A Dispatch from the Insect War Front

Homemade NeemII

Blasting them off with water slowed the aphids down, but they were still there today.  In addition to the squash vines, bean vines, and blueberry bushes, I also found them on the new growth of my apple trees.  I didn't find any squash bugs on the squash vines, but I know they are there.

This morning I mixed up a sprayer full of an organic pesticide known as NeemII and treated the affected crops.  It's cheaper to buy neem oil and pyrethrin and mix them together on your own, but if you have a small garden it probably makes sense to buy the premix.  The pyrethrin is extracted from the seed cases of chrysanthemums.   It kills many insects on contact and biodegrades very quickly so its effects are not long lasting.  Neem oil is extracted from the seeds of the neem tree and is a perfect complement to pyrethrin.  While it may not have the quick killing power of pyrethrin, it lasts for up to a week and provides long term protection.

To make the mix, I follow the label instructions for each and dilute them in the same water.  Note that I am not a chemist and do not guarantee that this is safe or replicates NeemII exactly.  I just know it works well for me and other people.  I use a pump-up, quart-sized hand-held sprayer, which works great.  With traditional sprayers that require a trigger pull with each squirt, it can get quite tedious and tiring for a very large application.  Once mixed in the sprayer, I pump it up and spray the undersides of all the leaves that I want to protect.  Most insects hide out on the underside and since pyrethrin is a contact killer, simply showering it down on the leaf tops will not work.  I shake the sprayer often as I go to keep the ingredients mixed.  Even though the ingredients are organic, I wear cheap nitrile gloves when handling the concentrates and spraying the plants.  It should be fine, but I'm just cautious.