How do you make the tobacco tea? I actually have enough pipe tobacco around that I could probably make some pretty easily, and I've definitely heard it's good for insect control.
Agreed!
I just soaked a handful in a quart of water for an hour or so. I strained it through coffee filters so there'd be nothing to clog up my spray bottle. I used it straight and read later about the dish soap, so I just added a couple drops to the bottle.
I've heard about it from old-timers and back roads types for years, but hadn't had reason to put it to the test before recently. VERY effective, and almost impossible to burn the plants with it except for too much soap. Persistent for maybe a week I'd estimate until washed off by misting or watering.
Nicotine is a neurostimulant,but in high doses is extremely toxic. In my more adventurous internet days I actually found a recipe to concentrate tobacco juice into a poison strong enough to kill a man.
That said, it works on EVERYTHING with a nervousystem, including worms, ladybugs, bees, etc., so be careful.
Edit: Some internet recipes caution against using it on anything in the nightshade family - tomatoes, peppers, etc - because it could transmit a virus deadly to them. I imagine simmering or boiling would kill anything like that, but I can't speak to the effects of high temperatures on the stability of the nicotine. I thought about alcohol, but same concern. Some experimentation over the summer might be in order.