For hundreds of years, ladybugs have been greatly appreciated by farmers. Ladybugs will feed on the crop-damaging insects such as caterpillars, and, essentially, save the crops. Unfortunately, many of the farmers that work in colder climates cannot use ladybugs to keep their crops alive because the insects live only in warmer climates. Thankfully for them, there are some organic pesticides that keep the ladybugs alive, even in cold climates! These pesticides allow ladybugs to eat all of the insects that farmers don’t enjoy having around. In this experiment, those pesticides will be tested with three trials during a one day period.
Terms Used:
Ladybug (Coccinellidae) - A family of small beetles, commonly yellow, orange, or scarlet, with black heads, legs and antennae.
Pesticide - Pesticides are (according to the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA) mixtures of substances intended for preventing any pest.
Herbal Pesticide - A pesticide made using non-toxic chemicals
Alcohol Pesticide - A pesticide that kills insects by causing them to dry out
Synthetic Pesticide - A synthetic pesticide is a poisonous chemical or mixture of chemicals that is intended to prevent, repel, or kill any pest
Organic Pesticide -
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"Organic" does not mean non-toxic. It is important to read and follow the directions for each organic pesticide. A drawback to organic pesticides is that they usually have to be reapplied numerous times, possibly making a larger impact on the environment than a conventional, non-organic pesticide that is used less often.Organic pesticides are available in a wide variety of applications. Insecticidal soap, powdered bacteria such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and pyrethrins, which are chemicals derived from plants, are organic products commonly found in most garden stores. These pesticides are used to kill insects on touch and to keep them from reproducing in