Ecological pesticides - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Green pesticides, also called ecological pesticides, are pesticides derived from organic sources which are considered environmentally friendly

Environmentally friendly

Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....

and causing less harm to human and animal health, and to habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

s and the ecosystem

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

Agroecology

In agroecology

Agroecology

Agroecology is the application of ecological principles to the production of food, fuel, fiber, and pharmaceuticals. The term encompasses a broad range of approaches, and is considered "a science, a movement, [and] a practice."...

, pesticides are evaluated for minimal adverse environmental effects. Biocide

Biocide

A biocide is a chemical substance or microorganism which can deter, render harmless, or exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism by chemical or biological means. Biocides are commonly used in medicine, agriculture, forestry, and industry...

s include germicides, antibiotics, antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, antiprotozoals and antiparasites. Pesticides typically come in the form of spray

Spray

Spray can refer to:* Spray ** Aerosol spray** Blood spray** Road/tire spray, kicked up from a vehicle tire** Snow spray, a spray that creates artificial snow fall...

s and dust

Dust

Dust consists of particles in the atmosphere that arise from various sources such as soil dust lifted up by wind , volcanic eruptions, and pollution...

s. Many ecological pesticides are biological pesticides, but others are minerals or chemical compounds.

Although the pesticides and particularly insecticides used in organic farming

Organic farming

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...

and organic gardening are generally safer than synthetic pesticides, they are not always more safe or environmentally friendly than synthetic pesticides, both can cause harm. The main criterion for organic pesticides is that they are naturally-derived, and some naturally-derived substances have been controversial. Controversial natural pesticides include rotenone

Rotenone

Rotenone is an odorless chemical that is used as a broad-spectrum insecticide, piscicide, and pesticide. It occurs naturally in the roots and stems of several plants such as the jicama vine plant...

, copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

, nicotine sulfate, and pyrethrum

Pyrethrum

Pyrethrum refers to several Old World plants of the genus Chrysanthemum which are cultivated as ornamentals for their showy flower heads. Pyrethrum is also the name of a natural insecticide made from the dried flower heads of C. cinerariifolium and C...

s

However, restrictions on natural pesticides have tightened and as of 2005 rotenone, a dangerous natural pesticide, was not allowed for US organic farmers, and rotenone was not allowed under the California Organic Foods Act of 1990. Phytoalexin elicitor glucohexatose has been called a green pesticide, as has a new class of insecticides called spinosad

Spinosad

Spinosad is a new chemical class of insecticides that are registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ to control a variety of insects...

which shows "remarkable selectivity" in destroying harmful pests and leaving beneficial insects alive.

List of herbal insect sprays and dusts

See also: Category: Plant toxin insecticides

! Organic sprays, and dusts
! Preparation
|-
| Wormwood extract >

>- \| Chive extract	>- \| Summer tansy dust Tansy Tansy is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant of the aster family, native to temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced to other parts of the world and in some areas has become invasive...	>- \| Stinging nettle extract Stinging nettle Stinging nettle or common nettle, Urtica dioica, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant, native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America, and is the best-known member of the nettle genus Urtica...	>- \| Daffodil extract	>- \| Garlic extract Garlic Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...	>- \| Rhubarb extract Rhubarb Rhubarb is a group of plants that belong to the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae. They are herbaceous perennial plants growing from short, thick rhizomes. They have large leaves that are somewhat triangular-shaped with long fleshy petioles...	>- \| Onion extract Onion The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...	>- \| Sambucus extract Sambucus nigra Sambucus nigra is a species complex of elder native to most of Europe.It is most commonly called Elder, Elderberry, Black Elder, European Elder, European Elderberry, European Black Elderberry, Common Elder, or Elder Bush when distinction from other species of Sambucus is needed...	>- \| Tobacco extract Tobacco Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

Other organic gardening sprays and dusts

Other organic sprays and dusts - mineral dusts are used; a few are:

Sulfer (organic fungicide, pesticide, and acaricide)
- Bio-S (sulfur mixture)
Pilzvorsoge
Spruzit
Carbolineum
Carbolineum
Carbolineum is an oily, water-insoluble, flammable, dark brown mixture from coal tar components, smelling of tar. It contains among other things anthracene and phenol....
Basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...

dusting powder
Gene silencing pesticide
Gene silencing pesticide
Gene silencing pesticides are pesticides that use gene silencing, and RNA interference in particular to target individual species while leaving other species unharmed.-History:...
Steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...

(Thermal pest control)

Non-agriculture or garden sprays

In addition to gardening sprays, several organic insect sprays for home use are also made.
- mosquito
  Mosquito
  Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
  
  spray. (preparation recipe at Journeytoforever)

Agroecology

List of herbal insect sprays and dusts

Other organic gardening sprays and dusts

Non-agriculture or garden sprays

External links

See also