Botanical Insecticides

Botanical Insecticides are naturally-occurring, organic compounds which are produced by plants.  Examples include nicotine (from tobacco) and pyrethrins (from Chrysanthemum).  Derivatives of these natural compounds were used extensively for insect control prior to the development of synthetic insecticides.  However, botanical insecticides are not currently used in the production of field crops because of their relatively low efficacy, short persistence, and high cost of production.  Although most botanical insecticides are relatively safe to use, some plant-derived toxins are acutely toxin to humans.