Xref: utzoo rec.gardens:4744 sci.bio:3443
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From: klee@wsl.dec.com (Ken Lee)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens,sci.bio
Subject: Re: Amazing new insecticide discovered!  :-)
Message-ID: <1990Aug15.173737.18435@wrl.dec.com>
Date: 15 Aug 90 17:37:37 GMT
References: <3237@syma.sussex.ac.uk>
Sender: news@wrl.dec.com (News)
Reply-To: klee@wsl.dec.com
Organization: DEC Western Software Laboratory
Lines: 19


In article <3237@syma.sussex.ac.uk>, andy@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Andy Clews)
writes:
|> Can anyone tell me why detergent is apparently so lethal to insects? And
|> if this is so, why don't people use it in preference to all those nasty
|> chemicals? 

Ordinary soap destroys the "skin" of most insects, killing them on
contact.  Many garden insecticides work this way.  The major
disadvantage is that it must directly contact the insect to have any
effect.  If you have an insect problem, you'll probably have to apply
insecticidal soap every day or 2 until the problem is solved.  Many
chemical insecticides leave a poisionous residue that will kill insects
for one or two weeks.

Ken Lee
DEC Western Software Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif.
Internet: klee@wsl.dec.com
uucp: uunet!decwrl!klee