Runner Bug Invasion!

[digitS']

Spinosad is a starvation thing, I believe.

Is that old rotenone? Seems really hard to find.

Something about California no longer allowing its use because of its toxicity to fish. So, the industry isn't making much of rotenone available.

"So Lucky! Plant Defender!"

Steve

 

[so lucky]

I guess the container is pretty old; maybe 5 years. I have some old chemicals from when I bought a garden center from the old geezer who had had some of the same product for 40 years or so. I have a bottle of nicotine, some chlordane, and a little can of ortho weed be gone, to name a few. Old stuff. I don't even know what to do with it.

 

[digitS']

Five years ago was about when I went looking for it.

I was nearly at a loss for what to do about potato beetles when I couldn't find rotenone.

There is a bottle of nicotine on my garage shelf. I haven't used it in 25 years! The last manufacturer quit making it not all that long ago. The company said that it was too dangerous so they must have turned to making those e-cigarettes, instead.

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

I have a few jars and cans of old pesticides and herbicides that remain unused for the past many years. I keep thinking I should have them all ready for a "Clean Sweep" collection. I think the next one here is in October.

 

[so lucky]

We have been trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of old chemicals and motor additives from my FIL's place. There is no opportunity to dispose of them in a "clean sweep" collection here. Here it was a government-funded operation that is no longer funded.

 

[digitS']

Hey @so lucky ! What do you think of this?

Bt for beetles

... other than that it's pretty danged expensive.

Steve

 

[hoodat]

We used to have a black blister beetle in Oklahoma that would hit every year toward the end of the season. I finally had to accept the fact that I had to get my tomatoes early if I wanted some for canning. Those striped ones usually run along the ground in a horde eating everything green in their path (thus the alternate name of army bugs). In Oklahoma the old ladies used to drive the horde out of the garden using a broom. Once you get them headed in a new direction they will keep going that way (so they said.)
After doing a little research on blister beetles I found that when the first ones found good pickings they released a pheromone into the air that called in every one of them within a mile or so. Once they settled in they feasted and used to energy to procreate. It's actually kind of a bug sex orgy.

 

[hoodat]

Spinosad is a starvation thing, I believe.

Is that old rotenone? Seems really hard to find.

Something about California no longer allowing its use because of its toxicity to fish. So, the industry isn't making much of rotenone available.

"So Lucky! Plant Defender!"

Steve

Killing fish was the original purpose of rotenone. Natives in various tropical countries would use it to harvest fish that were not poisonous to eat. A natural source of rotenone is the vines of the Jicama tubers, The Phillipinos eat the pods but you have to know exactly when to harvest tem. If you wait too long they become poisonous. Harvest is best left to old Phillipino ladies.

 

[journey11]

Thanks Google--I am completely creeped out. How have I not heard of these things before?

 

[so lucky]

Hey @so lucky ! What do you think of this?

Bt for beetles

... other than that it's pretty danged expensive.

Steve

Somehow I missed this post, Steve. That sounds pretty good, but the price is prohibitive. Maybe the price will come down to earth eventually.