ORGANIC BUG SPRAY
BY
ANNA MAY KINNEY

Many of you have asked for my environment friendly bug spray recipe. This a quick and easy to make bug killer, made from regular household liquid dish detergent and cooking oil, it is safe and only cost pennies for each application.

  This mixture is effective against some of a gardener’s worse enemies, whiteflies, aphids and spider mites.

Mix 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) of dishwashing liquid with 250 Mls (one cup) of cooking oil, peanut, safflower, corn, soybean or sunflower.

Place in a leak proof container and shake well, when mixed take five to twelve Mls (one to two teaspoons) of this prepared solution, add to 250 MLs. of water, place in spray bottle, the kind you’d use for window cleaner, and spray infected areas on your plants.

To avoid plant damage, do not spray during the hot part of the day, or in direct sun. Red cabbage, cauliflower and squash can sometimes be damaged by spray. I would suggest diluting the spray further to spray these plants, and doing it only before sundown. Hose off plants early the next morning before the sun has a chance to heat up their leaves.

The key to making this spray work is getting the spray onto the insects. Many varieties of insects like aphids and white flies spend and breed UNDER plant leaves, so spraying all day the tops of the leaves will do little good. Turn leaves gently, and spray the under parts of as many leaves as you can.

While the leaves are turned look carefully for any webbing, eggs or live insects, simply take your thumb and mash. Repeat about every four days during high infestation periods, once a week afterwards.