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Pest Predators

Farmers seeking safer alternatives to pesticides have a lot more tools at their disposal than you might think: birds, insects, and spiders, to name just a few.

Pest predators are nothing new. Nature has always provided a safe, cheap alternative for farmers who wish to rid their crops of predators without having to rely on chemicals. After all, most pesticides weren’t even around as little as 50 or 60 years ago.

As we learn more about the adverse health effects of pesticide use, and as organic produce becomes ever more popular among consumers, natural pest predators and other sustainable approaches to agriculture are making a comeback.

Chief among these approaches is integrated pest management (IPM), which minimizes use of pesticides by using them only when other non-chemical methods are insufficient, and applying them with great care.  IPM swaps chemical sprays for ladybugs, crop rotation and other natural practices, such as releasing beneficial organisms that prey on pests. Pesticides can actually kill birds and other natural predators so removing those chemicals from the equation allows nature to step back in and do the job. Overuse of pesticides also reduces the natural richness of soils.

Modern technology has also given nature a boost. Insect-predicting software and studies that help farmers plan better land management can make sustainable agriculture more effective than ever.

And the more we learn about the dangers of pesticide exposure, the more important these practices become. Studies have linked pesticide use to problems as varied as cancer, respiratory illness, central nervous system damage and endocrine disruption.

To read more about sustainable agriculture and integrated pest management, click here or read more here.

To read more on pesticide risks, visit www.panna.org.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org