Many gardening sites and even neem sellers state that neem oil controls fruit fly. It's an incomplete statement that can be misleading.
Spraying neem the usual way that you'd use it in the garden to deter chewing and sucking pests, no, that wouldn't protect tomatoes from getting stung.
But there have been several studies that looked at soil treatment with neem oil, and it appears soil treatment does inhibit the development of fruit fly larvae/pupae.
Unfortunately I have not been able to find any details about what concentrations they used, how much solution, how often etc. (And I live in one of the few areas in Australia that are free of Mediterranean fruit fly, so I have no personal experience with that one.)
It seems from the above study people have derived the claim that "neem oil is effective against fruit fly" or "controls fruit fly". It's the blanket statement repeated over and over online, always without any further explanations. Misleading...
Anyway, obviously soil treatment is something that needs to be started early and be kept up. And it doesn't help if there is fruit in the neighbourhood, dropping onto untreated soil... I am afraid if there is medfly in the area then you're tomatoes will get stung.
At this stage, the only truly effective fruit fly control I am aware is exclusion.
Termites and White ants by: hemant sethia
Does neem control the above pests? I ask this because I have seen the termite and white ant problem on the neem tree itself. Please comment.
Get Rid of Fruit Flies by: Anonymous
I recently found out about Neem oil. I'm looking it up and I came across the fruit fly question. How interesting seeing how I am currently going through a fruit fly epidemic. I read on the internet that the Ruta Graveolens herb plant keeps fruit flies away. They don't like the smell it gives off. It is also known as a poison, so be careful if you try this solution. I'm going to try it. I'll just keep it up high away from the cat.
Apricots Infested With Fruit Fly by: Jack Boon
Hi, I wonder if neem oil or any other pesticide/insecticide can help me to get rid of fruit fly. I live in Melbourne, Victoria and only few apricots are edible this year compared to 55 kilos of last year. Last year it was the peach tre infested and nobody in the gardening field could tell me what the problem was. Can you? I am quite sure that they are fruit fly. I have them in a glass jar and I can see them flying inside it. Have you a solution? Thanks in anticipation, Jack
Neem and Chromolaena oil extract by: Daphnie Moreno
Hi, Back in senior High School, I and my two teammates with our coach had conducted an investigatory research about the potential of Neem as a fruit fly repellent. At first, we found out that neem oil have the potential in eradicating fruit flies. However, after a couple of minutes, fruit fly would then come back to the surface we had sprayed with neem oil. We then combined neem oil with Chromolaena odorata oil. The result were better than the result we had on neem oil alone. It showed that the effect of the two oils was shown to have a more lasting effect when combined.
Could you elaborate on how to treat the soil with Neem seed oil? by: Squirrel
I make mixtures and stuff for various uses myself. Could you please elaborate on how I can use the treatment in my soil, and the good, bad, and ugly about doing so for me? I would very much appreciate it. Thank you!
plastic bags by: Anonymous
For your apricot problem, I think to wrap the unripe fruit in plastic bags while the fruits are on the tree would be a more effective solution
Amount of Neem Oil by: Anonymous
Hi, I read that 4ml per liter should do the trick while treating the roots.
This website does not sell any products. DiscoverNeem.com is intended for informational purposes only. Neither the information nor the products mentioned on DiscoverNeem.com are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. None of the information presented on this website is to be taken as medical advice. Always consult a qualified physician or health care provider for diagnosis and treatment of any condition.
Neem should not be taken by anyone who is pregnant or trying to conceive. Neem contains compounds similar to those in aspirin and must never be used to treat children with fevers. It should not be taken by people with known allergies to aspirin and aspirin like substances. Neem oil should not be taken internally.