Neem Oil Extract

[AdamDCole]

Hello! We have some of our plants that were ravaged by white aphids this last year. Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do about it that would be safe for bees? I had neem oil extract suggested as it is "garden safe" but I have no idea if that is accurate and I don't want to hurt the bees or contaminate the honey next year.

[rniles]

Even garden safe sprays kill things. Which is why you're wanting to use it. Best to use it when there are no bees about, usually before or after bloom.

Typically I just spray the aphids with a squirt bottle of water until the ladybugs (ladybird beetles) start laying and start eating the aphids (which they do fairly quickly on my hops but are a little slower on my artichokes ...so on my artichokes, I spray the aphids with water more often or use a "green" chemical (like neem or sulfur) spray when the bees aren't hanging around).

[TheBuzz]

Use dawn and water or better use ladybug larvae they're vicious eaters. Neem enters the system and blocks the real hormones from working properly. Insects "forget" to eat, to mate, or they stop laying eggs. Some forget that they can fly. If eggs are produced they don't hatch, or the larvae don't moult.

[TheBuzz]

double posted.

[AdamDCole]

Use dawn and water or better use ladybug larvae they're vicious eaters. Neem enters the system and blocks the real hormones from working properly. Insects "forget" to eat, to mate, or they stop laying eggs. Some forget that they can fly. If eggs are produced they don't hatch, or the larvae don't moult.

Dawn as in the soap? Just a 50/50 mix and spray away?

[BeeTech]

NO, not 50:50. A couple of drops per gallon. Just enough to make it look like it's thinking about sudsing. You want just enough to break the surface tension.

[JClark]

NO, not 50:50. A couple of drops per gallon. Just enough to make it look like it's thinking about sudsing. You want just enough to break the surface tension.

Best to do this in the morning on a sunny day. The soap erodes surface waxes on the cuticle making the target susceptible to dehydration. With a full day exposed to the heat of the sun they will dehydrate for sure. You must directly wet the aphids with the mixture to be effective--there is no residual that an aphid walking on the sprayed area could later pick up. Hence bee safe--just don't spray the bees.