Q & A

Welcome to the Planet Natural Garden Forum! Whether you’re new to gardening or have been at it for some time, here you can search existing messages for answers to your questions or post a new message for others to reply to. If this is your first visit, please read over our forum instructions carefully before posting. Enjoy!

  • Will Neem Oil Harm Reptiles

    Created by John Sargent on June 26, 2016 at 12:09 pm

    Is Neem Oil harmful to lizards and other reptiles that may populate a garden?

  • Author
    Posts
  • June 27, 2016 at 1:46 pm #202803

    Eric Vinje
    Keymaster

    Hi John –

    Neem oil is a naturally occurring pesticide and degrades rapidly in the environment. While I cannot find any data supporting this, it should be safe for reptiles and amphibians. I know it can be moderately toxic to fish in large quantities, but just spraying it on plants should be fine. It is toxic to bees if exposed to direct treatment, but otherwise will NOT harm pollinators. Additionally, neem oil is used in soaps, toothpaste and cosmetics throughout the world.

    Hope this helps!

    June 28, 2016 at 9:44 am #202916

    Eric Vinje
    Keymaster

    Hello –

    Here’s another response from our staff… Neem oil may be slightly toxic to the reptiles if they happen to consume leaves that have been treated with it. Try switching to a natural insecticide containing food-grade oils if you are still concerned. Sierra Natural Science creates some wonderful, essential oil based products, find them here! https://www.planetnatural.com/product_brand/sierra-natural-science/

    Happy Summer!

  • Author
    Posts

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.