The Best Bug Spray for Gardens (2024)

Insects like honeybees and tomato hornworms are an integral part of our ecosystem. They may either be beneficial to your plants or cause havoc in your vegetable garden. But what happens if there are too many?

With the use of a targeted pesticide, it can be avoided. The best bug sprays for your garden eliminate harmful insects quickly and effectively without harming your plants or vegetables. A botanical insecticide can function fast to control and kill pests if you are an organic gardener worried about toxic chemicals and would prefer an eco-friendly choice.

This article will go over the best bug sprays for your garden on the market right now. We go over the various sorts of insecticides and how to tell if your unhealthy plants are pest-infested or diseased. Finally, we respond to your insecticide-related questions.

Here’s a brief overview of the best bug spray featured in the review (these are affiliate links):

1. Monterey Garden Insect Spray – Best Overall
2. Dyna-Gro Pure Neem Oil – Best Organic Insecticide
3. Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray – Longer Lasting Insecticide
4. Bonide Insecticidal Soap – Best Insecticidal Soap
5. Sevin GardenTech Insect Killer – Most Versatile

Pest Control Variations

One of the most common mistakes gardeners make regarding pest control is failing to complete adequate research before purchasing a chemical or organic pesticide. The average gardener chooses the wrong pesticide for their garden and plants due to a lack of knowledge.

Pesticides

Pesticides control, repel, and kill insects and diseases such as snails, slugs, fungus, and germs which is somewhat correct. However, that spray is classified as an insecticide, which falls under the broad category of insecticides.

Insecticides

Insecticides are pesticides that are mainly designed to target and kill insects. Snail bait, ant killer, wasp killer, and pesticide sprays that target a variety of insects. Insecticides are also remarkably efficient in controlling insects in their larval stage before they mature into adult insects. Some insecticide brands also perform as pesticides.

Botanical Insecticide

While many pesticides include potent chemicals that may successfully eradicate and control insects from gardens and crops, many organic gardeners choose a more natural, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly option.

Unlike synthetic insecticides, which can include toxic compounds hazardous to humans, the environment, and the land, botanical insecticides are made out of naturally occurring particles taken from plants or minerals. They are not harmful to people; however, they are toxic to insects and plant diseases. 

Herbicides

Herbicides are used to destroy unwanted weeds rather than kill bugs. Some herbicides can harm even kill the plants they come into contact with. Others are adapted to target specific species.

Pyrethrin

Pyrethrin comes from the pyrethrum chrysanthemum plant’s blossoms. Pyrethrins stimulate the nervous systems of insects that come into contact with it or ingest it. This causes them to become paralyzed and eventually die. It safely eliminates ants, cockroaches, fleas, Japanese Beetles, aphids, scales, caterpillars, flies, and wasps.

It’s perfect for organic farming since it swiftly decomposes after eliminating pests from the plants and soil. It is perfectly safe to use around humans, pets, and animals because of its low toxicity.

Spinosad

Spinosad is a naturally occurring insect-toxic substance generated by soil bacteria. This material is made up of two compounds: spinosyn A and spinosyn D.

It’s used to get rid of a variety of pests. Among them are thrips, leafminers, spider mites, mosquitoes, ants, fruit flies, and other insects. It’s usually available in granular, powdered, or spray form.

Neem Oil

Another great non-toxic option is neem oil, which is made from the fruits and seeds of the neem tree. In addition to its insecticidal qualities, it has a long history of traditional usage. The seeds have been widely used in the production of wax, oil, and soap.

The insecticidal chemical is most concentrated in the seeds. Azadirachtin is the active ingredient, and it’s found in the highest concentration in the seeds. Neem oil has a variety of purposes, but gardeners love it for its antifungal and insecticide characteristics.

Essential Plant Oils

Many botanical insect repellents and pesticides contain essential oils. Cedar oil, lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, pennyroyal oil, citronella oil, rosemary oil, peppermint oil, and soybean oil are the most often utilized oils. They can efficiently repel many insects that can harm our plants and vegetables while posing little risk to humans and pets.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Insecticide for Vegetable Gardens

Before purchasing bug spray for your garden, there are four major considerations to consider. Let’s have a look at everything you need to explore.

What Pests Are You Trying to Remove?

The first thing you should consider is which pests you want to eradicate.

If you don’t take care of your plants, several garden pests will attack them. Aphids, for example, are prevalent because they feed on the sap from the leaves and stems. Worse, they have the potential to infect the plants.

The curling or puckering of the leaves is one of the most typical indications of an aphid infestation. The next step is for sections of your plant to die and turn brown, which looks ugly and impacts future production.

Chemical Pesticides vs. Organic Insecticides?

Organic pesticides are the best insecticide for vegetable gardens because they destroy pests while causing no harm to the plant. What’s impressive about them is that they have no negative impact on human health and won’t pollute land, water, or air.

As mentioned earlier, pyrethrum, a natural insecticide derived from chrysanthemums, is one of the most widely used organic pesticides today. The trouble with this pesticide is that gardeners who use it must avoid exposure and application around other plants.

Chemical insecticides vary from organic insecticides because they are potentially more effective against pests and can kill them quickly. The downside is that they can also harm other insects and animals, so you should only use them if you have no other options for eradicating the pest population.

Some include active substances such as Diflubenzuron, Imidacloprid, or Methofluamid; however, they are all harmful. Worse, chemical pesticides are absorbed by plant tissue, and their hazardous effects may be passed on to you when you consume them.

Application and Safety of Insecticide

Spraying, hand dousing, spreading into the soil, and combining with water are all options for application. When spraying, it’s a good idea to take the following precautions:

• Protective gear, like gloves and long sleeves, should be used.
• Applying pesticides on windy days or in hot summer weather distributes the pesticide all over the area. What’s more crucial is that it will contaminate other plants since it will attach to surrounding plant leaves when it comes into touch with them.

The Insecticide’s Longevity

The pesticide you choose must last as long as possible. This implies that after pests have been treated, they are gone for good. It also means that the infected plants do not need to be resprayed.

However, many gardeners are concerned that these pesticides may potentially harm beneficial insects or pollinators.

The easiest method to find out if your pesticide will endure is to look at the product label, which will tell you how long it will protect your plants from those pesky pests.

Insect Infestation or Fungal Disease?

Types of Plant Diseases

Before reaching for a pesticide spray bottle to treat your garden, fruit trees, or vegetable plants, make sure it is not a plant disease. Insecticides have little effect on diseases, so double-check before you lose your crops.

Pests and Insects

Keep an eye out for any noticeable bite marks or insect populations as your garden grows. Check the undersides of leaves and the stems of plants. Identifying the bite marks and the plants on which they appear may be all that is required to determine the pest. Other pests will be spotted most visibly by their rising numbers.

Plant Disease

Diseases are generally far more difficult to identify, but they are also much less likely to arise.Plant diseases often manifest themselves as discolored leaves, drooping foliage, or stunted development. If you suspect a plant has a disease, check the soil moisture in your garden and watch it for a few days. Watering problems are frequently mistaken as a disease.

Fungal, Bacterial, and Viral Diseases

Plant diseases produced by fungi, bacteria, or viruses can create symptoms similar to insect damage, such as holes in leaves, discoloration or distortion of leaves, and slowed development.

Diseases frequently begin as discolored patches on leaves. Some only damage the stems or fruits, whereas root infections weaken the plant, causing stunting or withering of the above-ground components.

• Fungal Disease: Spots caused by fungi are generally round and resemble brown concentric rings.
• Bacterial and viral diseases:  These have a more angular appearance because they follow the leaf veins. As the infection progresses, the leaves will display powdery mildew or become fuzzy before turning brown or black and eventually falling.

What to do: To treat fungal diseases, select a suitable fungicide. Plants infected with a viral or bacterial illness must be extensively pruned or removed altogether.

Is It Insects?

Beetles, fruit worms, and caterpillars eat foliage in random patterns, beginning at the fragile edges and working their way in. Some hungry insects prefer the softer leaves to the harder veins, giving the leaves a lacy appearance.

Did you know that the pattern on plant leaves can tell you what kind of bug is devouring them?

• Japanese beetles eat flowering plants and foliage. They devour the tissue between leaf veins to create a skeletonized appearance by feeding in the center of leaf blades.
• Leaf-Cutting Bees are beneficial pollinators, yet they may harm beautiful plants. They leave prominent markings on leaves by cutting cleanly edged half-moon disks along the leaf margins.
• Slugs and snails prefer to make holes in leaves through and through irregular shapes rather than along the margins.
• Caterpillars chew holes in leaves in an erratic pattern, affecting both old and new growth.

Note: If you need to kill specific insects, choose a targeted insecticide intended to deal with that specific problem. Broad-spectrum insecticides eliminate a wide variety of pests, both helpful and destructive. Non-target insect species must be safeguarded as much as possible.

The Best Bug Spray for Gardens (2024) – Reviews

Here are our top recommendations for the best bug sprays on the market (the links below are affiliate links).

1. Monterey Garden Insect Spray – Best Overall

(affiliate link)

Monterey Garden insect spray is our top pick for a natural organic insecticide that will eliminate insects that feed on plants. This product is effective against plant-eating pests such as caterpillars, leafminers, codling moths, thrips, beetles, and leaf miners.

It is highly beneficial to lawns, outdoor ornamentals, vegetables, and fruit crops. Spinosad is a natural substance generated from fermented soil bacteria harmful to insects but not to people, pets, or plants. It takes two days to take effect, then fades away quickly.

It comes in a liquid concentrate and wins our seal of approval. It is not only odorless, but it is also certified for organic gardening, is safe around people and pets, and may be used till harvest.

Pros

• Organically Spinosad formulation that is OMRI-certified
• Odorless
• Effective against a wide variety of insects
• Biodegrades quickly

Cons

• It must be diluted.
• It only works with a sprayer.

2. Dyna-Gro Pure Neem Oil – Best Organic Insecticide

(affiliate link)

This solution, which contains neem oil, not only does it kills insects but also offers sufficient nourishment to your garden. On the one hand, it has all of the necessary nutrients for optimal plant development, and on the other, it is a multi-purpose insecticide that is non-toxic to humans and animals.

It’s a natural insecticide, killing insects, including flies, mites, mildew, and other pests, at any stage of their life cycle. All of the macro and micronutrients are present in the proper proportions to feed your plants.

The main disadvantage of this process is that you won’t get the initial results right away. The substance will take some time to impact the behavior of the treated insects.

Pros

• Cost-effective
• Spray for a variety of uses

Cons

• Pungent odor
• Does not produce immediate results.

3. Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray – Longer Lasting Insecticide

(affiliate link)

BioAdvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray is a powerful, long-lasting insecticide that can last up to 90 days. It offers incredible results for leafy vegetable crops against over 100 pests, including Japanese beetles, aphids, and tomato hornworms, among others.

Follow their guidelines to safeguard beneficial bugs like honey bees. However, you must exercise caution and wait for the area to dry thoroughly before deeming it non-toxic and suitable for people and pets alike.

The main ingredient, cyfluthrin, is a gastrointestinal toxin that kills insects in less than 24 hours. The 32-ounce concentrate produces up to 64 gallons of water.

Pros

• Rainproof for one hour
• Effectively eliminates over 70 insects

Cons

• For outdoor use only.

4. Bonide Insecticidal Soap – Best for Indoor and Outdoor Use

(affiliate link)

Houseplants, vegetable gardens, flowers, fruits, greenhouses, ornamental trees, and shrubs can all benefit from Bonide insecticidal soap. It’s an organic gardener’s NOP-listed product that’s entirely safe for all plants except sweet peas, nasturtiums, and fragile ferns.

Scales, plant bugs, sawfly larvae, psyllids, tent caterpillars, thrips, ants, spider mites, aphids, and mites are just a few of the creatures that this insecticidal soap may help you get rid of.

Botanical insecticides like this appeal to us since they contain no combustible ingredients and are fully healthy and environmentally safe.

Pros

• Safe to use both indoors and outdoors
• Non-toxic and environmentally friendly
• Ready to use

Cons

• Slight odor
• Some customers complained about the nozzle

5. Sevin GardenTech Insect Killer – Most Versatile

(affiliate link)

Sevin GardenTech protects over 250 different types of vegetables and plants while eradicating over 500 different pests and insects. It may be used on ornamental plants, vegetables, lawns, and the boundaries of houses.

We like how fast and effectively it eliminates specific pests and insects. The versatility of the insecticides allows you to kill not only pesky bugs in the garden but also common household bugs like ants, roaches, and spiders.

Because it is a chemical pesticide, care should be used when spraying it. It is not safe to use around pets.

Pros

• It defends crops and plants against approximately 500 different pest species.
• It kills directly and systematically.
• Lasts for a period of up to three months.

Cons

• It is not pet-friendly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Make an Oil Soap Spray Insecticide?

Combine one cup vegetable oil and one tablespoon mild dish soap, then mix the solution. Then combine two teaspoons of the oil spray mix with one quart of water, shake well, and spray directly on the outsides of the plants affected by the pests.

Because the oil coats the insects’ bodies, it effectively suffocates them by blocking the pores through which they breathe.

Is Spraying the Only Way to Apply Insecticide?

Insecticide solutions can be put directly on the diseased region in some cases. Applying your combination to the base of the plant or tree is known as soil drenching, but it takes longer to work since the roots must absorb it before reaching the leaves.

Why Are So Many People Going Organic?

Organic pesticides are popular among gardeners because they typically double as fertilizers. They also biodegrade more quickly and are more environmentally friendly than non-organic alternatives.

Which Insecticide Do You Plan to Use?

Monterey Garden Insect Spray is our top pick. We enjoy how efficient the natural organic and odorless pesticide is against many of the most common garden pests. The biodegradable substances have our stamp of approval.

Inspect your plants for fungal diseases before purchasing any pesticide. We hope that our review and buyer’s guide will help you decide whether to use an organic or chemical pesticide if you have pests.