April 01, 2021 URBANA, Ill. – It finally happened; your garden’s first tomato is ready to harvest. Bright red and plump, you can practically taste it, but on closer inspection someone already has. Do you dig out the trusty bottle of insecticide? Not so fast, says Michelle Wiesbrook, a University of Illinois Extension expert in pesticide safety and horticultural weed science. Pesticides have their place in controlling persistent weed and pest outbreaks, but using them incorrectly can harm pets, kill beneficial insects, and leach chemicals into waterways and drinking supplies. “We recommend that you use pesticides as a last resort,” Wiesbrook says. “A lot of times there are other controls that will work.”