Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada have been studying the insecticidal properties of some of your favourite herbs (and mine!) including rosemary, thyme, clove and mint.
At Dobbies.com, we’re a big fan of all things natural, but not at the cost of pragmatism or people’s budgets. Natural pesticides are an emerging trend, but we think that the debate is still open on the cost vs benefit as an alternative to modern, or people-made, pesticides.
The UK government has written a piece on modern vs natural pesticides which attempts to add somewhat to the debate. Meanwhile, we’re frequently dumbfounded by companies that refer to their products as “all natural” as if having something natural is somehow better than having something commercially-made. There are so many thousands of elements in nature designed to cause injury by way of defence that the mere claim of “all natural” is enough to leave yours truly cowering in fear inside the wardrobe, lest there be stingy-things in my honeypot.
Speaking of stingy-things, Bees for Development is a UK-based charity that does what it says on the tin. It has found that there are natural pesticides in modern use which may be harmful to the foraging ability of bumblebees.
So while natural pesticides have some exciting discoveries to offer, we’d always offer you a healthy pinch of salt and declare that just because something is “all natural” doesn’t necessarily make it better for you.
