Insecticidal Soap (5805)

What is Insecticidal Soap?
All soaps are made of salts and fatty acids, but not all soaps are good for killing insects. Some soaps can be highly destructive to plants and are useful as herbicides. Insecticidal soaps, however, are specifically formulated to kill insect pests while having few adverse effects to people, plants and the environment.

How do they work?
Insecticidal soaps work on contact in two ways. First, they wash away the protective coating (the cuticle) on the surface of the insect’s body. Once inside, the soap will break the cell membrane and the cell will die. Insecticidal soaps are most effective on small, soft-bodied insects such as aphids, spider mites, thrips, whitefly and mealybug. They are only somewhat effective in controlling larger insects such as caterpillars and leafhoppers. Root mealybug and springtails can be controlled with a drench application to the soil.

For more information: "Insecticidal Soaps"

Penn State Entomology Dept.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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