Topic: Nicotine spray and nicotine

[100mph]

Do folks use nicotine sprays for pest control? Does it actually work? Is it worth growing a couple of tobacco plants to provide a ready source of material make the spray?

[Robert_Brenchley]

No doubt it does work, but so does rhubarb.

[goodlife]

"Nicotine Sulfate

Nicotine is extracted from tobacco or related Nicotiana species and is one of the oldest botanical insecticides in use today. It's also one of the most toxic to warm-blooded animals and it's readily absorbed through the skin. (Wear gloves when applying it, follow label directions and keep pets away from application areas.) It breaks down quickly, however, so it is legally acceptable to use on organically grown crops.

Nicotine sulfate is sold as a 40 percent nicotine sulfate concentrate under trade names that include Black Leaf 40 or Tender Leaf Plant Insect spray. Nicotine kills insects by interfering with the transmitter substance between nerves and muscles. It's commonly used to control aphids, thrips, spider mites and other sucking insecticides on most vegetables, some fruits, flowering plants and ornamental shrubs and trees. Roses are sensitive to nicotine. Choose alternate pest control measures when treating insects on roses.

Nicotine sulfate has a DANGER warning."

[Vinlander]

Nicotine is a powerful poison but should never be used before dusk - so it spares the bees and most roaming predators.

It is also an 'honest' poison - a simple one that centuries of use shows to have no lasting effects (unlike the neo-nicotinoids that persist long enough to kill friendly insects and weakens entire hives of bees to extinction).

Do take all the obvious precautions very seriously ESPECIALLY WITH ANY CONCENTRATE, but don't lose your wits over a properly diluted mix (but I'm not saying you can stand downwind like an idiot - or for that matter go naked and splash it all over like a teenager with aftershave).

At least if you do poison yourself with nicotine you'll either die straight away or recover in a day or two - it's not like modern comparatively untried chemicals that can make you ill for the rest of your life... but you won't know what happened until they ban them 10 years later.

Cheers.

[pumkinlover]

Has anyone ever used it on here? just curious as we used the anti peck spray on a hen that was being feather pecked.
It certainly works- but the smell is disgusting- even worse than going into some pubs used to be- or my Dad's f*g bin!!!

I'd stick to garlic spray!