What sprays do you use to control pests?

I know that different countries will have different regulations, and of ocurse different trade names, but it would be interesting to know how people control the pests that prey on our plants.
Can you tell us all about them?

I water my whole collection once a year (june or september) with water with 'Admire' (working compound imidachloprid). It is very effective to keep my collection almost pest-free. For 'emergencies' is use 'Undeen' (no longer availbale but 1 kg. left) or 'Spruzit'.

Wiebe

I also use imidachloprid in one watering a year, but also use it as a spray every 2 months. This keeps my plants clear of mealy bugs.
Red spider mite can be a problem, for which I have tried a number of remedies, including Neem oil, and other oil based suspensions.

I use ' Rose Clear '. This is a brand named, pre-mixed, systemic fungicide and Insecticide which is for Roses but I have found it just as good for cacti when used correctly i.e not on sunny days.
The active components are Bifenthrin and Mydobutanil.

Good evening


Against red spider: dicofol, only in case of attack

Against mealy bugs : imidacloprid, a maximum of 2 treatment courses (2 x2 watering or sprays 15 days apart, is not active on the egg-). Systemic insecticide dangerous to bees.

I protect pollinators by insulating the plants treated in a muslin for
a two or three months after treatment.

Where do you buy dicofol, as a Google search didn't show any trade names (Kelthane etc) that were available in the UK?

Good evening

After searching on the internet:

The sale of dicofol is not allowed in France since last year and its use is
prohibited.
I'm sorry for the false hope that I gave you, but I was not aware ..

Take a look here :
http://www.kuentz.com/bt/index.php?module=categories&code_cat=BB40on
There's another type of acaricide (But I have not tested)

I use "Green earth" horticultural oil/insect spray. Not toxic, doesn't smell, mixed with water at any (but not too low) ratio. Just cover whole plant and moisten soil good enough to ensure lasting effect. Any season, controls insects and mites.

about me, i have two greenhouses with about 1000 plants in each ones, and i use oncea year if necessary a solution of Confidor (active molecule : : imidaclopride). This is working wel against al the insects that are stuck to the plants to feed from them because the active molecule goes into the plant and stays there for a while.

I use imidochloroprid systemic for insect pests such as meally and scale although since I got rid of the last few some years ago they have never reappeared. I now treat all new plants with it so as not to re-introduce by accident. However I am having increased problems with mites, I have tried Kelthane and it works but my last bottle will be the last I can get as its now banned. Also I really dont want to be spraying such poisonous stuff around. Alternatives like insecticidal phosphorous soaps are promising but I dont like that they are based with oils and I cant move all my plants out of the sun so I dont want to use except for spot treatments. Some fungicides inc wettable sulphur discourage mites but make a mess on plants and are not effective enough to warrant, plus anything sulphur affects me badly. I have tried predatory mites but have not been able to establish them where I live because it gets too hot and kills them. Food grade diatomaceous powder watered down and watered over the plant ( it kills by cutting/drying the mites exoskelleton and they cannot escape or get immune) and into the soil seems to be the best option certainly as a cure to kill mites as they hatchover a period of time, but make too buch of a mess to use as a preventative plus there are some health concerns from the dust in some quarters although the food grade is said to be free of the crystal form which apparently is the isue ... however where i live it is viewed with suspicion. Still searching for the perfect answer.

This year I bought a 1 L bottle of neem oil, premixed with the emulgator rimulgan (€ 35 for 1 liter). I sprayed my large collection (45 m2) with 5 liters of a 1% solution. This water solution has to be used within 3 hours, because neem oil is unstable in water. Two weeks later I did another spraying and I am quite satisfied with the results. Last week I did another spraying as a precautionary measure and because a few plants were probably not yet completely mite-free. I will repeat that spraying this week.
Earlier in the year I had used Masai, of which I still have some, but which is no longer available as far as I know (unless you are a commercial grower).
Neem oil comes from the seeds of the neem tree, i.e. should be more eco-friendly than Masai and other stuff.

Wolter ten Hoeve.

Rohan41 wrote:

Still searching for the perfect answer.

Abamectine may be the answer to your problem. It is relatively safe to use (in fact, it belongs to a family of substances that are used in human and animal medicine as vermifuges) and works very well for me. It can even be bought over the counter as a premixed spray solution (spray gun included), although at a ridiculously high price.

Please note that I live in Portugal and local legislation may vary.

agrippa wrote:

I use "Green earth" horticultural oil/insect spray. Not toxic, doesn't smell, mixed with water at any (but not too low) ratio. Just cover whole plant and moisten soil good enough to ensure lasting effect. Any season, controls insects and mites.

This can be replaced by any non-harmful water-oil emulsion like this from K&N filter oil spray.

Another thing I use 2 - 3 times a year is Malathion 50% - wide spectrum insecticide. Still sold here and not expensive. Poisonous so I'm trying to apply it when plants are outdoors. Works against ants too.