Both of the natural pesticides below work against snails, slugs, aphids, Armyworms, Leaf Beetles, Colorado Potato Beetles, Cucumber Beetles, Japanese Beetles, ants, fruit fly and more…
With both pesticides – only use them in the early evenings, so they don’t come into contact with bees and butterflies, that said, my experience is that the neem oil recipe doesn’t seem to affect bees and butterflies anyway.
Neem Oil Natural Pesticide Recipe (For Fruit & Vegetables)
This recipe is for edible vegetables and fruit, but be sure to wash all produce before cooking/eating (you can also use this on non-edibles too).
- 1/2 an ounce of high neem oil (preferably organic)
- 1 teaspoon of natural liquid soap (preferably organic like Dr Bronners etc).
- 2 quarts of warm water
- Spray bottle
Mix all ingredients in a jug, then transfer to the spray bottle. This homemade pesticide works best when used fresh, so use within 24 hours of mixing it up.
Rhubarb Leaf Natural Pesticide Recipe (For Non-Edible Plants/Flowers)
This recipe is only to be used on non-edible plants and flowers. Rhubarb leaves are highly toxic to humans and should never be consumed. Do not use this on vegetables and fruits!
- 1 cup rhubarb leaves
- 6.5 cups water
- 1/4 cup natural liquid soap (preferably organic like Dr Bronners etc).
- Spray bottle
Place the rhubarb leaves and water in a pan on the stove, and boil gently for 20 minutes, then leave to cool. Now strain and discard the rhubarb leaves, and then add the liquid soap to the strained liquid and mix thoroughly. Transfer to the spray bottle, and as with the neem oil pesticide, this mixture is best used fresh, so try to use it within 24 hours or so.
