NEEM OIL

Description

1. What is neem oil? -Neem oil is a naturally occurring pesticide found in seeds from the neem tree. It is yellow to brown, has a bitter taste, and a garlic/sulfur smell. It has been used for hundreds of years to control pests and diseases. Azadirachtin is the most active component for repelling and killing pests and can be extracted from neem oil. 2. Which types of crops is neem oil best suited for? -Neem extracts are particularly suitable for use on vegetables and small scale field crops. If sufficient water and sprayers are available it is also possible to treat larger fields.. 3. How does neem oil affect insects? -Numerous insect species are repelled by active ingredients in the neem seed. As they find the taste and smell unpleasant they avoid the plants that have been treated with neem extracts. Other insects die some time after having eaten leaves or other parts of the plant treated with these substances. They alter the behaviour in some insects or reduce their ability to lay eggs. Other pest species are affected minimally or not at all by the neem substances, probably as a result of their hidden biology. 4. How is neem oil applied? -The neem extract can be applied in two ways: When using a sprayer, the rough particles must first be filtered out of the mixture to prevent clogging the nozzle. This is done by covering a bucket or similar container with a coarse cloth or gauze through which the mixture is poured. The sprayer is filled with the filtered solution and spraying of the vegetable crops can begin. If no sprayer is available the extract may be applied with a straw brush. In this case, it need not be filtered. A brush made with fine, flexible straw is simply dipped into the solution and shaken over the plants until all the leaves are moistened. The effect of the neem substance lasts between 3 to 6 days, regardless of how it was applied.