pests Neem oil to combat aphids ?

Sluggy

Sluggy

After being plagued by indoor aphid infestations YEAR AFTER YEAR, I decided to go look for some stuff that will take care of these green sap sucking bastards for once and for all. 

Preferably something that is not too chemical, poisonous or environmentally unfriendly.

NEEM OIL seemed an interesting candidate worth investigating. 

I read that Neem oil is capable of STERILIZING moths, thus preventing them from reproducing.
Now if this were to work on aphids as well, we got our hands on a miracle potion here.

I purchased two small bottles of special neem oil plant spray and applied the right doses, spraying both the new bonchis, that were already bushing out hardcore in a matter of weeks after being pruned, and a new batch of Moruga seedlings. 
 
"Harmless to pets, beneficial insects, and plants." 

Yeah. About that. 

First off, the stuff DOES kill whitefly and aphids. No question. 
But I'm not so sure it's harmless to the plants. In fact, it's like chemotherapy for the bonchis. 
MAJOR leaf drop. The delicate leaves on the seedlings also curl up, get all bubbly, floppy, and finally drop.  Boo ! 

I've asked some people on a UK grower forum about their experiences with neem oil : 
Mixed responses. Some say "never again", others say it works fairly well for them. 

Any suggestions ? 







 
 
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I just straight up use insecticide/pesticide from the nearest drug store never had single problem, spray like two times in two weeks and every aphid is gone.
 
Amsterdam eh?
At this point I would be considering filling the grow area with pot smoke.
I feel you pain and getting back on topic (more specific)
Unless you have a very reputable source for ladybugs, one that can deliver them with minimal rates of mortality, I would forgo them. They are great as long as they can stay alive long enough to lay eggs. Additionally, I have tried green lacewings twice before with not much better success as the initial hatch rates were dismal.
I am in the process of procuring some wasps. after reading up on them I feel they are more suitable to deal with the persistent pests. I have also used neem oil with much the same result as you describe as with most other sprays, they seem to be chemotherapy for plants.
 
Sourcing bugs in the Netherlands wouldn't be a problem, they're the Silicon Valley of beneficial insect rearing and breeding. I would give my last testicle to peruse some of their greenhouses.
 
 
FWIW, I had no luck against aphids with neem alone, up to 1.5% concentration. Peppermint oil broke their backs. I've been reading a lot on karanja oil lately (neem and karanja tend to go hand in hand), that it is much more effective against aphids than neem alone. It also doesn't smell like ass, though that particular odour has grown on me.
 
Temperature, luminous intensity, concentration and emulsification are usual factors in neem burn/damage.
 
here's what I'd do for organic solutions to kill aphids. First i'd try diatomaceous earth. that's a more long term type thing. For short term, I'd try spraying all my plants first using the bug blaster nozzle (linked below) to get the aphids and their babies off. After the plant dries, i'd spray a solution made with hot peppers, neem oil and dr. bronner's sal suds soap. You could use red pepper flakes but if you have a couple dried superhots, stick that in some boiling water then afterwards add a tsp of neem oil and a tsp or two of dr. bronner's sal suds. The reason i say sal suds and not any other soap or dr bronners is because it's made to form more bubbles hence its name. If you have a fogger, that would be the best way to apply it to your plants, but a simple spray bottle will work too
 
http://www.amazon.com/Bug-Blaster-Spray-Nozzle-Garden/dp/B00AH4WOD0/ref=sr_1_1/182-0673068-2259518?ie=UTF8&qid=1417390193&sr=8-1&keywords=bug+blaster+nozzle&tag=affininflusys82-20
 
this is an indoor grow correct?
Mine is in a basement room which kinda limits much of what can be done vs. a green house or out door grow.
 
Get some sort of light netting to cover your grow area and then release some ladybugs.  It works 100% of the time.   I am using a mosquito netting that one would use for camping.  Of course, I could have done a better job covering my entire grow area.  Some ladybugs escaped. 
 
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