What did ancient people use for pesticide?

Question

What did people use before Raid or other products were made?

Answer 1

The ancients had copper and sulfur for fungi, They also had tobacco products for a smoke pesticide, pretty effective and still sold commercially today,
Also and more importantly, they had BIO-DIVERSITY Biodiversity is when one field is NOT farmed with one crop only.
A farmer under plants one tall crop. one short ground cover crop and then a few rows later changes crops completely and plants may be herbs, flowers, something different and then goes back to a food crop, with some under planted legume type crop.
This created enough diversity to stop a singe crop from being wiped out by a single insect infestation. Also it aided in retaining the nutrients in the soil so that they did not get blown, or washed away, or worn out by over planting the same crop for years.
Think of the diverse plants in the U.S. Prairies, Bugs,fires, no fertilizer, and yet the plants are thick, lush and beautiful year after year. BIO-DIVERSITY,! This is kind of wordy, and probably won't be voted best answer because of it. BUT, it is the true answer. Ask the native peoples.

Answer 2

Natural pesticidal products, also called botanical pesticides, are available as alternatives to synthetic chemical formulations. Although thought of by some as "natural," and therefore assumed to be harmless, safety clothing must be worn when spraying these, even though their toxicity is low to warm-blooded animals. Some botanical pesticides are toxic to fish and other cold-blooded creatures and should be treated with care.

The botanical insecticides break down readily in soil and are not stored in plant or animal tissue. Often their effects are not as long-lasting as those of synthetic pesticides.

Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) is an effective product commonly used against moth larvae. B.t. is a bacteria that produces a toxin quite lethal to caterpillars, but nontoxic to beneficial insects and mammals. B.t. is most effective on young larvae. New strains of B.t. have been developed to work against other types of insect larvae.

Another biocontrol product available to gardeners is grasshopper spore. It is not proven for small-scale use, but may help gardeners reduce damage by grasshoppers.

Commercial insecticidal soap, a special formulation of fatty acids, has proved effective against aphids, leafhoppers, mealybugs, mites, pear psylla, thrips and whiteflies. Homemade, soap sprays also work to some extent. They can be formulated by combining three tablespoons of soap flakes (not detergent) per gallon of water. Spray on plants till dripping.

Repellent sprays, such as garlic sprays and bug sprays (made from a puree of bugs), have been reported as useful by some gardeners, but their effectiveness is questionable. Some researchers believe that bug sprays may work if a disease is present in the insect macerated and that disease is spread through the spray to other insects.

Apply all insecticides locally, to take care of a specific pest problem, instead of blanketing the entire garden. Call your local Extension office for specific recommendations.

Answer 3

pesticides not needed.ancient people didn't see insects as pests.they were considered food.today we eat crunchy chips as a snack.back in the old days,they ate crunchy bugs.it's an acquired taste.

Answer 4

I would imagine they tryed many things befor arriving at a workable solution.

Answer 5

I don't know how far this goes back, but soap suds were used on plants to repel aphids.

Answer 6

Tobacco juice.

Answer 7

A hoe and their hands.

Answer 8

Their feet.