My Allotment Diary, EP 6: Easy Homemade Insecticide Spray

Posts

• nutcutlet Posts: 27,445

  July 2019

  Time to stop killing insects. White fly etc are bird food

  
  
  In the sticks near Peterborough

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• debs64 Posts: 5,184

  July 2019

  I completely agree, kill all the aphids and the ladybirds 🐞 will starve! Leave them alone and the predators will come. 

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• ForkinAllotment Posts: 37

  July 2019

  Say that when they have eaten all your brassicas, I had a massive infestation of whitefly and that the only reason I used it, if i see just a couple then thats fine, but when its hundereds its time to take action as nature is obviously not coping with it

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• debs64 Posts: 5,184

  July 2019

  I don’t have any brassicas. It’s entirely up to you of course but I garden for pleasure not food and I love to see and hear all the wildlife which includes ladybirds 🐞 
  On the allotment I was growing cabbages which got covered with caterpillars I was advised to kill them but I decided I would rather have butterflies than cabbages and I left the caterpillars alone and don’t grow the cabbages any more. Each to their own but I would be aware that any insecticide may harm beneficial creatures. 

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• ForkinAllotment Posts: 37

  July 2019

  I understand your sentiment there and I know that many people will have different opinions and may not agree with killing them, as I said i would only use it on large infestations as I grow my veg to eat

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• ForkinAllotment Posts: 37

  July 2019

  Also this insecticide only kills soft bodied insects as far as im aware, i use it and i still have ladybirds, spiders, flys, and other beneficial insects so as far as i know it does not harm them

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• debs64 Posts: 5,184

  July 2019

  I am not an expert but I think oil and detergent sprayed onto an insect would kill it. I do see your point if you rely on crops for food it’s probably a difficult decision to make. 

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• ForkinAllotment Posts: 37

  July 2019

  thanks for your understanding, but I know that this subject will divide people

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• ForkinAllotment Posts: 37

  July 2019

  also i only spray onto leave with the pest insect on, if ladybird larve are present i will remove them to other plants that are not being treated, i am not saying kill all bugs just control them if you have an infestation

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• Plashing Posts: 328

  July 2019

  I have never seen so many ladybird larvae as I have seen this year they have just about cleared all the greenfly and black fly I have had very little aphids on my broad beans so I must be doing some good.

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