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Utah

So If I used Merrit, Daconyl and other systemic insecticides and funcides on my plants can I safely feed my pumpkins to the elephants at the zoo ?

how about calcium wrapped fruit ?

I'd hate to be responsible for making an elephant sick !

10/28/2004 9:22:36 AM

[email protected]

For legal purposes: NO (probably)

For practical purposes: It depends.

All the chemistries that most of us use are labeled for use on edible cucurbits under some trade name. So if the labeled rates & frequency of application were adhered to, then the selling of our pumpkins for HUMAN consumption would be legal if the AG versions were used.

Admire not Merit
Bravo not Daconil
Manicure T&O not Manicure Ultrex
Capture not Talstar
Warrior not Scimitar or Battle

Interestingly a few items started this year as either Agriculture or Turf & Ornamental only & have since been merged together into multi-use labels.

Heritage is now interchangable with Quadris.

There are also a few old products that are still multi-labeled.

Certain Sevin, Dimethoate , Malathion, etc. products have combined use.

Some states recognize "like chemistry" comparissons & will let anything fly. I don't live in one of them.

10/28/2004 12:23:16 PM

Cologne / Germany

Good question Gordon. I used some bio stuff against PM only so I felt safe giving mine to the elephants. But many professional field growers had to defend aphids this year and they used some "heavy stuff" for sure. In most cases the labels say "wait 3 - 7 days after applying" and "wash fruits before eating". Okay, that´s what I always do...But anyway I don´t know of any insecticide on the market over here that will cause illness to humans or animals (eg. stuff containing "DDT" was banned years ago).

10/29/2004 5:45:06 AM

Utah

Steve- thanks for the reply.
Floh- I had been meaning to ask the question for a while and your post reminded me to do so. I wasn't questioning what you did in anyway. I hope it didn't appear that way. I talked with a guy at the local zoo at the begining of Oct.

I used a grub-x type product with Merit three times once in May once in June and once in July. I also sprayed with Sevin, Daconil, and a few other fungicides.

10/29/2004 9:44:37 AM

[email protected]

I've been involved with Imidacloprid since 1987 while studying for my CT commercial Arborist License. I had the chance to meet with the CT researchers who were gathering data for the former Eli Lily Ag Division. This was before Bayer even bought the molecule!

I had some trouble accepting the fact that Imidacloprid doesn't end up translocating to fruit, drupes, pomes, pods etc. But it doesn't.

Even if it did, I doubt the Elephants would be impacted. Their health care providers probably keep stock Imidaclorid laced mineral oils for the control of Fleas.

10/29/2004 11:10:37 AM

Oz

zookeeper had elephant who was stopped up.
keeper gave elepant laxative.
keeper was on wrong side of elephant when things let loose.
killed him,,,,,,,,,,true story

10/29/2004 1:34:28 PM

[email protected]

What a way to go.

10/29/2004 1:52:36 PM

Utah

.... true story ... yea right ! ? if you ask me anytime someone has to point that out to you ... it means the story isn't true ! :P

10/29/2004 2:38:07 PM