To create your own homemade aphid soap spray, you only need two ingredients: liquid soap and water. Therefore, I feel much more comfortable making our own! I mean, why not? Homemade insecticidal soap is extremely cheap and easy to make, and is just about as natural and gentle as you can get. However, while those are typically rated for “organic gardening” and are more environmentally-friendly than most other pesticides, they often still include a long list of chemical ingredients.
There are many commercially pre-made insecticidal soaps available to buy. This means that it must be sprayed right on to the target pests to work. Thus, soap sprays are NOT effective against insects that have a hard exoskeleton or different anatomy – such as most beetles, crickets, bees, grasshoppers, pill bugs, grubs, or even caterpillars.įurthermore, insect soap spray has little-to-no residual effect, and only kills on direct contact. It kills them by pest-specific physical means, and is not “poisoning” them. Essentially, it coats and penetrates the natural protective barrier around their body, which causes them to desiccate – or dry out. Insecticidal soap, also known as horticultural soap, works to kill soft-bodied insects by disrupting their sensitive cell membrane. What Is Insecticidal Soap, & How Does It Work?
I gain a small commission from purchases made through those links, at no additional cost to you.Ī cluster of mealybugs, just asking for it. We also buy and release ladybugs to help with that! But when it is apparent the “bad guys” are significantly outnumbering the good? Soap spray to the rescue!ĭisclosure: This post contains some affiliate links to products for your convenience, such as to items on Amazon. Instead, we hope that that their natural predators like ladybugs or lacewings will help keep their population in check. When there are just a handful of aphids or other pests around, we generally do not intervene. Keep in mind that seeing a couple of bugs here and there is totally normal and even expected in an organic garden. On the other hand, it is also gentle on your plants, non-toxic to wildlife, and does not harm beneficial insectslike ladybugs, lacewings or bees!
When mixed and used correctly, an application of insecticidal soap is very effective at killing small soft-bodied pest insects like aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, white flies, psyllids, and scale. Read along to learn how easy it is to make your own! Insecticidal soap spray can also be used indoors on houseplants. Share on Pinterest Share on Facebook Share on X (Twitter) Share on Email Share on RedditĪre aphids, mealybugs, or other pesky little insects making themselves at home in your garden? Don’t let them get too comfortable! Try using this mild, inexpensive, organic homemade soap spray to stop them in their tracks, and prevent them from further damaging your plants.
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