How to use Black Soap as an Insecticide?

An ancestral natural product used for decades, the black soap is a precious everyday ally. Highly prized for its benefits for the skin, it also exists in a form suitable for household cleaning or fighting insects. As a natural and biodegradable product, this natural cleaner represents a perfect alternative to chemical products: it eliminates pests while preserving biodiversity and protecting infested plants. 

How to use black soap as an insecticide? here is everything you need to know about its use!

What is black soap?

Made from linseed oil, olive oil or sunflower oil, black soap is a product of plant origin and biodegradable. Very recognizable by its brown color which sometimes tends towards black, it is used as a versatile cleaner for different types of surfaces. Its composition of natural origin makes it an ideal alternative to chemical products, more respectful of the environment and biodiversity.

Used as an insecticide, black soap can eradicate pests that attack plants and shrubs. After being diluted in water, it acts as a perfect natural insecticide by asphyxiating insects on contact. It thus offers an effective solution for controlling parasites while preserving their ecosystem.

Why use black soap as an insecticide?

Unlike insecticides which come from the agrochemical industry, black soap is composed of ingredients of 100% natural origin. Its use makes it possible to eliminate insects without damaging the plants to be treated.

Black soap acts as a contact insecticide. Once sprayed on plants, it disrupts the cell membranes of insects to neutralize them. This so-called “mechanical” solution therefore differs from chemical solutions: pests are eradicated, but other living organisms are preserved. Biodiversity is therefore not disturbed.

Elimination of aphids with black soap

Aphids are pests that feed on plant sap. Very invasive in gardens, they can be eradicated using a surface insecticide based on black soap. Indeed, when it comes into contact with aphids, the soap enters their body and paralyzes their respiratory function. This is a natural and effective way to eradicate aphids from your garden.

Use black soap against aphids :

• Dilute 3 to 4 tablespoons of liquid black soap in 1L of hot water.
• Then spray the solution on your plants, preferably at the end of the day and when the weather is favorable.
• Make sure the back of the leaves is well coated with the product.
• The next day, rinse your plants with clean water to get rid of dead aphids.

Treatment of mealybugs with black soap

A natural and biodegradable product, black soap represents an ideal alternative to chemical insecticides to combat mealybugs. These pests, very common in gardens, damage plants by feeding on their sap. The vaporization of this natural product makes it possible to act mechanically against these insects. Black soap breaks the waxy layer that protects the body of mealybugs, leading to their death.

Use of black soap against mealybugs :

• Prepare 1L of water and mix a teaspoon of black soap inside.
• Spray this solution on areas affected by mealybugs.
• By repeating this treatment every two weeks, you will be able to control the presence of mealybugs while preserving the health of your plants.

Fight red spiders with black soap

Very feared for their attacks on plants, red spiders can be eliminated using a natural solution: black soap. Spraying this natural insecticide on infested leaves creates a protective barrier against red spiders. Their ability to feed is restricted, which leads to their death.

Use black soap against red spiders :

• Mix a tablespoon of liquid black soap in 1L of water.
• Spray this solution on the infested leaves, paying particular attention to their underside.
• Repeat this treatment every two weeks until the pests are eradicated.

Eradication of flies with black soap (midges, gnats, fruit flies...)

Flies are one of the biggest pests of houseplants. Compost and plant soil are often the preferred place for their eggs since they contain the organic matter necessary to feed the larvae. Using black soap as an insecticide may therefore be necessary to eliminate flies in a simple and natural way.

For that :

• In a ratio of 1 to 4, dilute liquid black soap in water to make your natural insecticide.
• Spray the solution on the leaves and soil of your houseplants.
• The treatment can be repeated every two weeks to eliminate gnats from your plants.

Repel ants with black soap

Black soap is an ideal natural repellent against ants. Once sprayed on areas heavily frequented by ants, it acts as a deterrent barrier which alters their pheromones. It is therefore a non-toxic way to keep ants away from your plantations, while respecting the environment.

Use black soap against ants :

• Dilute 1 tablespoon of black soap and ½ tablespoon of rapeseed oil in 1L of water.
• Spray the solution twice and one hour apart on areas frequented by ants.
• By repeating the treatment for 3 days, you will get rid of ant invasions.

Fight against flea beetles with black soap

Flea beetles are small black insects that damage many crops by devouring the plants. A solution composed of water and black soap (natural insecticide) can help fight flea beetles by disrupting their metabolism in a completely natural way.

Protect your plants and use black soap against flea beetles :

• Prepare a natural insecticide by mixing a tablespoon of black soap in a container of water.
• Spray the solution on the stems and leaves of your plants, paying particular attention to areas infested with flea beetles.
• You can repeat this operation every two weeks for total and effective control of flea beetles without damaging your plants.

Protection of plants against the palm moth with black soap

Black soap represents an ideal preventive measure against the palm moth, an insect responsible for much damage to these trees. Once applied as a preventive solution to infested areas, it creates a deterrent barrier that alters the butterflies' egg-laying conditions. This natural solution makes it possible to fight against the proliferation of palm butterflies while preserving the health of the trees.

Use black soap against palm moths :

• Pour two tablespoons of liquid black soap into 1L of water and mix.
• Then, spray this solution all over the leaves, paying particular attention to the underside, where the eggs of palm butterflies are generally found.
• Repeat the application of the treatment every two weeks to maintain effective protection of your palm trees.

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