Pesticide Shmesticide

Note from RollingEyeballs: The following post was written by a particularly prolific and evidence-driven member of the GardenWeb Cacti and Succulents Forum, known in that circle as ewwmayo (he does hate mayonnaise, something I vehemently disagree with---I eat my fries with mayo and although I also like "ketchup", I spell it "catsup"). I am sharing it with you (with permission, of course) because it is one of those things I wish I had the wit and patience to write down, but didn't. Having no desire or inclination to reinvent this particular wheel, I am just posting this in toto, with minor typo corrections. This post was followed by a lively discussion which you can check out here. The rest, I give you ewwmayo, to wit:

Insecticide/Pesticide Insights

Not everyone is an enemy. Hemaris thysbe, commonly known as the hummingbird clearwing, is a moth of the Sphingidae (hawkmoth) family.

While wrapping up my red spider mite battle, I wanted to share a few helpful things I've learned about many insecticides and their usage. I am not an expert on the subject, but have done a lot of research and wading through the misinformation online. Hopefully it'll help or at least tell you something new.
I think most of us have run into pest issues and I'd rather share my findings than pretend I live in some kind of Canadian pest-free universe. =)

Are my pests really a problem?

• Proper identification and evaluation is the most important. Mealybugs and spider mites start slow, but their populations explode quickly. A minor problem festering for a few months can suddenly turn into a major problem in just a couple days.
• You need to know what exactly you are dealing with because insecticides and pesticides are target at different vermin in specific ways. Pick the wrong one and it will be ineffective and you risk damaging your plant.
• The toughest part is noticing the early stages, pests are often hard to find and if you never dealt with a specific one before, it is easily overlooked.