Black soap, a natural treatment against aphids
Is your garden infested with aphids? Are you looking for effective, natural solutions that respect your health and ecosystems? Black soap can help you get rid of these insects that devour your roses and shrubs! A natural and harmless insecticide, it presents no risk to other insects and preserves biodiversity.
Aphids, a scourge for your garden
Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that feed on sap. They are very prolific and can quickly multiply and invade large areas. Aphids are a real danger to agriculture and forestry, and are also particularly invasive in our gardens. With a very rapid reproduction cycle, they can easily spread over large areas.
The danger to your plants is real. Aphids exhaust the plants, sucking the sap from them, and deposit unsightly honeydew on the leaves and stems. These insects also act as vectors and contribute to the spread of phytoviruses and moulds, which proliferate even more on already weakened plants.
Protecting yourself from aphids is essential. But you must choose an effective, natural treatment that is not harmful to your health. You must also protect other hosts in your garden, and in particular take care of pollinating insects, your most precious helpers. Black soap is your best bet!
Black soap, a formidable natural insecticide
Black soap is a popular household product that has been used for several centuries. Appreciated for its effectiveness, it is attracting a growing number of French people who are looking for healthier and more nature-friendly products. Known for its household qualities, this natural product also shows its qualities outside!
Black soap has a surface insecticide action. When in contact with an aphid, it penetrates its cuticle and paralyses its respiratory function. The aphids are quickly suffocated and die.
Unlike insecticides from the agrochemical industry, black soap is not toxic. Moreover, it does not lead to any resistance phenomenon. Its action can indeed be described as "mechanical": black soap clogs the pores of the skin, preventing any breathing.
Many other pests can also be eliminated by using black soap, such as mealy bugs and red spiders. Please see our article on the uses of black soap in the garden.
Black soap to eliminate aphids
You can dilute 3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) of liquid black soap in a litre of hot water. You can also use black soap paste, and dilute about 50g in a litre of hot water to get the right mixture.
To get rid of the aphids, simply spray the mixture onto the infested plants. We recommendspraying at the end of the day in good weather, soaking the leaves and stems well, but avoiding the flowers. Remember to also spray the underside of the leaves, where the aphids love to hide. The next day, you can rinse your plants with fresh water to remove the dead aphids.
You will probably not be able to eliminate all the aphids in one treatment. We invite you to repeat the operation as many times as necessary. You can order your black soap for the garden from our online shop. We offer several references, with liquid black soapWe offer several references, with ready-to-use, paste or spray products.
Black soap against an ant infestation
Ants breed aphids to feed on their honeydew, a sweet substance they love. They care for them and protect them from predators, thus increasing their numbers.
Black soap is also particularly useful for controlling ants. You can dilute about 5 tablespoons in a litre of boiling water and quickly pour the mixture over the ant farm. This can be repeated as many times as necessary.
You will thus get rid of another potentially invasive species, and you will deprive the aphids of their best allies!
An eco-responsible and sustainable garden
Every garden can become a refuge for pollinating insects, and contribute to the protection of biodiversity in the city or in the countryside. By using black soap to get rid of aphids, you are taking care of nature and limiting your impact. You can also adopt other behaviours, for an ever more sustainable and responsible footprint.
How about inviting natural aphid predators into your garden? An adult ladybird can eat up to 100 aphids a day, and a larva can swallow up to 150 aphids a day! You can easily buy boxes of ladybird larvae from pet shops, which will quickly devastate the aphid colonies that have taken up residence in your garden. If you have an oleander, you should choose the Coccilaure variety (Hippodamia undecimnotata). It is the only one that can resist its toxic sap.
You can also swap synthetic fertilisers for natural products. Horse manure, for example, provides plants with all the nutrients they need. This healthy and natural product is particularly cheap, as many riding schools and horse owners give it to everyone. You can also use fertilisers and treatments that are permitted in organic farming, which have a limited impact on the ecosystem.