• The organic vegetable gardener has many pest remedies at his disposal.Martin Harvey/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Organic gardeners use a vast array of insect-reducing methods before having to resort to insecticides. Trap crops; attracting beneficial insects, bats and birds; inter-cropping; proper watering and planting practices; and planting insect-resistant varieties are all pest-control methods. But when insect infestations get out of control, there are still organic insecticides to use that are less likely to throw the ecology of your garden out of sync.
  
  

Beneficial Insects

• Releasing beneficial insects such as ladybugs, beneficial nematodes, praying mantises and trichogramma wasps can provide short-term benefits, but you're much more likely to keep them in your garden if you have already planted their host plants. Plants in the same family as onion and lily or celery and carrot attract beneficial insects, as do the plants yarrow, lavender and clover.
  
  

Bacillus Thuringiensis

• The bacteria Bacillus thuringienses (BT is used on many product labels) can be applied to the vegetable garden to kill most caterpillars, worms and insect larvae. It does not affect any other organism or any other life stage of these insects. In other words, mature butterflies (and other insects) are safe, but their larvae die. Re-apply after rain or irrigation washes it from leaves.
  
  

Insecticidal Soap

• Mix 3 tbsp. of dish soap with 1 gallon of water, and hose down plants with severe infestations of aphids and mites, as well as some mealy bugs, in the morning. There are also specially formulated insecticidal soaps available at garden centers. Wash the soap off of the leaves of sensitive plants after a few hours to safeguard them from leaf burn.
  
  

Neem Oil

• Neem oil is extracted from the seeds of the neem tree native to Southeast Asia to produce many organic insecticides. It is nontoxic to humans but kills a variety of pests. Spray directly on pests according to label instructions.
  
  

Horticultural/Dormant Oils

• Scales, mealy bugs and other over-wintering pests can be smothered with horticultural oils. Use them only while plants are dormant, and follow all label instructions. Horticultural oils can smother or burn your vegetables if used while they are actively growing.
  
  

Sticky Traps

• Whiteflies are more commonly found in greenhouse vegetable gardens, but they can be a problem in outdoor vegetable gardens (especially those with poor circulation). Since flying pests are difficult to spray with insecticide, hang yellow sticky traps near the plant to attract and trap whiteflies.
  
  

Slug/Snail Traps

• Bury a shallow pan, empty tuna can or other shallow dish (with vertical sides) to its outside rim near a plant infested with slugs or snails. You want the soil to form a ramp for critters to be able to access the dish without having to climb a vertical wall. Fill the pan half full with beer to attract the snails and slugs. When the insects try to get to the beer, they fall in and can't climb out since the walls are too steep. Remove drowned insects regularly, and re-fill with beer as necessary.
  
  

Earwig Traps

• Place a similar shallow pan in the garden the same way you would for the slugs and snails, but fill this one halfway with fish oil to trap earwigs. Earwigs are usually just good decomposers, but they may chew on buds of your fruiting vegetables, preventing them from maturing or setting fruit.
  
  

Rubbing Alcohol

• Douse a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol, and gently apply it to the leaves of a plant infested with spider mites, aphids or whiteflies. Rinse off the alcohol after a few hours. Never apply during the heat of the day. Since this option is rather time-consuming, you may want to save it for your prized perennials.
  
  

Nicotine, Pyrethrum, Sabadilla, Rotenone

• These are all botanical insecticides, but not necessarily "safe." Pyrethrum, for example, is a broad-spectrum insecticide that will take out beneficial insects just as thoroughly as pests. Nicotine is toxic to warm-blooded animals (i.e., the gardener), and many of these products are irritants when inhaled. The reason they are registered for organic use is that they break down quickly and vegetables may be harvested shortly after application. Use as a last resort, and follow all safety instructions on the label.