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I know. This belongs on the Pest Board. But some people never look beyond this one so..............

I'm getting some emails & seeing diary entries & posts from people who used Merit or Admire & now have SVB's.

We need to keep in mind that Imidacloprid isn't labeled for SVB because the percentage of larval mortality wasn't good enough for Bayer to put it on the label. So we still have to keep up with our contact sprays.

That said, it has been my personal experience that some percentage of borer larva are still picking up a toxic dose & dying. Perhaps not even 50%. But if half the borers are in secondaries & not in the main, the season still goes on.

I'd like to hear from folks who have a history of SVB problems how Imidacloprid has reduced the presance of larval activity.

I'm also wondering if the secondary vines are being treated with the same care as the basal crown area especially in the 90 day reinforcing treatment.

7/27/2004 9:53:33 AM

Central Connecticut

I was under the impression that imidcloprid was the best weapon against SVB's...what is the best contact spray to use on them and will it wash off if the leaves get wet or is it stastemic? I've used rotenone is it of any value?

7/27/2004 10:18:22 AM

Ohio

Have lost everything the last 2 years to SVB. Used the Merit 75- 2 weeks before planting then 90 days later. I have not had any problems with SVB. Very few cuke beetles. Now I need to figure out my disease problem. Sending leaves in for a tissue sample. I cut every vine from both dead plants and did not find any SVB. Dave

7/27/2004 3:30:01 PM

Southern WI

I used both the Imidaclopid & Lambda-cyhalothrin as you recommended. I lost 1 plant SVB but have found several secondaries with larval on others.

I was thinking I didn't use enough or the heavy winds with the rains had brought someone elses problems to my patch.

How much stronger can I mix the Triazicide ? (I don't have the bottle inside but it says mix 0.5oz(1 tablespoon) per gallon of water for 300sq ft)
I know the label is usually a conservative dose, right !?

7/27/2004 5:13:48 PM

northern indiana

We all usually spray more often then recomended. I use one tbs per gal, and a gallon usually covers both plants. about 800sqft. I found borer eggs on one leaf stem that i had pruned. 13 in a nice checkerboard pattern. They were extra low on the stem like 3" off the ground. I am assuming that the female noticed the poison and laid her eggs below it. I mix the lambda cylanothrin in with each spraying that i do. Once a week. May be a little weak so perhaps I should spray more heavily. I have been trying to spray more on the stems and vines themselves after finding the eggs. I have not had any problems with svb's as the poison takes care of them. For some reason this yr I have had no cuke beatles, last yr I had a couple hundered. All the ones that tried to feed on the plants died. most of them just hung out in the flowers seemingly unwilling to leave a potential food source that they couldn't eat. I have seen only 3 svb's and found one clutch of eggs. I have only seen less than a dozen stink bugs. My main problem is with fungi. I will be adding merit, probly in the form of grubex next yr to make sure i dont have to handle a grub problem like i had this yr. Systemics are nice but i will swear by the triazicide (lambda cylanothrin). Sure spraying is a pain and has its cons but i have to spray for fungi anyway and so far I have not been let down by the lambda. If there is a systemic out there that does as good a job and requires less moving about the plants to spray I would like to hear about it.
Eric

7/27/2004 11:30:32 PM

Ohio

Thats is what i use also is the Triazicide turf, No problems so far, I sprayed it on the beginning of june, and today, I seen few cuke beatles only in the flowers like hapdad mentioned, If i did see a cuke beatle it was already dead on the leaves or on the ground. Today I Seen some around my patch on my wind breakers but not on the plant, so I decided to be safe and spray a light mixter of 1/2 tbls per gallon. My next door neighbor isnt growing pumpkins but hes growing everything eles you can think of and i have seen alot of cuke beatles in his garden on his zuccini, lettuce ect, He has only used sevien once this year and his garden is war world III, But my garden sprayed with Triazicide hant seen any serious problems yet(knock on wood)

7/28/2004 12:52:53 AM

Central Connecticut

Hapdad...I think the little cluster of eggs you found were from a stink bug not the SVB...I believe the svb's eggs are in a single pattern. To get rid of those stink bug eggs eggs I break out the duc tape...rip off a piece of tape and apply the sticky side to the eggs and pull off the tape with all the eggs in nice little package ready to destroy.

7/28/2004 6:59:36 AM

Tipp City, Ohio

I am using Admire in my drip tape system. I have an acre of field pumpkins so I will use 1 pint for the acre this year. OSU recommended doing a lose dose chemigation by applying Admire at two week intervals. So far no sign of SVB in the field pumpkins but I have lost 3 of 4 of my competition AG plants. It was taking care of the cuke beetles and Squash Bugs, so I assumed it would take care of the SVB. I assumed wrong. I will definate up the dossage of Admire along with Tiazicide earlier in the season next year.

I did notice on the plants at the 3 leaf stage that when applying .4 mL of admire for 8 plants or .05 mL each the fourth and fifth leaf showed signs of a reaction where crinkled in the middle but later came out of it.

7/28/2004 11:38:07 PM

Tipp City, Ohio

I forgot to mention that in 2003 I used Grubex granular and lost about 3 or 4 plants out of 8 AG plants.

My acre of field pumpkins recieved no Admire at all and I saw no damage from SVB. Last year, I only lightly dusted plants with sevin till the plants were too large. Still have thousands of worms living in the soil. Moderation of sevin is the key.

7/28/2004 11:42:37 PM

northern indiana

Thanks for the info bushwacker. I did not know that the stink bugs laid eggs on the plant itself. I guess that both species eggs look very similar.
Eric

7/29/2004 7:16:32 PM

Southern WI

Sooo, spray more often, not stronger doses ?

7/31/2004 7:33:22 AM