Yates Pest Oil Concentrate 500mL – Insect Control Spray for Scale, Aphids & Mites

Petroleum Oil Spray for Sap-Sucking Pests

Yates Pest Oil is a petroleum oil insect control spray that smothers common sap-sucking garden pests rather than poisoning them chemically. The active constituent is 839g/L petroleum oil, and this is the 500ml concentrate, which you dilute with water and spray. It controls citrus leafminer, scale, mites, mealybug, aphids and white fly on citrus, grapes, pome and stone fruit, roses, and indoor and outdoor ornamentals.

How It Works

Pest Oil works physically by coating and smothering insects and their eggs, so they suffocate. Because it's a contact oil rather than a systemic chemical, thorough coverage is the key, and it's a low-toxicity option that's popular for use on edibles and ornamentals. The patented formula includes a UV inhibitor that helps reduce the risk of leaf burn in warmer weather, which is a common issue with garden oils.

What It Controls & Where

It controls citrus leafminer, scale insects, mites, mealybug, aphids and white fly. Use it on citrus, grapes, pome fruit (like apples and pears), stone fruit (like peaches and plums), roses, and indoor and outdoor ornamentals. It's also a useful winter clean-up spray on dormant fruit trees and roses to knock back scale and mite numbers before the growing season.

How to Use

Shake well and keep the spray agitated while using it. Dilute at the label rate for your pest and plant, then spray thoroughly until the leaves are wet on both sides with occasional drips. As a general guide from the Yates label, use about 5ml per litre for citrus leafminer (sprayed every 5 to 14 days on new flush growth), and around 30ml per litre for scale, aphids, white fly and mealybug. For dormant scale and mite control on fruit trees, use around 20 to 30ml per litre during the dormant period. Do not spray if the temperature is above 32°C (35°C for citrus), or when plants are dry and moisture-stressed, as this raises the risk of leaf burn. Always follow the pack rates for your specific pest.

Important Cautions

Do not combine it with lime sulphur or other sulphur-containing sprays, and do not apply it within a month of a sulphur spray, as the combination can burn plants. Don't use it on delicate plants such as ferns, mosses and seedlings, and avoid spraying directly onto bromeliads or palms. There's a one-day withholding period before picking edible fruit.

Key Features & Benefits

• Active constituent 839g/L petroleum oil

• Works physically by smothering pests and their eggs

• Controls citrus leafminer, scale, mites, mealybug, aphids and white fly

• For citrus, grapes, pome and stone fruit, roses and ornamentals

• Patented formula with UV inhibitor to reduce leaf burn risk

• Useful winter clean-up spray, low toxicity with a one-day withholding

• 500ml concentrate makes a large volume of spray

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Yates Pest Oil work?
It's a petroleum oil that physically coats and smothers insects and their eggs, so they suffocate. That means thorough spray coverage matters more than with a systemic chemical.

What's the mixing rate?
It varies by pest. As a guide from the label, around 5ml per litre for citrus leafminer, and about 30ml per litre for scale, aphids, white fly and mealybug. Always check the pack for your specific pest and plant.

What can I use it on?
Citrus, grapes, pome and stone fruit, roses, and indoor and outdoor ornamentals, against citrus leafminer, scale, mites, mealybug, aphids and white fly.

Is there anything I shouldn't do with it?
Don't mix it with sulphur sprays or use it within a month of one, don't spray above 32°C (35°C for citrus), and avoid delicate plants like ferns, seedlings, bromeliads and palms.

Where can I buy Yates Pest Oil Concentrate 500mL in Australia?
It's available online from BPG Supplies, with free in-store pick-up from our Bonnyrigg location in South-West Sydney.