Home and Garden Tips
by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
Alternatives to
Pesticides and Chemicals
When used incorrectly, pesticides can pollute water. They also kill
beneficial as well as harmful insects. Natural alternatives prevent
both of these events from occurring and save you money. Consider using
natural alternatives for chemical pesticides: Non-detergent
insecticidal soaps, garlic, hot pepper sprays, 1 teaspoon of liquid
soap in a gallon of water, used dishwater, or forceful stream of water
to dislodge insects.
Also consider using plants that naturally repel insects. These plants
have their own chemical defense systems, and when planted among flowers
and vegetables, they help keep unwanted insects away. The table below
contains a partial list of nature's alternatives.
| Pest |
Plant Repellent |
| Ant |
mint, tansy, pennyroyal |
| Aphids |
mint, garlic, chives, coriander, anise |
| Bean leaf beetle |
potato, onion, turnip |
| Codling moth |
common oleander |
| Colorado potato bug |
green beans, coriander, nasturtium |
| Cucumber beetle |
radish, tansy |
| Flea beetle |
garlic, onion, mint |
| Imported cabbage worm |
mint, sage, rosemary, hyssop |
| Japanese beetle |
garlic, larkspur, tansy, rue, geranium |
| Leaf hopper |
geranium, petunia |
| Mexican bean beetle |
potato, onion, garlic, radish, petunia, marigolds |
| Mice |
onion |
| Root knot nematodes |
French marigolds |
| Slugs |
prostrate rosemary, wormwood |
| Spider mites |
onion, garlic, cloves, chives |
| Squash bug |
radish, marigolds, tansy, nasturtium |
| Stink bug |
radish |
| Thrips |
marigolds |
| Tomato hornworm |
marigolds, sage, borage |
| Whitefly |
marigolds, nasturtium |
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Fruit - General Page
Vegetables - General Page
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