Find Local Contractors

There is much evidence to suggest that eco-friendly lifestyles and “green” practices have significant positive effects on the environment and on human health and well-being. If you want to play a role in safeguarding the future of our planet and the health of your loved ones, a good place to start is by considering the type of insecticide you use in your own backyard.

Inorganic and synthetic insecticides have long been controversial owing to their harmful effects on human health, as well as their role in polluting and destroying the environment. Some of the most common over-the-counter insecticides contain heavy metals, arsenates, lindane, atrazine, DDT and other chemicals that are toxic to living organisms.

If you are using inorganic or synthetic insecticides in your garden, then you are exposing your family and pets to chemicals that are known to disrupt the human endocrine system and that have been linked to cancer, neurological diseases, birth defects, infertility, developmental disorders, and skin conditions in humans as well as animals. You may be also damaging the eco-system of your garden by killing off essential soil micro-organisms. Moreover, when it rains, runoff from your garden lawn or flower beds means that the chemicals can find their way into nearby water systems, contaminating human water supplies and poisoning local wildlife. 

Pyrethrum is a natural, biodegradable insecticide that offers a safe pest-fighting alternative to all the toxic products on the market. A botanical insecticide, it is extracted from chrysanthemum flowers and has a drastically lower avian and mammalian toxicity compared to other insecticides. Pyrethrum contains natural organic compounds called pyrethrins which, when ingested by birds and mammals, are quickly and harmlessly metabolized by their bodies. Pyrethrins are also easily degraded by soil microorganisms. Insects, on the other hand, are instantly paralyzed by pyrethrum making it a very fast-acting natural insecticide.

Pyrethrum does have a few pitfalls. It can cause allergic reactions in some individuals and may not be as well tolerated by cats as other mammals. Generally speaking however, pyrethrum is arguably the most environmentally-safe and health-friendly pest-control option on the market today.