[bigtater]

dear all   does anybody know of a supplier of neem oil in the uk.
i first heard of it a couple of years back on a forum for bonsai.
some guys in the usa swore by the stuff for killing bugs. its apparently safe to good bugs but deadly to the bad guys killing all manner of greenfly  blackfly catterpilars you name it and safe to use on crops, but from what i heard it stinks awful.

[yewtreemob]

I used to get it in Asian supermarkets.  If you don't live near one try www.theneemteam.co.uk

[bigtater]

thanks for that yewtreemob. will have a look at the website.
asians run my local chemist maybe i can ask there too.
how did you find its usefullness, was it good bad or indifferent.

[Heather_S]

I'd definately ask around to find out a reputable brand. There's been reports of non-neem oil being sold and the adulerated stuff being quite nasty  :shock:

[bigtater]

thanks heather forewarned is forearmed

[Oliver]

I'd definately ask around to find out a reputable brand. There's been reports of non-neem oil being sold and the adulerated stuff being quite nasty  :shock:

She uses neem cream as an aniseptic on bites, cuts, scraches, etc. It smells nice - a bit like Tiger Balm (used for the same purpose). I am told it is used in this way on the Indian sub-continent. Never heard of it being used to deter bugs, but will certainly investigate the site given. Thanks for that.

[GrannieAnnie]

but how does an oil know the difference between a good bug and a bad bug???

[Eristic]

Good bugs eat the bad bugs.

Bad bugs eat the plant and the neem. This makes them sick.

But what happens when the good bug eats a bad bug covered in neem oil?

[Heather_S]

It's not an approved pesticide yet either...
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/approvals.asp?id=1355

[Babycat]

I got neem oil from the neem team this summer to combat (only word for it) the lily beetles in my garden (little chili red scabious looking evil bugs that eat lillies - hence the name).

Neem oil is supposed to be good for some creatures such as garden worm but for the beetles, they apparently render them infertile, thus breaking the reproductive chain.  You thus have to water for 6 weeks on the trot and repeat if new ones move in.   It kinda worked but I also removed and sqooshed the adult beetles when I found them on the plants.

The thing about neem oil is that it needs warming up to be soluble, a bit like old crystallised honey so you need to warm up the neemoil bottle, then mix in a watering can with tepid or warm water and a bit of soap to help dissolve the oil and hey presto.

Personally I think the stuff stinks but I cant comment on what the hair and skin products are like.

Good luck.