Sunday, October 14, 2012

Two step approach organic insect killer spray

Soapy solutions kill ants instantly.  It also immobilize larger insects but normally don't kill them.

Someone adds vinegar to diluted washing liquid to kill flies.  It worked.

Flies are a different matter.  If you don't want to wait until they rest on somewhere close, you have to spray a lot in the air and everywhere just to stop one fly.  Even diluted washing liquid isn't that safe.

So for flies the first step is a wide angle spray bottle filled with diluted organic soap.  Soap from soap nuts are certainly organic - food grade.  I think Bronner's soap is organic too, at least the ingredients are.  I just have some for the bathroom and they are good to be diluted.

The organic soap still stop ants at the spot and kills them.  Flies have to find a place to land if you hit them.  Water may work to some extend but you can see that they have difficult walking in the soap.

When the fly is grounded, you can move in for the kill - with drops of vinegar, lime or lemon juice.  Totally organic.  Even better, I have citric acid crystals.  So I can make  very concentrated lemon juice if some insects need that.  Dry crystals can be stored much longer than juices.

The two steps also work for spiders.  First they are caught in their own net with the soapy solution.  Then the acid kills them.

I have no cockroaches to test.  But I guess you have to have a very sticky solution to trap them, and a very strong acid to penetrate their defence.  I got both.