On 12/30/2017 4:52 PM, Dan Jenkins wrote:
How does a single soap drop of "flak" incapacitate a housefly?
Do you think the dish soap is bad or good for the plants?

What is it about soapy water that knocks house flies right out of the air?
https://s10.postimg.org/t0p04p0h5/image.jpg

In case you want to know why, I use the flies to feed the plants.
https://s10.postimg.org/qw4n3mlzt/image.jpg

I'd rather not use soap (for the plants), but plain water doesn't work.
https://s10.postimg.org/gytmal1jd/image.jpg

How does a single soap drop of "flak" incapacitate a housefly?
Do you think the dish soap is bad or good for the plants?


Unlike plain water, which flies can shed, soapy water truly wets them.
The added weight of water makes them too heavy to fly.

A slight amount of soap will not harm plants. I have used a trace of
soap in water as a wetting agent to moisten potting mix that has become
bone dry. I also mix a generouse squirt of liquid soap with water-based
sprays when applying insecticides or herbicides to ensure the target
plants are indeed wet by the spray. I use the cheapest liquid dish
detergent that I can find that does not have added scents.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary