All-natural food, pet food, medicines, insect control and organic gardening have become the wave of the moment. Most people assume that something is new just because it hasn't been in the spotlight, but natural alternatives have been around for years.

We try to live convenient lives, but sadly we have found that convenience can have a damaging effect on our environment.

Organic gardening is an excellent way to adopt a natural approach, rather than pumping chemicals and toxins into our food. We can take this one step further by making our own natural insecticides. Natural insecticides take a little more effort to use if you make them yourself, but the advantages are obvious.

The rewards you reap from preparing your own natural insecticides can be huge. You will have something to discuss with others at family reunions, club events and when travelling. You can join people in discussions on the internet about organic gardening and natural insecticides or increase awareness of the benefits so that others are prompted to follow your example. Help promote a healthier world, a healthier family life, ways to make the most out of your garden and landscaping.

There are rules to follow, such as mixing the ingredients properly. If you mix the wrong ingredients you could do more harm than good, or your ingredients may cancel out the effectiveness of each other. You should understand how to use what you make and how much is safe. You should also be aware of which plants or insects will be affected in a negative way so as not to harm the good ones. You should also know how to store your insecticides and for how long.

Prevention is always better than cure, but because it isn't always possible, taking safe alternatives to treatment is the next best thing. People have become angry with ever-increasing prices, so they decide they can do better if they just make their own products. This can either be a good or bad thing.

If you don't research and educate yourself, you could be doing more harm than good. Some people mistakenly assume that natural means safe, and they neglect to learn about the effects and proper uses of any natural insecticides they make.

Cooking is a good way to kill harmful bacteria, but the heat from cooking can destroy the active ingredients of some of your home-made insecticides. Also, the water you use can destroy their effectiveness. If you have hard well water, there may be certain minerals in the water that cause a problem.

So, if you decide to make your own natural insecticides, it is important that you know how to prepare and store them properly.