""A patent for a pesticide made from mushrooms was granted in 2006. This pesticide is safe, nontoxic and can control over two-hundred thousand types of insects. Fungi are known to cause insect diseases and the use of spores from fungi has been known for over 100 years. Previous patents were granted as far back as 1992 for fungal ant killers and termite control. In 2014, pesticides were a $16 million dollar business. A fungi-based pesticide is safer to use, safer for the planet, and has no lasting effect on the plants or planet.
Current situation with insects and pesticides
Over 1 million types of insects populate our planet, but only 1 percent are harmful and considered to be "pests." They are considered to be pests because they eat the foods we grow, or harm the livestock we need, or destroy our homes. The cost of the destruction caused by pests is high, as is the effects of chemical pesticides used to eradicate them. Many insects are now becoming resistant to pesticides. In addition, use of pesticides has been linked to causing many problems including human infertility, birth defects and the demise of the honeybee population. Pesticide use also harms natural insect predators, such as rabbits and other beneficial insects.
How the mushroom pesticide works
The fungi pesticide works by attracting the insect, who then eats it and dies. A fungus is grown on grain or wood, or agricultural waste products. Insects are attracted to the fungus. When the insects eat the fungus, they become infected with the fungi, which kills them. Depending on the insect population, a variety of fungi, or a combination of different fungi can be used. Some of the fungi have what is called "phagostimulatory effect" which means that they cause the insects to want to feed. Basically, they increase the insects' hunger, then lead them to eat the poisonous mushrooms.
Research on using fungi as insecticides
Research on Eastern subterranean termites was conducted over a period of 14 days using three different types of mycelium test strains on rice. Beauveria bassiana # 74038, Beauveria bassiana # 20872, and Metarhizium anisopliae # 62176.
Mortality rates varied between 100 percent and 66 percent in the termites who ate the mycelium, compared to a death rate of only 45.46 percent in the control group. The same myceliums were used in research with red imported fire ants. After 21 days, the mortally of the ants ranged between 100 percent and 82 percent, compared to only 66 percent in the control group.
Mushroom pesticide use
The combination of fungi can be packaged and reactivated when needed. It can be sold dried, freeze dried, or as pellets, making the sale and distribution of this type of pesticidesimple and convenient. All that is needed by the farmer is to open the package and leave it near where insects are gathering. They can also be used to trap insects. Pesticides made from mushrooms are a safe alternative to chemical pesticides now on the market.""
""California's reservoirs have about a year's worth of water left. Groundwater levels, seen as a "savings account" that the state can draw from in dry times, are at an all-time low. The US Drought Monitor comes out with weekly drought maps based on satellite imagery, precipitation, and water flow data; the Central Valley—America's bread basket—is covered in dark red, "exceptional drought."
What exactly is groundwater, and why are people in California freaking out about it? Groundwater is the water that seeps through the ground when it rains. Over the centuries, it accumulates in vast underground aquifers, with older water found deeper in the earth's crust. Accessed through wells, groundwater is often compared to a savings account in California—good to have in dry times but difficult to refill. The issue now is that with reservoirs (above ground) so depleted, groundwater use is spiking. Farmers are drilling deeper and deeper for water—using water that fell 20,000 years ago. Usually, groundwater makes up about 40 percentof the state's freshwater usage, but with the recent drought, that number has leapt to 65 percent. This year, it may rise to 75 percent.
What are the state's biggest water users? Farming in general, and alfalfa (used to feed cows) and almonds in particular. California grows half of the fruits and veggies produced in the States, including more than 90 percent of the country'sgrapes, broccoli, almonds, and walnuts. Here are some of the state's most thirsty crops:
Alfalfa is a superfood of sorts for cows, and it's in high demand in the Golden State, which leads the country in dairy production and is also a major beef producer. (Fun fact: It takes nearly 700 gallons of water to grow the alfalfa necessary to produce one gallon of milk, and 425 gallons of water to produce 4 ounces of beef.) 
Almonds are second from the top, both because it takes a lot of water to produce nuts (a single almond takes a gallon of water) but also because the crunchy snack is in vogue in the United States and abroad. The water that's used to grow the California almonds that are exported overseas in one year would be enough to fuel Los Angeles for nearly three years.""
