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 A Little Bit MoreEnormous amounts of time and energy have gone into ways to reduce insect depredations on crops. For much of human history, insects could only be removed from crops by hand – a laborious and time-consuming job. But with the use of chemical weapons, insects could be eliminated with an enormous array of substances. It didn’t take long, however, for people to realize that many of these “beneficial” chemicals were harmful to the environment, as well as to ourselves - not the final solution they had hoped. Today, chemical use is still widespread but there is much greater care given to what and how they’re applied to minimize negative effects. With this in mind, it’s reassuring to realize that small-scale insect containment can be achieved without the use of ANY harsh chemicals. A simple insecticidal soap solution can be used that will reduce many insects on garden and houseplants.  Cornell University Cooperative Extension notes that environmentally-friendly insecticidal soaps are available. Before use, they advise making sure that the spray won’t damage your plant (spray a small area first). These sprays damage insect cell membranes and can bring a quick end to many soft-bodied insects and even some with hard cuticles (exoskeletons) too. Although household soaps and detergents are often effective, these may be harmful to your plants so once again, test before you use wholesale. Insects that are most vulnerable to insecticidal soaps include aphids, white flies, adelgids, mealybugs, mites and many others; even Japanese Beetles are susceptible. Some brands Cornell notes that are available for home use include: Safer, Concern, Bonide, Garden Safe, and Surefire brands;organica K+Neem. ActivitiesScience – Homemade InsecticideObjectives: Do your own experiment Materials: Dishwater soap, spray bottle, and available plants The unit poster mentions that entomologists have learned how to introduce material into insects via their spiracles. But today, most people are interested in using environmentally-friendly means to reduce insects rather than harsh chemicals. The use of insecticidal soap sprays that are not harsh, is an effective means of controlling small-scale insect infestations on home and garden plants. But there are a variety of home remedies that are often proposed that don’t require the purchase of products not already in use in the typical home. Dishwashing detergents and soaps are touted as being adequate for eliminating insects as effectively as the insecticidal soap but caution needs to be taken to avoid damaging plants. See if you can determine whether the soap you use at home (Dawn, Ivory Snow, Ivory Liquid, Palmolive, Joy, etc), the one under your kitchen sink right now, can be used without harming your plants? Using your homemade spray will necessitate that you first determine whether it’s non-toxic for your plants, so let’s find out. 1. The concentration of the solution you spray will be important. Information I’ve been able to obtain indicates that about one tablespoon per gallon is concentrated enough to kill insects - quarter tablespoon of soap with water for a quart spray container should work just fine. 2. Once you’ve mixed up your solution, select an assortment of different plants that you can test for possible plant-toxicity. The greater the number of different kinds of plants the better – we want to see which ones are or are not adversely affected by the spray you use. 3. Choose an “easy-to-remember” leaf on each of the plants to be tested. You might want to make some kind of mark or tie some kind of material around the leaf so it’s easy to recognize. 4. Spray each of the pre-selected leaves on each plant with a “reasonable” dose. Remember, you would actually be spraying insects there. (Don’t spray if the temperature is above 90F or if the plant is in full sun) 5. As your control, you can spray one of the leaves (do this will each plant tested) with a water solution that contains NO soap at all. This will ensure that any results you do or do not get will be caused by the soap solution, not the water used. 6. Allow the soapy solution to remain on the leaf for at least 4-6 hours and then rinse off with clean water. You might even want to repeat this experiment again as if you weren’t able to kill all of the insects the first time. 7. Keep close tabs on both the soap-sprayed and water-sprayed leaves to see if they appear to be adversely affected in some way by the spray. Look for discoloration, leaf curling, spotting, or other kinds of damage. 8. Note any plant(s) that does show damage so you know to avoid using your soap solution on these in the future. 9. Note any plant(s) that does NOT show any damage so you know that you can use your homemade soap solution in case insects ever become a problem. If you wanted to try this experiment with an assortment of different kinds of soap products, you could expand the testing that way. Might be interesting to see what you can come up with. Be sure if you do use different products, that you spray it only on the same species of plant to ensure meaningful results. Definitionsdepredations: plunder or ravages against prey Related WebsitesDownload this Poster |