When used incorrectly, pesticides can pollute water. They also kill beneficial as well as harmful insects. Natural 
alternatives prevent both of these events from occurring and save you money. Consider using natural alternatives for chemical pesticides: Non-detergent insecticidal soaps, garlic, hot pepper sprays, 1 teaspoon of liquid soap in a gallon of water, used dishwater, or forceful stream of water to dislodge insects.
Also consider using plants that naturally repel insects. These plants have their own chemical defense systems, and when planted among flowers and vegetables, they help keep unwanted insects away. The table below contains a partial list of nature’s alternatives.
| Pest | Plant Repellent |
| Ant | mint, tansy, pennyroyal |
| Aphids | mint, garlic, chives, coriander, anise |
| Bean Leaf Beetle | potato, onion, turnip |
| Codling Moth | common oleander |
| Colorado Potato Bug | green beans, coriander, nasturtium |
| Cucumber Beetle | radish, tansy |
| Flea Beetle | garlic, onion, mint |
| Cabbage Worm | mint, sage, rosemary, hyssop |
| Japanese Beetle | garlic, larkspur, tansy, rue, geranium |
| Leaf Hopper | geranium, petunia |
| Mexican Bean Beetle | potato, onion, garlic, radish, petunia, marigolds |
| Mice | onion |
| Root Knot Nematodes | French marigolds |
| Slugs | prostrate rosemary, wormwood |
| Spider Mites | onion, garlic, cloves, chives |
| Squash Bug | radish, marigolds, tansy, nasturtium |
| Stink Bug | radish |
| Thrips | marigolds |
| Tomato Hornworm | marigolds, sage, borage |
| Whitefly | marigolds, nasturtium |
**This information was reproduced in its entirety from the website of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov.
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