300 species of mosquitoes. In North America (north of Mexico) we have 167 species and subspecies. Only the female bites you because the “beak” on the male mosquito is not built in a way that it can bite you. Mosquitoes rarely travel farther than 300 feet from their birthplace. They like dark areas and will suck the juice out of plants in order to live – including tree leaves, grass, shrubs, etc.

There are organic insect control products that effectively control insects that do not cause the health problems chemical insecticides promote.  Organic insect control products do not harm soil bio-life like chemical insecticides.  Soil bio-life is very important to your lawns health.

We carry only organic natural lawn care products.  All products are safe for people, pets and the environment.

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