The Positive News Thread

[Juan]

Biopesticides are pesticides made from substances found in nature that offer a less toxic alternative to man-made chemicals. As a class they’ve been used for a long time, but most traditional biopesticides haven’t been able to compete with synthetic pesticides on cost and effectiveness. Researchers around the world now are working to change that by manipulating chemicals found in plants, animals, bacteria and fungi. They’re discovering new ways to use nature’s arsenal to build better biopesticides and so reduce the need for less environmentally friendly pest control. The idea was that, unlike man-made chemicals, the venom peptides wouldn’t leave residues that could persist in the environment for years, and because they targeted specific types of insects, they wouldn’t harm fish, reptiles, birds or mammals.
https://ensia.com/articles/biopesticides...t-control/