Tree Health: Insecticide News

Part of my job as an arboristis to be up to date on insecticide innovations and techniques. New products consistently enter the marketplace, and it’s my job to research a wide range of both products and techniques to find the best solution for treating each type of tree pest.

While many tree care providers prefer to stick with what they’ve been using/doing for years, I like to test new products and techniques. If you think about it in terms of treating medical disorders in the human world, you wouldn’t turn down a new cancer treatment with proven results, just because it’s new. The same applies when considering tree care.

What’s wrong with the product I currently use?

Whenever someone is asked to change the way they do something or change the product they have been using for years, they ask this question. Often, there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with the product you are currently using to treat your tree. However, if a pest control product is less expensive, easier to apply or is more effective, why wouldn’t you make the switch? Time and money are both valuable resources, why not save them when you can? That’s where an arborist comes into play.

Introducing New Products

new insecticide to the market is Grandevo.  Derived from a bacterial strain of Chromobacterium subtsugae, Grandevo was created to control caterpillars and other insects that feed on broadleaf and coniferous trees and shrubs. Studies indicate that with this new product you can rid your trees and shrubs of pests like armyworms, bagworms, spruce budworms, oakworms, fall webworms, green-striped mapleworms, gypsy moths, leafrollers, mealybugs, pine tip moths, tent caterpillars, mimosa webworms, aphids, lace bugs, mites, thrips and whiteflies. The University of Nebraska – Lincoln conducted product evaluations which indicate that Grandevo applied at the higher usage rates will also control certain white grub and billbug species in turfgrass.

Also read: The Importance of Hiring an Arborist

When attempting to control emerald ash borer (EAB) consider emamectin benzoate, which goes by the product name of TREE-äge. Other products that claim to treat EAB include acephate, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, dicrotophos, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and permethrin. Application of some formulations of acephate, dicrotophos and imidacloprid require drilling numerous holes in the trunk around the base of the tree. In addition to causing damage to the water and nutrient-conducting system of the tree, these wounds could become pathways for invasion of pathogens and other ash pests. TREE-äge is expected to provide two years of control at the high label rate.

Always remember to give new products and techniques a chance. Are you in need of tree-pest control? McKinley Arborists can help. Contact us today!

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