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Organic Gardening

Are organic pesticides bad for lady bugs and other beneficial bugs?

briana_gerber22

7 years ago

I was wondering if organic pesticides will also kill the beneficial bugs that I want in my garden to help kill pests?

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

7 years ago

Insecticidal soap generally targets the types of insects many beneficials - like ladybugs - prefer to feed on so while not actually harming the beneficials, using it certainly won't encourage them :-) And Bt is a highly targeted bacterial organism so using it generally is of minimal concern to any beneficials.

Both need to be applied when a problem is present - neither is really preventative. The soap is a contact pesticide and the Bt is ingested but can be washed off foliage with rains so should be applied when the cats are present and actively feeding.

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Comments (10)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Depends what the pesticide is. Just because it is 'organic' or natural in origin does not mean it is necessarily nontoxic or harmless to the beneficials.
briana_gerber22
Original Author
7 years ago
I currently have Monterey BT spray and Safer insect killing soap spray. Are there certain brands that are best for getting rid of pests I don't want while keeping the beneficial insects safe or is companion planting a more efficient way of getting rid of unwatned pests?
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briana_gerber22
Original Author
7 years ago
thanks for the awesome feedback that really helps! I read that many ppl use regular soap mixed with water to repel pests but I was a little skeptical on which soap to use because I know many aren't organic and I'm trying to garden organically. Is the Safer insecticidal soap basically the same thing as mixing the soap with water?
kimmq
7 years ago
Safer Insecticidal Soap uses the potassium salts of fatty acids, the stuff soaps are made of. Whether a home made mixture would be the same thing depends on what is used as soap. Many products sold as soap today are really detergents and some of the manufacturers do not label their products as either. Dawn is sold as a dish liquid, for example.

Real soaps are made by reacting fats, animal or vegetable, with lye and they can be found with a bit of searching.
briana_gerber22 thanked kimmq
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
7 years ago
Use the insecticidal soaps! They are manufactured to be more effective on the pests they're sprayed on while less harsh on plant tissues.
lazy_gardens
7 years ago
The liquid in the bottle does NOT know that you consider one bug to be "beneficial" and another to be a "pest" ...it will kill the ladybugs along with the potato beetles.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
Sorry but that is incorrect. Insecticidal soap only works on soft bodied insects - like aphids, mealy bugs, thrips and most larval stages - by smothering them, as they "breathe" via their skins or outer covering. It has no impact on adult lady bugs or beetles or armored scale, etc., as it cannot penetrate that hard outer shell.

And Bt is highly targeted and will only affect specific organisms at a specific stage in their life cycle.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years ago
So insecticidal soap would kill ladybug and lacewing larvae which are more voracious than their parents? Once again I'd want to step back from the specifics and find out what are the pests? What are the crops? And what are the goals?
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
Yes, it could. It is estimated that 15% of ladybug and lacewing larvae will killed by contact with insecticidal soap.

As I stated previously, the routine use of even an organic pesticide like insecticidal soap will discourage the presence of beneficial predatory insects simply by reducing their food source, if not reducing their numbers by killing off the larvae.

I'd only use a pesticide - organic or not - as a last resort when all other means of control have failed and the problem is severe.

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