How Natural Is Natural Insecticide? A Philosphical Debate

There have been many advances in the field of natural insecticides.  Some would say that some of the advancements are not for the better.  This is because the natural insecticide is not exactly in the state that nature gave it to us in.  So, just how natural is natural insecticide? 

Nature (Photo credit: joaoloureiro)

Sustainable gardeners who grapple with this issue are those who seek to do their part in keeping the natural world in balance.  They believe that the earth is an ecological system in which every living entity has a part to play.  They have a strict idea of what natural insecticide is. 

They don't have faith in a system where the balance is upset by one species.  They believe that man's emphasis on technological progress is damaging to the planet by its very nature.  These people are extremely uncomfortable with biotechnology and its creation of "natural insecticide" to kill off a pest species in the garden. 

Then, there are those who don't agree that there is balance or harmony in nature.  They see the world as a constantly changing system where new developments are always coming along.  Advancements in natural insecticide are only one of them.

The people who see the world as ever-changing, the naturalists, are more likely to recognize the destructiveness of nature.  They recognize that hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes, are devastating occurrences.  Famine and disease can also be caused by nature. 

For this reason, naturalists see the world as something to be explored and understood. They believe that a human being has intelligence in order to do a part in advancing the health of the planet.  Part of this is in further development of natural insecticides and other such "improvements". 

These naturalists believe that biotechnology can produce products just as natural as any other natural insecticide.  They don't see the difference in using biotechnology for agriculture and using laboratory science to make pharmaceuticals, for instance.  They see biotechnology for natural insecticide as a good thing. 

European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Photo by Keith Weller. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Naturalists are more likely to see the similarities between biotechnology and the cross-breeding of plants and animals that has been done for centuries.  We have always used this method, if not this particular technique. 

A similar issue is bioengineered crops such as Bt corn.  Bacillus thurengiensis is a natural insecticide that has been used for many years.  Now, it is being put into the genetic structure of corn.  This makes the corn resistant to insects. While those with a more sustainable view see this as messing with the natural order of things, and potentially harmful to our health, the naturalists believe that Bt corn is a normal advancement. 

What do you think? Are we just using our God-given intelligence to make the world a better place through eliminating harmful pests, or are we overstepping by presuming that "bad" bugs don't have a place in the environment?

Feel free to share your view in the comments below!