Re: CULT: Merit grub control/imidacloprid

In a message dated 7/12/2006 9:19:29 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
twinhill@earthlink.net writes:

<<After attempting to drown a borer in plain water, I'm pretty  well 
convinced that they have very minimal oxygen requirements in their  
larval stage.>>
 
This is good information. Really good. Of course there is  oxygen in 
H2O...but I take your point.
 
<< So even though imidacloprid is not listed as a contact  poison, it appears 
to 
work that way to some degree, since the first victim  did actually die 
after 1/2 hour of swimming in the imidacloprid  solution.


Or there  is some membrane cross- over, dialysis wise... Or it kills them via 
contact  albeit in a different way than the way it kills by 
ingestion...erodes  their skin or something....like snails and salt... or crickets and  
diatomaceous earth...  

<<Perhaps the only practical knowledge I've gained from this is  that I 
*may* be doing some good by soaking borer infested rhizomes in a  
solution of liquid imidacloprid when the borers are so small that I  
can't find and extract them with my tweezers.  It's late enough in  the 
season now that most of the borers have already done their dirty work  
and are underground pupating, so soaking the rhizomes in imidacloprid at  
this stage is useless, unless I happen to nail some late hatchlings.  
Now the rhizome soaking is more damage control and involves bleach  
instead.
 
Makes sense.

<<I bought my propane burner for burning off  foliage this fall and I 
bought my bag of Bayer Advanced Grub Control for  next spring. I'll be 
ready for the beasts next year!
 
Strength to your sword arm!
 
Thank you very much for experimenting. I think that the failure to  
understand the pest fully and develop cultural answers and procedures  acceptable to 
many gardeners in borer country is one of the  major impediments to encouraging 
wider interest in garden irises in  the USA. 
 
Cordially,
 
Anner Whitehead
Richmond VA USA

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