Is insecticide made from nettles effective?

TriciaB

Having read that nettles can be used to make a natural insecticide, I collected a bucketful and have them soaking in water. The instructions were to give it two weeks and then strain off to use as a spray against  blackfly etc. (If needed!) I would be interested to know if anyone has tried this and did it work. I am hoping that our blackfly problem will not be as bad as last year. Probably not connected, but already this year we have swarms of flies in the garden although it's been cold for several weeks - more than I can remember ever before.

fidgetbones

Since the hoverflies lay eggs in mine, and then I get plenty of rat tailed maggots in there, I would say no.

pansyface

Many butterfly caterpillars have nettles as their food plant. 🧐

Skandi

I've herd of elder being used as insecticide but not nettles, it would seem odd as they are edible to us and pretty much any other insect/animal that doesn't mind the sting.

BenCotto

This article lists 10 uses for nettles, and some of them seemed desperate measures, so since its use as an insecticide did not feature I think you can abandon the idea. Instead make tea, or soup, and convince yourself it’s delicious.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/10-uses-for-nettles/

Obelixx

Nettles make a good, if smelly "tea" which is high in nitrogen so a great fertiliser for leafy plants.

Never heard of them being advised as an insecticide.   
 

Fire

I think the OP might have got things mixed up a bit. Garlic tea is suppose to be fairly good for some plants at putting off some pests. It's not an 'insecticide' in that it won't kill anything. Nettle tea is the one that's good for feeding plants.

BenCotto

Here’s some research that shows it does work but only on certain types of aphids such as ones that live on redcurrant bushes.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236874502_Studies_on_aphicidal_efficiency_of_different_stinging_nettle_extracts

barry island

I've soaked brassicas in nettle soaked water and thought that the smell might convince cabbage white butterflies that the plants were rotten and not worth laying eggs on, I don't know how effective it was though.

Obelixx

For brassicas, the best protection is netting on high hoops or a frame that allows them to grow and have air circulating without touching the netting so those cabbage whites can't lay eggs.  Keeps off the pigeons too and cabbage root fly.