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pests Need advice - will this work well against aphids?

RoninCat

RoninCat

Hello!

Hope everyone's having a great growing season! :) Mine's going really well except that some of my chilli plants have been hit by bastard aphids.. The damage isn't anywhere near severe but I still want to stop them in their tracks before they get to ruin my other precious plants. So I nipped down to the local agriculture supplies shop and they recommended Actara, which is a Neonicotinoid I believe.. The fellow said that a 5gm sachet is to be mixed in with 10 litres of water and sprayed thoroughly on and under the leaves, as well as on the soil surface if possible. Though he seemed knowledgeable and all, I'd still like to confirm with experienced members here whether I have the right insecticide for the job, and whether the rate of dilution is correct.

Thanks! :)


LP6m7Zt.jpg
 
hm. ive never seen thiamethoxam used in anything but seed treatments. you folks must do things differently in india.
 
yes its a neonic. yes its safe, just read and follow the instructions carefully.
 
this already has a surfactant so you will not need to add any, should you wish to spray it directly.
 
this is a wettable powder, so you cannot spray it with most garden sprayers. you need a specialized sprayer to handle wettable podwers.
 
follow the manufacturers instructions carefully. 

sorry no, this Is not a wettable powder, this is a WDG or water dispersable granual.
 
so you just mix it into water, and it forms a nice emulsion/suspension. you CAN spray this through any regular wand type, so long as it does not have ultra fine filters and such.
the DE will probably remain in suspension, but its going to be too small to clog anything.
 
haha no, only if sprayed directly can the above be harmed. 
 
even so, most neonics will degrade to near 0 concentrations after SINGLE DIGIT HOURS. this characteristis is common to almost all of the newest generation of insecticides.  these chemicals are selected for use and approved for this, and other myriad reasons.
 
Unless the above cited insects are sucking the sap from this plant. they will not be killed.
 
if you want to make a colony collapse argument based on the recent( last year)bee studies, you can.
however know the following:
the oft cited bee study demonstrated harm and bee retardation based on levels of neonic concentrations in nectar and pollen...
that have never been supported empirically in field studies. they were about 3x higher than the highest recorded concentrations. 
 
whats going to happen now from what i understand, is various folks are going to a) repeat the above study, and b) try with lower concentrations for longer periods of time.
 
Thanks everyone :)

Lovepeppers, Hybrid mode 01: I understand the dangers associated with chemical pest control but sometimes it's hard not to take swift action.. Dealing with aphids and whiteflies last season was an absolute nightmare. I tried everything organic I could lay my hands on, neem oil + liquid soap, garlic chilli spray, even resorting towards the end to squishing them manually one by one.. but the harder I tried the more they multiplied and eventually ended up destroying more than half the plants. This season I simply don't want to take any chances. I'm hoping a couple of applications of this stuff will do the trick and that it won't annoy beneficial insects much..

queequeg152: Thanks for the detailed answer :) I have a little 1litre pressure sprayer like this one:

Air_Pressure_Sprayer(KF-2_0LC)_m.jpeg


I've used it effectively for spraying Fungicides like Mancozeb on tomato plants, which comes in powered form and dissolves well in water. Looking at Actara granules it seems to me it will also dissolve well so spraying it probably won't be an issue. But I'm not sure about the quantity I should use - I was told 5g / 10 litres, That's like 0.5 g/litre.. Do you think that's adequate for the job?

Thanks once again!
 
RoninCat said:
I've used it effectively for spraying Fungicides like Mancozeb on tomato plants, which comes in powered form and dissolves well in water. Looking at Actara granules it seems to me it will also dissolve well so spraying it probably won't be an issue. But I'm not sure about the quantity I should use - I was told 5g / 10 litres, That's like 0.5 g/litre.. Do you think that's adequate for the job?

Thanks once again!
Click to expand...
you really need to follow the label. the rates vary based on the region/country.

i dont think this particular product is available in the united states. each country will have their own regulatory body that oversees these produts, so each country very well might have different dosages.

i cant speak for india, but here in the states its technically illegal to use any pesticides/herbacides in any manner NOT outlines by the label. that being said, you will never hear of someone being prosecuted or fined for spraying malathion or w.e around a stream(malathion is terribly toxic to aquatic and frogs etc.) or something like that.

if you cant find the label...or it peeled off, id suggest calling the place you got it from.

i could only find this- from an egyptian label.

Local Recommendation:




CROP


PEST


RECOMMENDED RATE

LOCAL PHI (days)
Cantaloupe White fly 350 gm/fed (soil) 40
Citrus Mealy bugs 25 gm/hl 32
Pepper White fly 80 gm/fed 9
Phaseollous Aphids 80 gm/fed 7
Potato Aphids 20 gm/hl 14
Sugar beet Beet fly 20 gm/hl 30
Tomato White fly 350 gm/fed (soil) 40
Tomato White fly 20 gm/hl 6
Watermelon Aphids 350 gm/fed (soil) 40



REMARKS:

The rate for foliar application in vegetables and field crops is NOT LESS THAN 80 gm of product per feddan, regardless of the water spray volume and type of sprayer equipment.
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Thanks queequeg152,

I found the label:

v6brC7U.jpg


The fine print was extremely difficult to read so had to take a picture and zoom it up. Hmm. Can't see chilli mentioned anywhere on there, although a few other Solanaceae plants are listed.. guess I'll have to go ask them whether it is actually meant for chillies too. *sigh*
 
The aphids will die. 
 
However I would never use a neonicotinoid.  The Swedish University of Agriculture released another study on the subject just 1 week ago. It confirmed that it hurts the wild bee population.
 
I know that you are just one person that wants your plants to live a happy life. In my opinion its up to all of us to reduce the use of neonicotinoids.
 
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