Detrimental effects of synthetic insecticides application on the environment coupled with their escalating cost and certain complications arising after their application, such as pest resistance, pest resurgence, effect on non-target organisms, oil and water contamination, necessitated the use of environmentally friendly and safer insecticides that are harmless to both humans and other useful organisms. These harmful effects have resulted in low agricultural production in the tropics with attendant health hazards to both humans and livestock, compelling the identification of alternative insecticides that are readily available to farmers at cheaper rate and can compete effectively with the synthetic insecticides in controlling insect pests of crops, without causing health hazards or pollution. This paper reviews such alternative insecticides to address these problems. Plant materials used as insecticides include leaves of Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Eucalyptus citriodoraDenn., GmelinaarboreaL., LycopersicundycopersiconL., Khayasenegalensis and African bush tea, HyptissuaveolensPoit. Neem and other botanical insecticides have been found to have remarkable powers for controlling insect pests. Botanical pesticides attack different insect pest species without any harm to human, livestock and beneficial insects. They are bio-degradable making them nontoxic and long-lived replacements for some of the today's most toxic synthetic pesticides.
Key words: Synthetic pesticides; Botanicals; Pests; Environment; Safety
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