Folks, a friendly reminder that Neem is an insecticide. Yes, it is derived from natural ingredients, as many insecticides are, but it is an insecticide, an effective one, and it kills many insects, including butterflies.

Neem is great for killing a variety of soft-bodied insects through a variety of mechanisms (they can no longer reproduce, they cannot eat, they cannot molt, etc.). The same features that make it great for things like controlling coddling moths on fruit trees will make it great at killing Monarch butterflies, Swallowtail butterflies, Luna moths, and the like.

So if you’ve got aphids, think twice before spraying neem. Instead, try using a blast of water, which will knock the aphids off. Typically, hitting them two or three times over a few days does the trick until nature’s predators take over.

And I’d like to be clear – I’m not saying that Neem has no place in your arsenal. I am, however, frustrated by how frequently people seem to suggest neem as a ‘natural alternative’ as though it magically kills only things you don’t want in your garden and has no effect on anything else.

Using a hose on a bunch of 2′ tall flowers bordering a neighbor’s property can get dicey, resulting in damaged plants and/or spraying your neighbor. I usually prefer to use my one gallon pump sprayer instead – this allows me to get a strong but narrow spray of water in tight spaces without damaging the plants or annoying neighbors.