Organic Pesticides

Did you know that approximately 95% of all animal species are insects? Did you also know this world would be a horrible place without them? Insects help "clean-up" the world by consuming decaying matter in all forms. There are more insects in one square mile of rural land than there are human beings on the entire earth. Check out some interesting facts at the bottom of the page. If you can not just live with the insects...here are some more organic options.

One of the oldest and well known biological pesticide is Bt (Bascillus thuringiensisssp. kurstaki), which is mainly used on leaf-eating caterpillars. A newer alternative is spinosad. It is a fermented concoction of two bacteria, and paralyzes it's targets. It has been widely used for fire ants.

Another remedy is diatomaceous earth. This works on soft bodied insects. While it looks like baby powder to you, it is made up of very tiny pieces that have sharp edges and they injure the insect, similar to how insulation irritates us, except in a larger scale.

Insecticidal soap is successful on soft bodied insects such as aphids or mites. Oils have been used to block the insects sensory systems. Such oils are horticultural and neem oil. Care has to be taken when using the oils, since they may burn the plant leaves.

Garlic and marigolds repel rabbits and insects. I regularly plant marigolds along with my garden.
Onions, cedar mulch and mint repel fleas.
Lavender and lavender bags repel mice, ticks and moths.
Mint repels flies.
Osage Oranges repel roaches. Just leave one in each corner of the basement for up to two months.
Ants will not cross cayenne pepper, citrus oil, lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds. Place these items near their home, and they will eventually go elsewhere.
Slugs like moisture in the evenings. If you change your watering pattering to water in the mornings, it will reduce your slug problem by 80%!
If you still have slugs, you can attract them by placing a low container full of beer. They are attracted to this, and will drown. You can also use diatomaceous earth, lava rock mulch, coffee grounds, egg shells or salt (as a last resort).
I have not tried this, but here is a recipe I've been told gets rid of mosquitoes and onion flies: Garlic Pesticide Spray: soak 3-4 oz. chopped garlic in 2 Tbl. for one day. Dissolve 1 tsp. fish emulsion in a pint of water and the the above solution. Strain and store in a glass container. To use, dilute in a ratio of 1:20 with water. Spray on the garden as needed.
For rabbits, it is suggested to use a chicken wire fence, half buried around your yard, or even around a plant. Sometimes this is not practical. Hawk or owl likeness also are suppose to deter rabbits. I have heard of mothballs and talc powder as well, but have not tried them. I like the Garlic/Red Pepper Spray (see recipe below).
Mosquitoes are repelled by the Thai lemon grass (cymbopogon citratus) plant.
Deer do not like double fences, hanging aluminum pans that make noise, dogs, wind-chimes, predator urine or mothballs. I have also heard of putting human hair around the yard, and will deter several varmints.

For soft bodied insects, such as mites, aphids or mealy bugs, use a few drops of Ivory soap, 1 Tbl. canola oil to a quart of water. Spray on plants as needed.
Use milky spore on grubs. It is said that one application will last 40 years.
For mites, use 2 Tbl. hot pepper sauce with a few drops of Ivory soap in a quart of water. Let sit overnight. Shake well before using. Spray plants as needed.
For fungal diseases add 2 Tbl. baking soda to a quart of water. Spray plants every few days until cured.
For powery mildew, use equal parts milk and water. Spray on plants once a week for three weeks. This should solve the problem.

Garlic/ Red Pepper Spray

1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 heaping Tbl. red pepper
3 pints water

Heat this mix in a saucepan on low heat for 20 minutes. Strain, and keep in a glass jar in refrigerator for over a month. To use, add 1 Tbl. solution to a pint of water plus a few drops of Ivory soap. Put mixture in spray bottle, and use as needed.

Garlic Spray

Soak 12 chopped garlic cloves in 4 ounces of mineral oil for 1-2 days. Strain the mixture and add 3-4 drops of Ivory soap. Dilute it with 1/2 cup water. Pour into a hand sprayer. This will kill both good and bad bugs, so please be careful where you aim.