Pest Control
Substantial Content
I. Importance of natural method of pest control
The problem with broad range conventional pesticides is that they not only kill the bad bugs, but they rub out the good bugs, too. A garden without natural predators means a world of insects gone wild. There's nothing left to keep pest levels in check. In fact, chemicals can mean double trouble because although you wipe out the first wave of pests, the second wave which is not the usual pest, but another insect moving into the area can cause even greater losses than the insects you were trying to get rid of in the first place. Another reason to go natural and use beneficials, is that a greater number of insects are now showing resistance to chemical pesticides. For example, in a controlled laboratory experiment, fruit flies were exposed to DDT a banned pesticide. The research found that not only did the pesticide not kill them, but the fruit flies had developed a way to metabolize it! That is, the "super" flies could use the pesticide as food.
Pesticide resistance is not an isolated problem. About 500 insect species now show resistance to conventional pesticides. You won't have that problem with beneficial insects. No insects have shown immunity to being eaten. They can run, but they can't hide from beneficial insects.
II. Natural methods for controlling pest
Control of garden pests can be achieved through natural methods, including crop rotation, homemade spray repellants, physical method, Introduction of prey species, interplanting which reduces the spread of pests and disease that agribusiness monocropping accentuates and through the use of companion planting of plants which may demonstrate pest-repellant characteristics.
A. Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same space in sequential seasons to avoid the buildup of pathogens and pests that...
Please login to view the full essay...