Re: nematodes
DavidS1812@aol.com wrote:
>
> I don't know anything about the nematodes BUT the borer moth lays its eggs
> (25 - 30) per clutch up to about 300 total all over your dead garden debris
> ABOVE GROUND. The eggs hatch ABOVE GROUND and find their way to the nearest
> iris and begin boring their way from the iris leaf down to the rhizome. The
> larvae is omnivorous and will eat anything in its path INCLUDING another
> borer larvae. (Really gives meaning to protect your tail) Since the larvae
> are laid and hatch above ground the only way the nematode MIGHT be of some
> help is against the pupae.
>
> I might be wrong??? Any comments????
>
> Regards Dave Silverberg
Maybe Suzanne or someone with much more knowledge than I can give a more
definitive answer. I was under the impression that the nematodes must
be applied at the proper time in the late summer early fall when the
iris borer had already tunnelled from the tip of the fans to the
rhizomes...hopefully to be in soil contact so the nematodes could do
their job. So, doesn't that mean that you will lose quite a few iris if
you must wait until the borer has made it to the rhizome? I had a very
bad episode a few years back, before I started routine Cygon 2-E
spraying; out of the 120 iris clumps I had I ended up losing 70 to iris
boreres and secondary soft rot caused by iris borer infestation. I sent
several samples to the Southern Illinois State Plant Clinic for
examination. Perhaps I would never have such a bad outbreak again...I
would rather be safe than sorry...just image if you lost 70 clumps (and
just for the point of argument each of these was a prior years new intro
which could have cost $40.00 a pop)! I have also tried useing BT to
combat iris borer, but have not been satisfied with the result...I could
not see ANY control. Anyone have more to add about beneficial nematodes
use in controling iris borer?
Julie Irwin <bajai@mtco.com>
USDA zone 5 Pekin, IL
