Will Spinosad Kill Aphids?


I don’t like to use pesticides when I don’t have to, however sometimes you must resort to bringing out the big guns.

Will spinosad kill aphids? Yes, Spinosad will kill aphids, mites, spiders, and other small insects that would fly by it or come into contact with it.

Spinosad is a natural substance that is created by Spinosyn A and D after the manufacture of soil products. The substance itself is toxic to insects, and it could also be toxic to some fish. This is a look at what SPinosad can do for you because it might be helpful to you when you are trying to protect your plants. It is basically a fertilizer, and that is why you can use it with all your plants. Learn what Spinosad can do for you so that you can determine how to deploy it on your land or in your facility. Everyone who is trying to care for their plants needs to know if they can use Spinosad in their area because they might have bees that they want to protect. 

Will Spinosad Kill Aphids? 

Spinosad will kill aphids, mites, spiders, and other small insects that would fly by it or come into contact with it. This is a very simple product to use on your plants because you could have all these insects in your vicinity. If this is the case, you need to be careful about how it is deployed because you do not want it blowing down wind to places where the bees are. You could use this in places where you have the traditional pest problems, and you could even use this on your garden that is near the body of the house. 

What Are Aphids? 

Aphids on a milkweed.

Aphids are small, greenish-yellow, soft bodied insects. Aphids live on the undersides of leaves and because of their body color they can be hard to spot on a quick walk through the garden.

Aphids secrete a honeydew substance that ants love. It’s pretty crazy but ants will actually farm aphids. If you see ants climbing up your plants that is a clue that you may have an aphid problem.

All Soft bodied insects, like aphids, are harmed by Spinosad.

How Do Aphids Damage Your Plants? 

Aphids have pointy piercing jmouth parts. The first major way that aphids damage your plants is by taking their dumb, little mouths and poking a hole in your plant. They suck out all of your plants insides. If this aphid has been exposed to any other plant diseases they will pass that along to your plant.

The second way they damage your plant is by secreting their ant loving honeydew. This damages the leaves of your plant, not allowing it to photosynthesize correctly.  

How Does Spinosad Work? 

Spinosad is an organic product that will cause damage to the nervous system of any insect that touches it. This is something that causes the insect to slow down, and they end up suffering more and more nerve damage until they die one to two days after they were exposed. It can be absorbed through the skin very easily, and that means that the insects in your garden do not need to eat the spinosad. You can spray it on all your plants so that the aphids or any other pest will simply touch it when they get close. 

The spinosad works fast enough that the colony cannot replenish itself, and they will disappear in just a few days. You need to keep up your deployment of the spinosad because it has to be used consistently if you plan to get results. You could have a new colony come in, and you want them to touch the same pesticide so that they will die off just like the old colony. The insects will eventually figure out they cannot come near your crops at all. 

Will Spinosad Kill Beneficial Insects?

Yes, Spinosad will kill good and bad bugs all the same. This is a MAJOR downfall of spinosad, and most chemical sprays. While spinosad is an effective aphid killer, I think a better, more long term approach to aphid control would be to plant plants that attract beneficial insects to the garden.

The more diverse your garden the better chance you have at the good bugs taking control of the bad bugs.

Will Spinosad Kill Bees? 

Spinosad will kill some bees, but it has been shown to not have much effect on honeybees. This is something that you need to be careful of because you might have a number of different kinds of bees in your area. The bees that you see in your area might be co-mingling with honeybees, and that is why you should not use Spinosad if you think you have a massive bee population. However, you could use spinosad if you only see bees every now and then. It all depends on what you believe would be the best choice, and you should plan the deployment of your pesticide instead of just spraying it everywhere. 

Spinosad Alternatives? 

Spinosad is unique because of the spectrum of insects that it kills. It is a very good broad insecticide. So there is nothing quite exactly like spinosad but you can get the same results with a cocktail of sprays.

Using neem oil and B.t. in tandem will give you similar results to spinosad.

Is Spinosad Organic? 

Spinosad is completely organic, and it is made from something that is the byproduct of making soil. Soil products are great for your farming and planting, and you can get this pesticide from the same company that makes your fertilizer.

Spinosyn A and D come together to make this pesticide, and the two if them make it possible for the product to break down the nervous system of any insect that touches them. You cannot use them separately, and you should not not try to buy the products on their own. Purchase the compound known as spinosad so that you can get rid of the pests in the area. 

Spinosad Will Kill Aphids 

You can use spinosad at any time to make sure that you have the cleanest gardens. There are many people who will want to use spinosad because they need to protect their plants, avoid using something that is too toxic, and use this pesticide because it is completely organic. You could get this pesticide from the same place that sells your fertilizer, and you can spray it around with a simple mask and gloves.

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Josh

I've been gardening in Florida since 2014. I'm an FNGLA certified horticulturist and a Permaculture design apprentice. I just want to share my love and passion of growing plants with other in the state of Florida to help them grow beautiful gardens.

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