Pest Control

In the rainy season in the last week of Shrávańa there is water in the paddy fields of Bengal.

Harmful insecticides or pesticides should not be used in these fields because they will kill the fish and pollute the water system.

If copper sulphate spray is used, care should be taken to use the minimum amount because it is harmful.

Fish

In these fields we should cultivate fish, but fishermen should not be allowed to catch these fish while the paddy is still growing.

Fish should not be the food of human beings, but the food of jackals, birds, foxes and other fish and crabs.

If the paddy water drains into ponds, lakes or rivers, small fish will flourish and become the food of larger fish, birds and animals. In this way the farmers will be helping maintain ecological balance.

Neem Paste

Alternative pesticides like neem paste pesticide should be used.

Neem paste can be prepared from neem leaves.

Before planting the paddy, during the last ploughing, neem oil cakes should be ploughed into the fields.

In addition, neem paste pesticide with urea should be used whenever there is an attack of insects. Copper sulphate solution can also be mixed with urea.

To kill the worms which attack cauliflower crops, soapy water mixed with a small amount of kerosene may be sprayed on the cauliflowers. The soapy water will let the kerosene wash off the cauliflowers easily and not harm humans.

Snakes will likely be found wherever wax gourd is cultivated.

To avoid this, iishanmula [Aristolochia indica Linn.] is used because snakes are afraid of its smell. Snakes are also afraid of any copper salt. Wherever there is copper salt snakes will not be found, as in Ghatshila and Maobhandar, near Tatanagar.

Water kept in a bronze pot becomes antiseptic due to the copper in the bronze. Copper sulphate is poisonous for human beings.