Choosing the Right Insecticide for Your Account

Botanical and synthetic are two common forms of insecticides. Botanicals are derived from plants and break down quickly. Synthetics are man-made and can provide a longer residual. Which one should you use? The answer depends on the type of account you’re working on.

If you’re treating a place where people congregate socially, for business or medical care, botanical insecticides can be a good choice, due to their quick breakdown. Examples of these accounts include churches, daycare centers, hospitals, schools, food manufacturing warehouses and prisons. Conversely, synthetics are best utilized when accounts may have less traffic and residual activity would better combat insect pests that are not fully present during the spray application.

In general, knowing the environment in which an application needs to occur will help guide the choice between synthetic and botanical insecticides. Both options have an important place in your account’s pest management strategy, and previously described scenarios should be considered.

Overall, botanicals are great for use in areas when quick breakdown is desired, whereas synthetics are better suited for areas where control is desired past the date of application.

Learn More

• Read other articles from Issue 10 of MGK’s PMP Pulse Newsletter
• See a list of MGK’s botanical products

Written By

Dominique Ebbenga

Dominique Ebbenga has been an R&D Entomologist since 2022, and is responsible for researching and coordinating the development of our botanical insecticides. She’s a hobby farm enthusiast with a PhD in entomology, and brings expertise in integrated pest management (IPM) programs for organic crop production. She completed her undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Minnesota where she was also an MGK fellow. Her graduate research focused on spotted-wing drosophila and Japanese beetle impacts on specialty crops such as wine grapes and raspberries.