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Illinois

I always wondered if the insecticides that I use cause harm to the bees I notice visiting my plants. I use Imidacloprid (Merit) and it's siblings which have the chemistry of the Neonicotinoids. I used to see several different bees visiting my patch and, from year to year, I noticed fewer visiting my patch and then different bees and then very few visits. I just read an article that Neonicotinoids has been taken off the shelves of the larger Garden/Home stores such as HD, Ace since there is proof now that it does kill bees.

4/20/2019 12:53:15 PM

Central Illinois

would you send me an email baitman55@gmail.com

4/21/2019 8:31:18 AM

Savage, MN

I don't know much about imidacloprid but I know neonics are a problem for bees. And for neonics although the products are bad, the silent killer is when seeds are coated with it. The problem with it is that it doesn't leave the plant. It will stay all the way into flowers and can affect the bees through their feed and slowly kills them. So I would assume if cloprid is related to neonics it would be a problem to bees.

4/21/2019 11:06:21 AM

Princeville, IL

The best thing to do is to read the labels of any chemical you are using. Imidacloprid has always had a toxic to bees warning on the label. almost any insecticide you use is going to be toxic to bees. The partial solution is using them at the proper time of the season and/or the proper time of day. Imidacloprid only get used at planting time and is usually out of the plants system by the time they start to bloom so keeps pests away early without harming bees. I use Bifin when plants are blooming but only spray at dusk when old blooms are closed and new ones have not opened yet. Not a fail safe method by any means but have several acres of commercial pumpkins and still have lots of bees after 10 years using this approach. Growing giants takes a little different approach as those darn vine borers are a real pain to control without a systemic like imidacloprid. I know some growers remove all thier blossoms when they have only a few plants to deal with.

4/21/2019 8:13:43 PM

Princeville, IL

edit -- meant to say -- Imidacloprid only gets used by me at planting time

4/21/2019 8:15:16 PM

Massachusetts

I use merit, but I maintain the flowers until I get a pumpkin going with a long arm pruner, after that its easy to remove your flowers the rest of the season when you bury your vines before they even get a start.

4/21/2019 8:44:28 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

In the past, i have only grown a few plants. It is not so much effort to remove unneeded male flowers that could be toxic to the bees. My new place...i will be 1/4 mile from a commercial pumpkin grower. I will be talking with them how they deal with pesticides. SVB's would destroy the season for a commercial grower. But killing all the bees with a systemic would also be bad. i do not know what the right answer is.

4/21/2019 8:55:22 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

agteacher...svb's usually show up in my area about the middle of june. From planting time..until they show up....is too many weeks. The merit would not stop it.

i don't pretend to know the right answer....i would imagine in illinois you have svb probably about 2-3 weeks earlier than minnnesota

4/21/2019 9:05:18 PM

South Dakota

If you use Imidacloprid as a stump drench application, will it translocate enough chemical to protect an entire full grown plant, or do you have to apply to the foliage too? A little off topic, but I am planning on using Imidacloprid for the first time this year and is only my second year growing. After I get a couple female flowers pollinated, I plan to cut off the rest of the flowers before they open so not to kill as many off target insects. I only have one plant.

4/22/2019 8:32:46 PM

Pittsburgh, PA

LJ - I asked this question at our advanced seminar and was told no. Reapply every couple weeks.

4/22/2019 10:56:57 PM

Johnston, Iowa

LJ - My understanding is that imidicloprid (Merit) does Not translocate within the plant. Does anyone know if that is right or not??

7/11/2019 10:49:03 AM

Guelph, Ontario

imidicloprid (Merit) is a systemic, so yes, it translocates within plant, including pollen.

7/12/2019 8:56:28 AM

Central Illinois

I still beliave that mites are the biggest cause of colony callapse ,with merit the bee has to come into contact with pollen with contact killers the bee only has to land on the plant ,nearly all insecticides kill bees along with most other insects. This article states the comination of fungicdes with insecticdes may be a bigger problem https://theconversation.com/pesticide-bans-might-give-us-a-buzz-but-they-wont-necessarily-save-the-bees-90960?fbclid=IwAR3Pfvu5L9302sRQ1ukA2mjnrZkJdLUeIAxiXQymSOr8QJWNFS-lepjz5fY

7/13/2019 8:28:42 AM

Central Illinois

combination

7/13/2019 8:29:30 AM