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Eugene, OR

I'm looking for some advice on a mild insecticide program aimed at preventing any future bug related problems. I may be wrong but I believe the only bugs I have to worry about up here are grasshoppers and cuke beetles but have yet to see either one or any visible bug damage on the 4 plants in the patch.

My plants are doing well(I think) and I don't want to risk a nasty cuke beetle coming along and infecting them with bacterial wilt. I've read that only a small percentage of cuke beetles actually carry the disease but with my luck the one that does have it would be the one to munch on the plants. I believe grasshoppers can also transmit the disease?

Anyways, your recommendations on a very mild program to follow that will minimize the chances of leaf burn while preventing unexpected bug problems would be great. Incidentally, I use a t-tape system for watering so the leaves stay dry for the most part. I'm not sure if that changes anything or not but I'll throw it out there anyway.

Your guidance is greatly appreciated!

Brian

6/25/2004 2:18:06 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Merit through that T-Tape would certain have very little colateral impact & won't harm the plants. Heck; it won't even touch the leaves.

Befenthrin lasts up to 4 weeks. So to justify as mild, I like to see HALF (OF THE LOW) RATE sprays every 2 weeks. Thus the tips don't burn & after the second spray, all treated parts have at least the low level of residual on them.

We could do the same thing with any of the Lambda-cyhalothrin sprays too.

Neem Oil has been spotty in control & I haven't used it in over 10 years so I'm not a resource for information on it.

Weekly Soap or Oil sprays are very mild & should do a nice job. M-Pede Soap even controls Powdery Mildew. But these are very temperature sensitive so serious limitations apply. Over 80F degrees in the hours followoing the sprays & we shouldn't be using Soap or Oil.

Deltamethrin is the lowest dose synthetic pyrethroid in the world & for the life of me I don't understand why no one here has tried it. As little as .06 lbs of active ingredient per acre is effective on some pests. Mild doesn't get much milder than that.

I'd also like to see Beauvaria sprays tried on Cuke Beetles. But Troy Bioscience who marketed Bv under the trade name Naturalis went under & I don't know if Bv is still on the market. It probably is & a search is in order.

6/25/2004 6:55:29 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

OK. So I was wrong. It looks like Troy restructured.

http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/general/htms/bassiana.htm

In this article I see reference to effective control of some Beetles. I'd like to see someone try this stuff against Cuke Beetles to see if it works. I also observed good May/June Beetle control with this stuff back in the early 90's. So it might work well for us too.

6/25/2004 7:00:05 AM

Eugene, OR

Thank you very much for the informative reply Steve. I like the idea of using Merit through the t-tape as it would be a one time application correct? I like the fact that it's a relatively low impact product as well.

I understand Merit is a systemic and will move through the plant from the roots, thus protecting the entire plant. I do have a question though....Will Merit only kill the beetles in their larval stage as they feed on the root system or will it also kill the adult beetle if it ingests the imidacloprid while feeding on the plant?

I'm not sure on the cost of Merit or its availability here. Anyone know if it's a restricted use product here in Oregon?

I know I can get the lambda cyhalothrin product here at any garden center or even WalMart for that matter. Triazicide is cheap and has a low concentration which should lessen the likelihood of me screwing up and burning the plants but I'm unsure of its effect on the "good guys" in the soil. Any ideas on that? I have yet to use anything non-organic in the patch and would obviously like to minimize the use of anything that could effect long term soil health, but it would probably be naive of me to think I could get away with not using any sort of proven protection.

I'll read up on the other products you mentioned this evening and may have more questions for ya. I apologize for the barrage of questions but you're the man when it comes to this stuff. :-)

Thanks again!

6/25/2004 12:09:24 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Merit 75WP is general use in all 50 states. Yes it will kill adult beetles that feed long enough to ingest a lethal dose. Of course they could also vector Bacterial Wilt if it's in your area in that time. So contact sprays remain popular for that reason.

Merit lasts at least 90 days in the plant. After which time, some choose to reapply depending on pest pressure & stage of growth.

The 2oz jar of Merit 75WP runs from $45-$55 around here.

6/25/2004 8:35:49 PM

Long Island,New York

I understand Merit/admire won't translocate into mature leaves? That the older leaves won't benefit from the Admire application?????.........G

6/26/2004 10:50:00 AM

Eugene, OR

Thanks again Steve. I'll have to track down some Merit. I have yet to see it sold anywhere around here. I don't know why but I have this fear of bacterial wilt in the back of my head for some reason! I think it was a few of kilr's old posts that put the fear in me....LOL

I suppose since Merit will not totally prevent the nasties from eating the plant, I better use the Merit to prevent the larvae from eating the roots and do as you suggested and use a contact spray along with the systemic to prevent the adults from munching on the leaves and possibly spreading bacterial wilt.

What products contain deltamethrin? I would certainly be willing to try it out as I trust your judgement on what would work and be easy on the plants. Either that or I guess I'll just use Triazicide since it's readily available, is cheap, and has a very low concentration when compared to Warrior T, Scimitar, and the like.

I haven't seen a "bad bug" or their damage yet and want to keep it that way!

Thanks again! What would we all do without you??

6/26/2004 2:48:49 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Glenn,

That's why we apply it 2 weeks before the seedlings hit the patch.

A 90 day re-treat insures that all stems & leaves are "covered".

But as a plan "B", you can spray it directly onto the older growth. It will penetrate & reside in the leaf cuticle just like any other systemic insecticide.

6/28/2004 10:05:46 PM