When to apply insecticide in GA?

bwmaier – posted 05 April 2005 11:02

I live in NW GA, west of Atlanta and have Hybrid Bermuda. What is a good type of insecticide to apply and when should it be applied? (I live about 10 minutes from a Lesco.) I get Japanese Beetles that love my crepe myrtles, ferns, and indian hawthornes. I also want to be able to prevent any insects/diseases that are possible to prevent. Any suggestions? I am in the USDA zone 7B for cold hardiness. Thanks in advance.

ted – posted 05 April 2005 20:21

talk to your local lesco- i’m thinking merit,tempo, i like top choice for fire ants.

turfie – posted 06 April 2005 06:32

It would be a good idea to use Merit (Lesco systemic insect control) around mid- to late July to prevent grub infestations. You might have a problem with sod webworms sooner than that, but it is best to start treating when you first see the symptoms…roughly circular areas that look off-color where the blades are chewed down close to the ground. There are several insecticides Lesco carries, but don’t know if you can get them without a license. If not, you can look for the active ingredient in homeowner products. Some are…bifenthrin (Talstar), cyfluthrin (Tempo), deltamethrin (Deltagard), carbaryl (Sevin), imidacloprid (merit), acephate (orthene), and trichlorfon (Dylox). Dylox is for curative grub control, but I don’t think you could get this as a homeowner. It will likely be phased out eventually.

ted – posted 06 April 2005 09:40

hey turfie, whatever happened to Mainstay by Lesco?- i put that stuff down and nothing moved for like 6 months…

turfie – posted 06 April 2005 11:36

Hey Ted,

Zeneca, the producer, pulled the label in 1998. The acive ingredient Fonofos is an organophosphate, quite a few of which have been pulled off the shelves, and some are scheduled to do so. It had a high mammalian toxicity – didnt take much to put a hurtin’ on you. Also has a long half-life, and it’s pretty leachable…a bad thing, since it is very toxic to fish and accumulates in many other organisms. not all OP’s are that bad. For example, Orthene is not nearly as toxic as Mainstay was. They both act on the nervous system, though. I always rotated OPs I had to spray with other non-OP chemicals, since it accumulates in the body.

ted – posted 06 April 2005 13:10

i loved that stuff, man. but i use top choice for fire ants ( the intended target) it’s the same stuff as in the systemic dog flea insecticide called frontline, i think.