Insecticides against aphids and parasites: which are the best, not dangerous for bees and humans, according to the German test

A test shows that the insecticides on the market help to eliminate aphids and other pests but can also harm beneficial insects and humans

Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous

The plants of our gardens or vegetable gardens are often attacked by insects of various kinds including aphids and whiteflies. There are several products on the market to deal with the problem but a test has found that these can also be harmful to beneficial insects and some even to humans.

In addition to sticky traps, you can find sprays and concentrates in garden stores to keep insects away from plants. But how safe are the active ingredients used in them?

To find out, Öko-Test took a sample 25 remedies against aphids, whiteflies and the like, purchased in hardware stores and shops (including online). More specifically, these are eight yellow adhesive traps, ten ready-to-use sprays and seven concentrates that consumers must dilute before use.

Not only was the effectiveness of each product against parasites but also the effects on beneficial insects such as bees and ladybirds and the possible risks for humans.

The active ingredients of the sprays and concentrates have been examined on the basis of studies and the approval of the agents has also been verified.

Let's see what the test found.

Index

The results

The results show that some of these products are also dangerous for good insects such as ladybugs and bees.

Where does their danger come from? From some questionable ingredients present in their composition. The German magazine reports in particular in the case of sprays and concentrates:

Cialotrina and Deltametrina, active ingredients particularly harmful to bees. Both are neurotoxins from the pyrethroid group. The problem is that they remain in the environment for a relatively long time and furthermore, if people inadvertently ingest too much, they can cause drowsiness, headaches and nausea.
Acetamiprid: belongs to the group of neonicotinoids, which can damage bees and other beneficial insects even in small quantities. Regarding the effects on humans, the European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA) Risk Assessment Committee proposes to classify acetamiprid as a substance suspected of toxicity for reproduction.
Pyrethrins: similar to pyrethroids but degrade faster in the environment and for this reason their presence in the test products was evaluated a little less severely.

German experts also report, but as less dangerous substances, orange oil, rapeseed oil, potassium soap and neem tree azadirachtin which reads:

they should only be used in a targeted manner and dosed according to the instructions. To be effective, oils and soaps must come into direct contact with parasites.

As for adhesive traps, these have the disadvantage of also attracting beneficial insects and should therefore be used exclusively indoors or in greenhouses. The problem is that manufacturers don't specify this on packaging (only one in the test does).

The best and worst brands

Only 3 out of 25 insecticides have obtained the maximum score while 4 are "rejected" from the test. The good news, however, is that more than half of the products analyzed are recommended.

I 3 best products I'm:

Compo Bio PREV-AM
Substral Nature Bio
Neudorff Yellow Sticker

You can see all the products that have obtained “good” marked in light green in the following infographics.

Insecticides against aphids and parasites: which are the best, not dangerous for bees and humans, according to the German test

I 4 worst insecticides they are instead:

Combo Bi 58 Spray
Protect Garden Delta X
Substral Celaflor Concentrate
Substral Celafor Spray

In yellow, on the other hand, the products that have obtained satisfactory or sufficient.

Insecticides against aphids and parasites: which are the best, not dangerous for bees and humans, according to the German test

Natural alternatives

Öko-Test reminds you that it is much less dangerous to rely on natural alternatives in the garden and in the home.

For example, mechanical methods rather than chemical ones would be preferred: the aphids can be removed by hand or rinsed with a jet of water.

If individual parts of the plant that have been infected with whiteflies need to be cut back, this should be done early in the morning or when the temperature is cooler.

A natural option for fighting insects is also the use of natural antagonists, for example, nematodes against larvae. In gardening shops it is also possible to ask to take advantage of this alternative.

As for natural remedies against aphids and other insects, we have given you some tips in the following articles:

Aphids: 10 natural remedies to protect vegetable and garden plants without toxic products
Aphids: Get rid of yellow lice with these natural plant-saving tricks and remedies
Garlic alcohol, how to prepare the infallible natural insecticide against plant aphids and scale insects
Against aphids and garden pests try these simple garlic tricks (and recipes)
12 do-it-yourself organic fertilizers and pesticides against garden pests
Natural and DIY pesticides to annihilate unwelcome guests in your garden

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Fonte: Eco-Test