To the Battle Against Pests Come Herbs

They're not yet a cure-all for commercial-scale eradication of plant-eating pests. But the essential oils from several herbs commonly used to make a meal delicious show promise in helping the food make it to market, and subsequently to your plate, unscathed.

At a recent gathering of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C., Murray Isman of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver presented a decade's worth of research and findings regarding the anti-pest power of oils from clove, thyme, rosemary and mint.

Soft-bodied insect pests such as aphids and mites were found to be particularly susceptible to nervous system failure after encountering the herb-derived oils in test plots of several crops, including tomatoes, spinach and strawberries.

Among the primary benefits are their benign environmental impact, reduced risk to health and safety of farm workers, reduced cost and ease of availability.

While they can not be held up as being more effective in the pest eradication department compared to conventional chemical pesticides, they represent an additional option for farmers, alongside such tools as integrated pest management, in keeping their crops safe while doing the same for soil, water and people.

Photo courtesy of geishaboy500, via Wikimedia Commons