Phyl, If the other 2 products are working well i wouldn't switch. If the reason you are wanting to switch is because it has "safe" in the title or because neem is organic, i would reconsider. Neem oil will more than likely burn your leaves if sprayed in the summer, and there is much talk that it kills bees.

I used it once several years ago and seem to remember that it was fairly effective. But then I noticed that it had insecticide and miticide included, so I quit using it. There seems to be a lot of evidence that insecticides/miticides also kill off the good insects that could prey on the bad insects, so you end up having to use more insecticide. Now I always check carefully to make sure that my fungicides do not include insecticides/miticides also. (I use Bayer Advanced Garden Disease Control.)

Since Safer is basically Neem Oil, I would guess you shouldn't be using it in warm weather. Don't remember why, but there have been many discussions here about using Neem Oil primarily as a winter spray.

For aphids, why don't you wipe them off with your fingers, or spray them off with hose, or powder them off with flour in toe of an old pantyhose (as one poster here recommends)? Some non-chemical options, anyway.

Kate

Here's the problem with Neem. If you spray during hot weather it can fry the leaves. If you spray when bees are flying it can kill the bees.

Phyl

You mentioed not having success with baking soda. Cornell claims it works. Their forumula is 2 or 3 teaspons of baking soda in a gallon of water with a few drops of liquid detergent. Spray every 3-4 days.

Aphids? I just use insecticidal soap. Kills them very quickly.

Sulphur sprays are also very effective against them, as well as bs/pm.

Thanks for all your info. Yeah, I think I was duped into thinking it was "safer" insecticide because of its name. We don't use pesticides otherwise.

I don't usually have bad aphids very often-but they were AWFUL this year on my LUPINES! On the roses, I usually just shake them off or spray them with water. (Although they do love my Winchester Cathedral!!) I tried the flour/pantyhose routine for aphids several years ago...it was a disaster! The flour may have suffocated the aphids, but I couldn't get it off the roses with jets of water, so I had a gluey/goopy mess! LOL

I guess I'll have Gary teach me about spraying the fungicide he uses...just thought there might be an easier way to handle BS.
I may be wrong about having tried the Cornell spray, Jim. Maybe I'll try it again, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't kill existing BS spores, which is what I have now (because Gary hasn't been that diligent this year with the spraying).

Thanks everyone!
:0) Phyl