We conducted a series of trials during Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 to evaluate the efficacy of organic-approved insecticides currently on the market. While some of the products evaluated were found to be effective, the results of our studies demonstrated that most of these marketed organic-approved insecticides had marginal to no efficacy against common insect pests that attack vegetable crops in the desert. When the insecticides were evaluated alone, the highest label rate was used; when assessed as a mixture of two products, each product was applied at half of the label rate.

Below, we list the insecticides that resulted in some level of suppression for each insect pest.

1- Brassica

Pale stripes flea beetle: Biolink (insect & bird repellent), Insect & Bird repellent mix with Pyganic, and Entrust mix with M-Pede can provide measurable suppression of pale stripe flea beetle. Multiple applications may be required to enhance seedling protection.

Whitefly: M-Pede performed best against whiteflies on brassicas, but Surround, Pyganic, and BotaniGard can also provide some marginal level of suppression. It is best to apply Surround and BotaniGard when the plants are small. Dense foliage prevents insecticide droplets from reaching the lower leaves, where most whiteflies are located on the plants.

Diamondback moth and Beet armyworms: XenTari, DiPel, Entrust, a tank mix of DiPel and Pyganic, or XenTari and Pyganic are the most effective options for controlling diamondback moth and beet armyworms. Starting with XenTari in a rotation program can lead to greater suppression of diamondback moths.

Green peach aphid: Aza-Direct can provide measurable (greater than 50% reduction) green peach aphid suppression on broccoli. Because Aza-Direct works as a growth regulator, it is recommended to apply it early in the season to allow the product sufficient time to work and enhance its efficacy.

2- Lettuce

Green peach aphid: Aza-Direct and M-Pede exhibited variable performance when applied to broccoli or lettuce. Aza-Direct performed better at controlling green peach aphid in broccoli, but M-Pede provided the greatest (>50% suppression) green peach aphid suppression in lettuce.

Thrips: Entrust can provide excellent (>90%) control of thrips nymphs and adults. In our studies, other bioinsecticides, such as Gargoil and Aza-Direct, also resulted in thrips suppression of approximately 40% and 50%, respectively. In a rotation program, Aza-Direct and/or Gargoil can be applied at the beginning of the season when thrips populations are low, and thrips injuries are less problematic.

Bioinsecticides and their active ingredients