Plonk: kills bugs dead

Reports in from Hindustan indicate that spraying crops with cheap booze may well be better than commercial pesticides - and cheaper, too. Rotgut costing around 100 rupees a dose worked comparably to professional grade toxic chemicals costing 3000-4000 rupees. Farmers moved over to this solution (which is apparently being endorsed by the scientific community) because pesticides were doing more harm to the crops than good in killing pests. So next time you have aphids on your tomatoes, try dumping some of that undrinkable red on them. [GT]

Another route to organic food: Get the pests dead drunk

Related stories: Big, fat Scottishworms | Plant-me pet biodegrades when you're tired of looking at it | 400 organic seeds from Tamar