Is imidicloprid no longer acceptable or effective against mealies? I think I still have dimethoate in the medicine cabinet. Why don't I use it anymore? I haven't had mealies in years thanks to imidicloprid, but I also don't have many bees.
Dell
On Saturday, May 2, 2020, 08:13:30 AM EDT, Johannes-Ulrich Urban via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:
Hello Sabrina,
Pseudococcidae are difficult to eradicate, it is therefore important to act immediately at the first sign of infestation.
I agree with Hans-Werner to use Dimethoat which is a very powerful and efficient systemic insecticide. It’s drawback is a very unpleasant smell, I am not sure if an agent has been added to protect the user or if it is the product itself I do not know if it is available in the US.
But to eradicate mealybugs it is best not only to spray the plants (especially into the tight crown) but also drench the rootball. I wait until it is fairly dry so it will absorb more of the solution. I use the same concentration for spraying and drenching.
Cleaning the plants (before using the product) is important. Mealybugs hide in tight places so all dry bulb scales must be removed, and pots, saucers, trays, shelves and the like must be cleaned with a warm water, detergent plus alcohol solution. This mix is not toxic and destroys the hidden crawling leftovers.
I also like to put the whole plant into a transparent plastic bag closed for a few days and then left open after treatment. This isolates treated plants and keeps the insecticide more around the plant.
And of course, the neighboring plants have to be treated as well.
To avoid all this unpleasant trouble I have adopted the strategy to give ALL new plants and bare bulbs a prophylactic soak. This way I save a lot of trouble and even more important, I use much much less insecticide on the long run. I hate this stuff.....
In my view it is a dangerous policy to spray a little here and there because it means underdosing the product and thus creating resistance.
And quite frankly, I sometimes prefer to throw an infested plant away before going into all this trouble.......
Bye for today
Uli
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