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| If it isn't one thing, it's another.....
My next door neighbor, who planted his Sugar Maple a foot off our property line, has had NONE of these problems. He doesn't even water the damn thing! Nor mulches it, and has even nicked it with his weedeater, but me, who mulched, watered, fenced in all my trees from animals, and look upon them with motherly love, and what do I get? Japanese Beetles and Spider Mites! And nobody around here carries the spray for them so I had to overnight a spray from Amazon. From what I've read, the Sevin I used set up a nice cozy care free environment for the mites. I haven't actually seen a mite, but I saw the effects of one. It made one leaf of my tree turn bronze and fall off. This means war.... /Rant Over |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Thu, Aug 23, 12 at 17:51
| Yes, ILove, that's a classic scenario; Not sure what all your were hitting with the Sevin, but typically, it's the folks that do blanket yard-wide sprays to "get rid of the bugs" that end up with large mite populations. To my way of thinking, it is not hard to understand why this happens! +oM |
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- Posted by ilovemytrees 6a Western NY (My Page) on Fri, Aug 24, 12 at 21:30
| Live and learn. The nursery I bought my new Forsythia shrub from has no problems with mites or beetles. All of their trees and shrubs look beautiful. The employee said they only use organic materials to keep the bugs away. I wanted to talk to her more about it but they were very busy and I didn't want to use up anymore of her time, but for sure next year I am going all organic. I only sprinkled Sevin on the tree's leaves, and I only used it a couple of times. It sure didn't take long for the mites to show up... Thanks for responding Tom. I know I created this situation, however unintended it was. I'm using it as a learning experience. :) |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Fri, Aug 24, 12 at 23:02
| Make no mistake about it, ILove, Jap. beetles are an absolute scourge. We are just starting to get them around here. What a bummer! They feed on so many different plants. And really, there's next to nothing you can really do about them. Sure, milky spore disease will kill the grubs when applied to your lawn but the adults are strong flyers and they just come right back into your yard, or in my case, our numerous municipal flower beds. I'm generally not a hater, not even a bug hater. But I do believe I hate Japanese beetles! +oM |
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- Posted by strobiculate none (My Page) on Sat, Aug 25, 12 at 8:24
| Doubtful sevin caused the influx of mites. Won't ever say never...but the odds of direct causation are kinda low...environmental factors more likely to be of greater importance. And being organic does not mean you don't spray. Spinosad would have wiped out the beetles just as well...and you probably would have gotten the mites anyway. And when the mites go away, it's time for the grasshoppers, the cicadas...get the idea? Sometimes, being vigilant just creates more work. |
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- Posted by ilovemytrees 6a Western NY (My Page) on Sat, Aug 25, 12 at 10:20
| Good morning. Thanks for responding. I bought on Amazon and then used last night Bayer 3-in-1 Insect Disease and Mite Control Concentrate. It kills Japanese Beetles and Mites. I'll use that as needed this year, but I'm going to go back to that nursery and find out exactly what they're using that none of their trees or shrubs have any insect/mite damage/fungal infections at all. |
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| OP: "...the Sevin I used set up a nice cozy care free environment for the mites." Here's a paragraph (from the link below) that would implicate Sevin (and some other insecticides): "Spider mites frequently become a problem after applying insecticides. Such outbreaks are commonly a result of the insecticide killing off the mites natural enemies but also occur when certain insecticides stimulate mite reproduction. For example, spider mites exposed to carbaryl (Sevin) in the laboratory have been shown to reproduce faster than untreated populations. Carbaryl, some organophosphates, and some pyrethroids apparently also favor spider mites by increasing the level of nitrogen in leaves. Insecticides applied during hot weather usually appear to have the greatest effect, causing dramatic spider mite outbreaks within a few days." |
Here is a link that might be useful: Spider Mites, UCDavis
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- Posted by ilovemytrees 6a Western NY (My Page) on Sat, Aug 25, 12 at 13:04
| Thanks ArborDave! " applied during hot weather usually appear to have the greatest effect, causing dramatic spider mite outbreaks within a few days." That would be my situation. lol Thank you so much for the link, and all that information. I appreciate it. |
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