7 Ways Pesticides Can Make Pest Problems Worse
Pesticides get a bad rap! Though they can be harmful, they have viable uses in commercial agriculture. Proper use, dosage rates, and application methods are key to preventing detrimental side effects. When improperly applied or overused, many pesticides make pest problems worse. This article explains why.
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A pest is any organism that affects humans, animals, crops, structures, and natural areas. Pests can be animals, diseases, weeds, and mammals! Think of the squirrels that eat your strawberries, the stink bugs that invade your home, and the bacteria that harm your crops. Often, modern agriculture relies on pesticides to kill these pesky attackers, but many people don’t understand the immense problems they can cause.
By the time we see the damage, a pest is already present. Knowing what types are common in your region, how to diagnose them, and how to prevent them is key to managing their populations. You’ll intervene in a timely fashion instead of applying toxic sprays when they show up.
Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a term for diagnosing, preventing, and treating plant problems. Rather than spraying a harmful, all-encompassing pesticide, it uses targeted and calculated methods to manage the issues. I recommend starting with cultural, mechanical, and biological controls and leaving chemical pesticides as a last resort.
We home gardeners can decide how much damage is tolerable. You may not need to intervene if you don’t mind a few spots on your apples and tomatoes. Learn why it may be best not to use any pesticides with these seven ways in which they can make problems worse. Biological control and floral plantings like those below can attract beneficial insects to help you avoid using pesticides.
Damage to Pollinators
Some chemical pesticides are indiscriminate in their targeting, causing problems for beneficial insects. One significant group—the neonicotinoids—targets bees, wasps, and pollinating flies as much as it does insect pests. Organic treatments, like neem oil and insecticidal soap, also harm pollinators when not used correctly.
When the pollinators struggle, crops that rely on them for pollination will have low yields at harvest time. Pollinators and pests are part of a larger food chain that involves every creature in your local region, from the smallest worm to the biggest predator.
Understanding the pesticide you’re using and how it affects the environment will help you decide whether or not it’s a good thing to use. Every pesticide presents a risk to animals, gardeners, or wildlife, particularly when they’re improperly used or applied at inappropriate times.
Fewer Predatory Insects
Like pollinators, predatory insects face problems with intense pesticide usage. Predators target pests—ladybugs, birds, and wasps are all beneficial predators that eat unruly species. Moth grubs feed birds, caterpillars feed wasps, and aphids feed ladybugs.
Before predators show up, they need the pest population to be large enough to serve as a meal. Though aphids are unsightly, leaving a few can invite ladybugs and wasps. This is why applying pesticides is a harmful knee-jerk reaction; you’ll soak the bugs in deadly chemicals that then affect the predators that eat them.
Before grabbing the spray, the first step is identifying the pest. Different bugs require different management strategies. For some pests, releasing their natural predators is an efficient biological control method! Nematodes, wasps, and predatory mites are commercially available for farmers and home gardeners.
Unstable Ecosystem
As pollinators and predatory species decline, so does the state of your garden. Fewer pollinators lead to lower crop yields, and fewer predators lead to rampant pest infestations and infections. More pests will require more pesticide usage, which exacerbates the underlying problems.
Rather than using more pesticides, consider researching effective management techniques for the specific pests you identify. Here’s an example! Slug bait is a cheap option, though it has unintended effects on earthworms and may not be safe around pets and wildlife. Laying down a wooden board is a simple, non-harmful trap; the slugs and snails hide underneath, where you can pick them off to slice or throw in a bucket of soapy water.
It may take a few years of no pesticides before you notice a discernible difference. Ecosystems are fragile when they’re broken, and they take time to repair themselves. Use organic gardening methods, avoid toxic sprays, and grow many native plants to invite pollinators and predators back to the yard.
Broad-Spectrum vs. Narrow-Range
Not all pesticides are created equal! Some are more harmful than others. All pesticides fit into two categories: broad-spectrum or narrow-range. Broad-spectrum solutions target many species. Some affect all living things, and others affect multiple species. They often have labels that say “all-purpose” or “all-encompassing.”
Though broad-spectrum applications promise an easy solution, they aimlessly target whatever bugs, birds, or mammals come into contact with them. Rather than using these damaging products, opt for narrow-range pesticides.
Narrow types target specific pest populations. To use them, you must first know which creatures are eating your plants. Then, you can find a product that targets them without harming worms, bees, and ladybugs. Though less risky, narrow-range applications also have harmful effects in some cases.
A narrow-range example is Bt, or the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis. It targets caterpillars and moth larvae, effectively controlling them before they eat plant roots. Though effective, this biopesticide also harms beneficial butterfly larvae, like those of the Monarch butterflies.
Unintended Pollution
A key problem with pesticide sprays is their overuse—when abundant, these toxic solutions seep into waterways, soils, and natural landscapes. Depending on their formulations, they may lead to algae blooms, soil toxicity, or wildlife mortality.
A pesticide’s label is the law; following it is crucial in preventing the product from leaching into the environment. Apply chemicals in the morning or evening to avoid damage to beneficial critters, and do so on a calm day without significant winds. Wind can blow the spray, dust, or granules away from the site and into roads, drains, or forests.
Other things, like proper pruning and fertilizing, are essential when managing the garden. Large, overgrown fruit trees are impossible to spray, whereas well-pruned specimens are easy to treat. Overfertilized and unfertilized plants are weak, and weak plants invite pesky insects.
Home Products are Harmful
Though home solutions like dish soap and nicotine offer simple treatments that are cheap and easy to make, they’re potentially dangerous for you and the garden’s inhabitants! Nicotine, in high concentrations, can cause skin rashes and nervous system reactions.
Dish soap does work to kill critters, though it also targets plant tissues. If the soap lands on your plants, it will cause withering, poor growth, and death in some cases. Rather than making treatments from cleaning or pharmaceutical products, it’s best to use narrow-range solutions that target specific species.
Instead of dish soap, try horticultural soap. It consists of non-toxic ingredients for plants, allowing you to protect your tomatoes and peppers from aphids, thrips, or mites. Insecticidal soap may also harm pollinators and predators, so apply it in the morning or evening to avoid harming their populations.
Unintended Consequences
Even when you follow proper application instructions, there is still a chance that the pesticide will cause unintended consequences in the garden. Always use proper gear when applying it; wear protective eyewear, long-sleeve shirts, and a breathing mask. Many pesticide formulations are toxic to humans and wildlife—protecting yourself is crucial in preventing adverse physical symptoms.
We all have various reasonable thresholds at which we say, “Enough is enough!” I don’t mind some chewed holes in my leafy greens. I simply wash them before eating them; they taste no different than whole leaves! The lower your threshold is, the more damage you can tolerate.
Farmers rely on pesticide and herbicide formulations to grow healthy and beautiful-looking crops. If their veggies aren’t perfect, they won’t sell in the grocery stores. The chemicals are a necessary evil of the agricultural system we use today.
Your garden isn’t a farm! Though farmers use chemicals as part of their integrated pest management systems, you don’t have to. Determine how many pests you can tolerate and manage them using mechanical, cultural, and biological control techniques. When all else fails, look for a product that targets the specific insect you’re dealing with, and avoid general solutions like weed and feed, all-purpose bug killers, and homemade mixes.
