Dahlia bouquet and bugs

Credit: Complete Flower Library / BrandXPictures / Burke_Triolo

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Q: Bringing dahlias in the house as cut flowers can be a bugly scene, how can I avoid that ? Our cat loves it, but that’s about it. I would like to use natural products if possible.

Here is some advice from www.prod.bulbsonline.org:

“When tiny insects emerge from a bouquet composed of summer bulb flowers, this does no harm to the flowers but it’s certainly not pleasant for you. These insects have emerged from eggs that were laid there earlier and will usually have disappeared within a couple of days. One way to deal with this problem is to spray the bouquet with a mixture of dishwashing detergent, water and a dash of methylated spirits; another way is to place the bouquet outside on your garden table until the insects have flown away.”

And another idea from www.anniesremedy.com:

“A good homemade insecticide spray for the garden can be made by adding 1 teaspoon of castile soap to 1 gallon of warm water. For increased effectiveness add a few drops of neem oil, crushed garlic, or hot pepper juice.”

Hope this helps!