Using Garlic To Keep Beetles Away

Question:

Can you please tell me how or if I can use regular garlic from the super market to keep beetles off of my roses?

Donna

Answer:

Donna, When combined with mineral oil and pure soap, garlic is said to become both an effective insecticide and fungicide. Use it to help control the following:

• Aphids
• Imported cabbage worms
• Leafhoppers
• Mosquitoes (in the larval stage)
• Squash bugs
• Whiteflies
• Colorado Potato Beetles
• Grasshoppers
• Nematodes (some)
• Fungi (some)
• Red Ants
• Grape leaf skeletonizers
• Sowbugs

Some gardeners have reported that Garlic oil is not very effective on adult Asian Beetles. I'm not sure how well, or if, it works at all on Japanese Beetles. Garlic oil does not kill insects selectively (meaning it kills beneficials, too), so take care as to how and where you apply it.

To make your own, soak 3 ounces of minced garlic in 2 teaspoons of mineral oil for 24 hours. Then mix it with 1 pint of water and a few drops of liquid dish soap. This mixture can be stored as your concentrate. When you are ready to use it, add 1-2 tablespoons of your concentrate to a pint of water to make your spray. Dish soap and oil can both cause damage to leaves and petals that may not show up until 2-3 days after you spray. For this reasons, test your mixture on a small, inconspicuous area before you cover your roses thoroughly.

Good luck!

Ellen

By lollipopll