What is Organic Pest Control

Organic pest control is a broad topic. How you define that is really based on what you want to achieve. In terms of pest management, we focus on organic pest control as chemicals that help control or destroy certain pests, but that do not present a serious health hazard.

Examples of Organic Pest Controls

A good example of an organic pest control method is diatomaceous earth, which is made up of high concentrations of silica. For insect control, silica works well because insects have an exoskeleton. However, their plate armor has a flaw. Where the plates join are tiny sutures. The silica which is akin to shards of glass works its way into those sutures and the insect loses fluid and dies. There are food-grade versions of diatomaceous earth which work well in an organic garden.

Diatomaceous earth is a general approach to pest control. It is perfectly organic, safe to use, but it does not distinguish between one form of insect and another. If you have a problem with fleas in your lawn, then the diatomaceous earth would probably work, but it would also likely kill off all of the beneficial insects and organisms that help your lawn to remain healthy. Those include millipedes, earthworms, spiders, and even predatory wasps.

Las Vegas Pest Control that is Target Specific

So what happens when you just want to remove the aphids from your broccoli plants? For that task, you can turn to another form of organic pest control, which is referred to professionally as a biocontrol. Biocontrol is the use of specific organisms to hunt and kill specific pests. A good example of a biocontrol is ladybugs. Ladybugs like to dine on aphids. In this example, you gain more control over the damage that the biocontrol insect causes. Since ladybugs are not chemically dangerous, they are considered organic.

Huge Results for Organic Pest Control

For home pests, there is an amazing example of an organic solution that takes down one of the most dreaded pests homeowners can encounter – termites. Orange oil is a green, organic pest control solution that decimates termites. Termites eat wood, but they cannot digest wood without the help of specialized bacteria in their gut. When the orange oil is sprayed on wood and termites eat it, the orange oil kills the bacteria that the termites need to digest wood, and the entire colony of termites dies. Orange oil is not considered toxic when used according to the directions.

These examples of organic pest control show that harsh chemicals are not always needed to control pest populations. To learn more about pest control and organic pest control options, give us a call at (702) 649-0019. We are proud to offer effective commercial and residential pest control in Las Vegas.