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pesticides

Managing Garden Pests: Insecticidal Soap?

June 25, 2020

 

Insecticidal Soap example-No Product Endorsement is intended.

Do you prefer organic pest control? Have you seen lots of homemade pest remedies on Facebook or gardening websites that you wonder if you should try? Then you’ve probably heard of insecticidal soap! What you may not know is that:

  • Many things we think of as “soaps” aren’t really soaps
  • Not all soaps are effective as insect killers
  • Many soaps may damage or even kill your plants rather than your pests!

So what ARE insecticidal soaps?

Insecticidal soaps are soap products registered as insecticides. According to Raymond Cloyd, Extension Entomologist, Kansas State University, they are “‘reduced risk’ insecticides…used in certain situations because they leave minimal residues, are less toxic to humans, and are short-lived in the environment because they degrade rapidly.” He notes that “Soap is a general term for the salts of fatty acids.”

The Environmental Protection Agency only registers potassium salts of fatty acids as active ingredients of insecticidal soaps. Why does this matter? Other salts and other fatty acids in soaps aren’t necessarily effective as insecticides—and may be harmful to plants!

Should you use an insecticidal soap for pest control?

First, identify your pest! Not all insects are pests and not all pests are controlled with insecticidal soaps. Then decide if your plants will benefit from using insecticidal soap:

  • Will the affected plants tolerate insecticidal soap? Read the label to be sure the product is registered for use on the garden plants that pests are threatening.
  • Insecticidal soap label.
  • Do your plants need intervention—how much pest damage can you—and your plants—tolerate?
  • Adult Ladybug eating an aphid. Do you need an insecticide?

Commercially produced insecticidal soap sprays can effectively kill “soft-bodied” pests they come in contact with, such as:

  • Aphids,
  • Leafhoppers,
  • Mealybugs,
  • Mites,
  • Scales,
  • Thrips, and
  • Whiteflies
  • Thrip damage on onions. Is this sufficient to warrant use of an insecticide?

    Whiteflies: Does this infestation justify using an insecticide?

Insecticidal soaps are most effective on the early stages of pest development—such as larvae—and safest when applied only to plants listed on the product label when those plants are not under too much stress. In other words, use insecticidal soap when pests first start to appear in sufficient numbers to become a threat to your plants.

Ladybug larva eating aphids. Insecticidal soap will kill both the ladybug larva and the aphids.

Insecticidal soaps can’t:

  • Control soft-bodied insects after the spray dries on the plant—only spray when you can see the pests!
  • Control “hard-bodied” insects, such as beetles.
  • Distinguish between beneficial insects and pests!

Are all insecticidal soaps organic?

Check the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) list for registered organic pesticides. Many pesticides that contain potassium salts of fatty acids contain other active ingredients that are not organic.

 What about those recipes for insecticidal soap?

Many “soaps” you have in your home are detergents, not soaps! These cleaning products may kill your plants rather than your pests. Even those soap products on your shelf that might have some insecticidal properties may damage your plants or may not be as effective as products registered for garden use. If asked, the makers of popular soap products will emphasize like we do—read the label! If the product isn’t registered for garden use, don’t use it!

Article by Buncombe County Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers

For more information:

Raymond Cloyd, “Fundamentals of Using Soaps as Insecticides”:

https://blogs.k-state.edu/kansasbugs/2020/06/12/fundamentals-of-using-soaps-as-insecticides/

OMRI Products List: https://www.omri.org/omri-lists/download

How to choose a pesticide: http://npic.orst.edu/pest/select.html

Discussion of pest tolerance: https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/radicalbugs/default.php?page=decision_making

Organic gardening: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/17-organic-gardening#insects

 

 

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Categories Pest Management Tags Insecticidal soap, pest control, pesticides

Investigate Before You Invest in Any Pesticide

June 28, 2017

Deciding among the plenitude of pesticides on garden center shelves, all in colorful packages with large print promises, can be challenging. When buying a pesticide, you’re making an investment. And, as in making any purchase, you want to know what you’re investing in before you put your money down.

Oregon Dept of Agriculture_Pesticide Inspection_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
Investigate before deciding if, when, what, and how to use a pesticide.

Plan ahead before you buy
Are you sure you have a problem that a pesticide can solve? Have you identified the real cause? Weather can lead to some strange plant/environmental reactions, so make sure you have the correct problem identified. An insecticide won’t do you much good against a fungus! If you’ve experienced the problem in the past, investigate and exhaust alternative solutions before you start searching the pesticide shelves.

Read the label before you invest
The pesticide label is the contract between you and the product’s supplier. The label tells you what the product will do and what you must do to make it work effectively.

Like any legal document, the label must carry some words that have very specific meanings. On every pesticide label, you’ll find one of these three words in large, bold print: 

  • CAUTION: The product is slightly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled, or it causes slight eye or skin irritation.
  • WARNING: The pesticide is moderately toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled, or it causes moderate eye or skin irritation.
  • DANGER: This pesticide is highly toxic by at least one route of exposure. It may be corrosive, causing irreversible damage to the skin or eyes. Alternatively, it may be highly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled. If this is the case, then “POISON” must also be included in red letters on the front panel of the product label.

    Malathion Directions_by Chris_Alberti_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
    Pesticide label tells what product does, explains how to use effectively, and gives warnings.

Be knowledgeable about product application

  • Will you need to mix the product with water or do you want to spend a little more for the convenience of a ready-to-use concoction?
  • What equipment will you need? Rubber gloves? A sprayer? Make sure your sprayer is in good working order by testing it with water on the driveway . . . not on valuable plants!
  • If you need to measure, make sure you have a measuring cup used only for pesticides! And rinse well after every use. Even a tinge of herbicide can work havoc with roses!
  • Refresh your memory and adhere to the contract uses of the product. What does it say about application under certain weather conditions—wind, temperature, precipitation? Does the product advise on use near water bodies or when pollinators are present?

Keep a pesticide inventory
Take a rainy afternoon to inventory your pesticide collection! Check the expiration dates and plan environmentally safe disposal of out-of-date pesticides. Maintain a pesticide usage record, including plants, problems, timing, and effectiveness. Your attention to up-front investigation and appropriate usage is a good investment, not only in any pesticide but also in your garden. 

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

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Categories Pesticides Tags fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides

Pesticide Use: Do You Need a License or Certificate?

December 5, 2016

Home gardeners do not need to have a license when using unrestricted pesticides—insecticides, fungicides, weed killers, and such that are sold to the public—in our own gardens. If we help someone else with these pesticides—with the property owner’s permission, of course—and if we do not get paid, then we don’t need a license. 

Caution!
Applying unrestricted-use pesticides for pay or as part of a job could require a license or certificate. If your neighbors pay you to apply a pesticide to their property, you may need a license. If you ask an employee to put pesticides down at a school or church where you are helping with a landscape, they may need credentials.

The Law
Cliff Ruth, Extension Area Agent Agriculture for Commercial Horticulture, sent out a checklist you can use to see if a license or certificate is indeed required in a given situation. To review it, click this link:
https://buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu/2016/11/do-you-need-a-pesticide-license-or-certificate/

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Categories Pesticides Tags fungicide, herbicides, insecticides, pesticide certificate, pesticide license, pesticides, weed killers

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