Wash Your Dishes with Insecticide!

Now, before you think I clean my dirty plates and cups with a little shot of Raid, hear me out.  Long before my grandmother had access to "green" and "organic" insecticides, she would deal with pests in the garden by drowning them in dishwater.  The leftover soapy water from hand-washing dishes is great to kill aphids and other garden pests (although it doesn't seem to be effective in repelling cats, unless you are really fast.)  By sloshing it gently on her plants, Grandma dealt with bugs on her flowers, simply utilizing a by-product of housework.  Smart lady!

More tenacious insects, such as Japanese beetles, can be hand-picked and drowned in a jar of dishwater.  I typically wear my rubber cleaning gloves for this task, since I am not particularly fond of handling a large quantity of insects, but the gloves are optional.  Either way, the soap in the water suffocates the insects, whereas plain water might not.

(In case you think drowning insects in soapy water is "cruel", I want you to know that I have forewarned all bugs crossing into my garden by posting small, charming "No Trespassing" signs at insect height around the garden's perimeter.  I cannot, however, take responsibility for any insect's lack of literacy.)

Obviously, the soap film will degrade with rain or watering and will need to be re-applied occasionally.  If you use a large quantity of dish soap, be sure to dilute the soapy solution with enough water to avoid burning your plants.  A small squirt of liquid soap in a dishpan of water should be sufficient.  I typically wash vegetables when they come in from the garden anyway, but you will want to be sure to rinse everything you harvest to avoid a soapy taste on your salad.

Since dishwater, just like any other insect treatment, is indiscriminate, I only apply it when I notice an infestation of insect pests to limit damage to beneficial insects.  That way, while every leaf and flower in my garden may not be perfect, it will still be safe for praying mantises and butterflies.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

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Comments

[Leigh]

Whoa baby - you got your game back on! Loved the post!