Do you know that Sevin will thin your trees? I always buy the concentrate of whatever pesticide I plan on using and then mix it with water (follow the directions).

Frank, I always dilute sevin according to the instructions on the bottle. Also, sevin will only thin your trees if sprayed on right after petal fall.

Well, within 30 days of petal fall. That's the only thing I use it for, these days.

Tiazicide is used quite a bit by people here on this forum. It doesn't have some of the drawbacks of Imidan and Permethin, and is also readily available at Walmart, etc. Have you considered that instead? -Glenn

The Imidan knocks PC the hardest and is low cost.

Imidan may not be the lowest cost short term because the bags are around $45 now where I am. Of course this would be a life time supply for the orchard we are speaking about, but storage is another problems as well. The other problem with Im for under 100 gallon batches is you have to cut the soluble bags and deal with the dust.

Triazide works plenty well enough on PC and does a better job on bugs than Im. Only thing is there's no kickback with Tri.

Triazide will give longer control than Sevin, I think.

Thanks for all the responses, guys. It means a lot to have people who friendly enough to explain the complex world of chemicals. Triazide seems to be the easiest to obtain but, all the online reviews I have read for it (not fruit purposes) have been negative. One comment said the manufacturers cut the active ingredient from .25 to .08. Would you still recommend it, or should I try and scout out some Imidan, which I hear is hard to find?

Hi Lateriser-
For me, even though I have procured it, Imidan has drawbacks that cause me not to use it:
1.) It has a long REI, which says I can't re-enter that area for X days after using it... which doesn't work for me in my front yard.
2.) If you somehow track it into your house, it won't break down.
3.) It's harder to obtain, and only available in large quantities
4.) It doesn't smell great.

I'm wondering if the reviews of Triazicide have been negative because people are expecting that, based on it's name, they only have to use it once? And if so, like most insecticides at that interval, you're going to be disappointed.

Actually, we're seeing quite a few of the chemical companies cut their active ingredient, likely as a cost saving measure, so Triazicide isn't' alone.

If you decide you still want Imidan, I've got 4lbs of it that I've never used/opened. PM me if you like.
-Glenn

I also wouldn't use Phosmet in a home environment unless you have a dedicated orchard in your backyard where kids don't play, etc. I would stick to pyrethroids or maybe a neonicotinoid (systematic).

After digging through the bowls of archived posts, I decided to go to tractor supply and buy Permethrin because of its low toxicity and ease to find in stores. Once again, thank you all so much for helping out a fellow gardener. I am learning that preseason prevention is just as important as chemical control for plum curculio. I will be going through and getting rid of brush around the garden/orchard and tilling the leaves into the garden this fall instead of leaving them on top of the soil.

Actually, none of those cultural methods is likely to help at all with PC. They are strong flyers and will usually overwinter in any nearby woods with leaf litter. They can come from miles away.

Sanitation may be helpful to keep some fungus pests down, such as scab, but it won't likely reduce the number of PC sprays.

I read an article that claimed when PCs enter an orchard they find a likely tree and remain there for the duration. This would make control a bit easier, if true.

I don't understand that at all as the PC are all over when they enter an orchard and apple trees don't actually sustain them well anyway. They do tend to start on largest early fruit but move around rather quickly.

I just would like good information. It's hard to pick out the sound advice when there's so much on the internet.

I found PC larvae in a sweet cherry today. They are already turning red here... I've noticed the cherries highest on the tree get hit the hardest, while they seem to leave the lower cherries alone.

I will say, from personal experience...they hit the plums and nectarines the hardest and for the most part, leave the peaches (Reliance) alone. They seem to love smooth fruit and don't seem to care much for the very fuzzy peaches.

That would apply then to apricots, as well.

They've certainly been into my plums, spray as I might.

I'm seeing pristine plums, including sites where I used a pyrethroid. I think the latex sticker penetrant I use may help. I can't do return sprays after rain.

Hman,

Are you using Tactic for a sticker? There was a thread on this forum about it once and Tactic was mentioned a lot.

The reason I ask is I'm getting low on sticker and will need to get another gallon. I'll probably use something different than what I have been using. I'd like to try something with a good track record.

I've used 2 sprays now of just Permethrin and see no damage on the 2 plum trees... May actually get a good crop this year.

Yes, tactic is my sticker but it's not the only latex based sticker on the market.

What is the advantage of using a sticker? Will the pesticide last longer? or just hold up better to the rain?

Frank, the main advantage is to increase rainfastness.

However, at least one sticker claims to offer some UV sunlight protection but I don't know if there is any legitimacy to it.

Maybe there is. Warrior (and I think one other pyrethroid) claim to have UV inhibitors to reduce sunlight degradation of the insecticide.