Neem oil and ladybugs
Will Neem oil kill sprayed on roses kill ladybugs?
JimS. Seattle |
Neem oil and ladybugs
JimS. wrote:
Will Neem oil kill sprayed on roses kill ladybugs? No, Jim, it won't. Here is the relevant excerpt from EXTOXNET on Azadirachtin, the active ingredient in neem oil: "* Effects on Other Animals (Nontarget species): Azadirachtin is relatively harmless to spiders, butterflies, and insects such as bees that pollinate crops and trees, ladybugs that consume aphids, and wasps that act as parasites on various crop pests. This is because neem products must be ingested to be effective. Thus, insects that feed on plant tissue succumb, while those that feed on nectar or other insects rarely contact significant concentrations of neem products. Another study found that only after repeated spraying of highly concentrated neem products onto plants in flower were worker bees at all affected. Under these extreme conditions, the workers carried contaminated pollen or nectar to the hives and fed it to the brood. Small hives then showed insect-growth-regulating effects; however, medium-sized and large bee populations were unaffected (234). A study of neem products and their effect on mortality, growth and reproduction of earthworms in soils was conducted. Positive effects on weight and survival were found in soil treated with ground neem leaves and ground seed kernals under greenhouse conditions. Reproduction was slightly favored over a period of 13 weeks in a neem-enriched substrate in rearing cages. Various neem products were incorporated in the upper 10-cm soil layer of tomato plots. None of the materials had negative side effects on seven species of earthworms (240). No significant effects on other wildlife were reported (238)." In case you were curious, here is where you will find the rest of the article: http://ace.ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/pips/azadirac.htm I have seen a few papers publishing original research on the effect of neem oil on ladybug larvae, and as I recall it, on the specific ladybug varieties they studied (there were about a half-a-dozen, IIRC), there was little effect on the larvae's development into mature ladybugs. -- Radika California USDA 9 / Sunset 15 |
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