| MadSci Network: Agricultural Sciences |
Why in the world would you use molassas to control insects? I understand the desire for non-chemical control of pests. The substance that you are interested to in the molassas is probably the sulfur content. Sulfur is one of the first pesticides known with use in this country dating back to Plymouth Rock settlers. Also the French used sulfated materials in the grape vineyards to control pests on the grapes.
It is important to use correct molassas as there are non-sulfur formulations available. As far as the degree of control and the number of insects controlled is not clear as well as how much to use. Too much and your yard will look like a giant sticky fly trap as everything will stick. Too little and no control. It will take some experimentation on your part to determine the correct dilution rates and spray schedule. Also are you considering a commercial application for this? Be aware that if you apply a substance to control a pest in a commercial application youw ill need a commercial pesticide license. Also the materials that you spray need to be labelled for the pest on that particular plant otherwise you will be in violation of pesticide application laws.