Did you know there is a NATURAL alternative to spraying your garden with toxic pesticides such as RoundUp and Sevin?
Thuricide, or “Bt” is a liquid formulation of the bacteria, Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt), which will effectively kill leaf eating caterpillars including loopers, cabbage worms, tomato horn worms, leaf rollers, gypsy moths and many others.
You will notice the caterpillars dissipate within 2-3 days of application. We usually wait a day or two after we apply and rinse our veggies well, but according to instructions on the package Bt is not harmful to humans, will not harm beneficial insects and may be applied up to day of harvest.
RoundUp has been banned in various countries due to its toxic effects on humans and wildlife. Lab testing on animals has shown that birth defects can be caused by this chemical. I discovered via some Internet research that a New York court forbade the product from being described as safe or non-toxic in the 1990s. Sadly, big commercial farmers go on using it, and it definitely gets into our food, groundwater and soil in great quantities this way.
There is also a product called “Seven” which you can buy at big box home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes. We used it last year to control our cabbage loopers, but the stuff just didn’t smell right. Why use chemicals to treat the crops you grow yourself in an effort to live a healthy, low-impact lifestyle? It seemed counterproductive to us.
Bottom line: Bt or Thuricide works great, you don’t need to use much, it’s relatively inexpensive – and it’s SAFE for us, our groundwater, the Bay and wildlife. It’s an organism, not a chemical. So why not use it?
The people at the big home improvement chains and our local Kmart had never heard of this product, so I’ll save you the headache of asking and calling everywhere under the sun like we did. Bowen’s Farm Supply, a great family-owned business in Annapolis, carries it. The people there are fabulous and knowledgeable, so I’d highly recommend shopping there whenever you can if you like to avoid the big box chains. I picked up some excellent quality leather work gloves for hubby’s birthday while I was there!
Bowen's Farm Supply 2550 Riva Road Annapolis, MD 21401 (410) 224-3340
Or pick it up on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/Bonide-Thuricide-8-Ounce-Worm-Killer/dp/B000OBIP20
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