Re: Killing Borers

Brad:
 
Thanks for the explanation.  I assumed, of course, that the restrictions on Warrior T were by reason of its potential harmfulness.
 
You are correct that pyrethrum is a fantastic natural pesticide.  However, it affects all insects and is immediately lethal (so it kills beneficials as well as the bad guys).
 
One of the positive things I recall about pyrethrum, however, is that is decays in sunlight fairly rapidly, so there is no residual insecticide in your garden.  The drawback is that this would mean that you would have to apply it often.  Of course, if you hit the eggs the first time, you would have no need to reapply (unless the SVB moths keep coming.  Usually they stop coming after a couple of weeks).
 
With nematodes, the nematodes actually live in the moist enclosed confines of the vine, and will multiply in number if they encounter a juicy SVB.  I do not believe that they live for more than a couple of weeks without food, so you don't want to inject them too early.  Last year I had some zucchini over to the side that showed SVB infestation, and I injected my pumpkins that very day.  As I stated earlier, I had no sign of borers at the end of the year.
 
Frank Peregrine
Madison, WI
 
----- Original Message -----
From: B*@aol.com
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2001 5:22 PM
Subject: Re: Killing Borers

Group,
           Rather than stand by and let the typical environmentalist slam
Warrior-T for being labelled a severe hazard to humans and our environment,
give me the oppurtunity to explain.  Warrior-T is 300 times safer than the
typical insecticide.  It is a synthetic pyrethrin, which means chemically
that is a man made copy or version of  a pyrethrin which is naturally found
in nature. One example of a plant that naturally contains a pyrethrin is a
crysanthemum.  Anybody ever see a bug on a mum plant?  I doubt it.  
            What Syngenta, the maker of Warrior-T, did is nothing short of
fantastic.  They took what is normally found in nature, magnified its
strength and effectiveness, and put it in a bottle so that growers like you
and I could use it.  I know what many of you are going to say already so let
me give you the anwser in advance.  Why is Warrior-T a restricted use
pesticide if it is so safe?  REASON : Warrior-T contains a solvent that helps
the active ingredient stick to the plant.  This solvent for some people can
be a mild skin irritant.  It has no chemically damaging effect or burn on the
skin.  It just feels like it is burning.  Kind of like tobasco sauce on your
tongue.  Furhtermore, our Federal EPA laws state that anytime an insecticide
is classified as a mild or greater skin irritant, it must be labelled a
restricted use pesticide.  So there you have it.  

P.S. I would never use the typical insecticide near my kids or house.  
Warrior-T is a rare exception.

Hope this helps,

Brad Walters
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