Instead of spraying chemicals at the first sight of a pest problem, organic gardeners will take a more gentle and preventive approach. “When I think of pest management, I think more about how I can create a really healthy environment for my plants and my garden,” Sarah Lozanova, environmental journalist and author of Humane Home: Easy Steps for Sustainable & Green Living, tells mbg. “If you have a fire ant problem right next to your porch where you like to sit, maybe it makes sense to be more aggressive. But if it’s more like a few little ants in the corner of the yard that aren’t really hurting anything, then it might not warrant doing something that could harm other critters,” Lozanova says. Like natural weed killers, natural pesticides should also be tested on a small patch of garden first. Then, monitor your plant to ensure that the solution isn’t harming it before you move forward. “This finely powdered dust doesn’t poison insects; it dries them out by absorbing oils from their exoskeletons,” she says of the nontoxic material. “The sharp edges of diatomaceous earth particles are abrasive and will roughen the exoskeleton, speeding up the drying process so the pests die quickly.” Works best on: Anything with an exoskeleton; mites, ants, cockroaches, fungus gnats Azadirachtin, the main active ingredient in neem oil, is toxic to some bugs. Once they eat it, it disrupts their hormones, makes it harder for them to lay new eggs, and suppresses their appetite until they eventually starve. You can either spray it on your plants as a preventive measure or apply it where you see small, soft-bodied bugs. Works best on: Aphids, mealybugs, mites Works best on: Slugs, snails Works best on: Aphids, mealybugs, mites Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.
