Bulb Pests

[Martin Baxendale]

Dontcha just love it when the US government declares a pesticide dangerous, with very serious health implications (especially of children and pregnant women) and severely restricts its use while our government declares it perfectly safe for us all to continue consuming our 'acceptable daily dose' throughout our lives. For a start, an 'acceptable daily dose' of a poison may not do serious harm on its own in laboratory conditions with rats (that the scientists can see) but when consumed by us with a whole cocktail of other 'acceptable daily doses' of other noxious poisons, the long-term result can be quite different!

And when the powers-that-be do decide to limit use of a dangerous pesticide (whether fungicide or insecticide) the first thing they do is stop amateur gardeners using it in tiny quantities ('cos we can't be trusted not to swig it while potting up our bulbs) while still allowing the agricultural 'industry', golf courses, etc to continue pouring thousands of tons or millions of gallons of the stuff onto our foods and into our water courses and aquifers.

Makes you head straight for the organic food section, especially if you've kids to feed.

[mark smyth]

Try Dursban

[David Nicholson]

Try Dursban

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/06/09/dursban.alternatives/

One suggested substance is imidacloprid, but see  http://www.bbka.org.uk/articles/imidacloprid.php

Maybe I shall stick to sand!

[Lvandelft]

 

Nexion I use for my sowing pots as protection against "Trauermückenlarven" -sorry -but I dont know the word in english -this helps really .

Hans here is the name:
These belong to the Sciaridae, the grubs or larvae cause the most damage to our plants.
They like high humidity.

[Hans J]

David : I use Confidor - but we have always be careful with this insecticides ( and fungicides )
the real advantage of Confidor is that you can watering -thats better as to spray it

Luit : Thank you - this is what I mean .....
here is it :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciaridae

[David Nicholson]

David : I use Confidor - but we have always be careful with this insecticides ( and fungicides )
the real advantage of Confidor is that you can watering -thats better as to spray it

Hans, i have not heard of Confidor but a quick Google suggests that although it is available in some parts of Europe, Australia and South Africa I could find no mention of it in UK sites

[mark smyth]

I think that during the first week of June every member across Europe, who grows Narcissus and Galanthus, should spend at least an hour on a warm/hot day looking for the fly. If I have them present before the leaves die back I'm sure others will too. Maybe the fursther south you are you could look for them in late May

[David Shaw]

June; a warm/hot day; an hour! Which planet do you live on, Mark

[mark smyth]

OK if it's warm enough for shorts ... If I could get a tan last summer it must have been OK on certain days but then I have an unfair advantage with my genes - boot cut Levi's just now

[David Shaw]

Mark, whilst I am quite sure that we don't have narcissus fly a conceretd look in June is not a bad idea.
Why don't you prepare us a worksheet with pictures of the fly, what and were to look and how to tackle any fly that might be found?

[Tony Willis]

Just sat in the greenhouse with a torch and caught a big fat cutworm that was eating my cyclamen. Thats the second this week so do not know how many left. Hate to think what the neighbours make of it.

[David Nicholson]

Just sat in the greenhouse with a torch and caught a big fat cutworm that was eating my cyclamen. Thats the second this week so do not know how many left. Hate to think what the neighbours make of it.

Probably 'poor old boy,wife's thrown him out again'!

[Gerdk]

[

Just sat in the greenhouse with a torch and caught a big fat cutworm that was eating my cyclamen. Thats the second this week so do not know how many left. Hate to think what the neighbours make of it.

Tony, when I was young, I admired famous English tiger- and lionhunters - and now? what are you hunting now? narcissus flies and cutworms (insects  ) - times changed totally ?

Gerd

[Maggi Young]

Actually, Gerd, the most common British hunting target nowadays is a Dentist, specifically the rarest species, the National Health Dentist.... this is an ever-increasing pastime across the UK with particularly avid hunters in Scotland, where only one in five people have access to one of these precious animals.....the rest are left to try to find the other variety, becoming more widespread bu not at all popular, the Private Dentist.....the lack of popularity of the Private Dentist is entirely down to cost..... only the richest snowdrop collectors can afford one of these ( in stark contrast to the world of Galanthophiles, where the most expensive IS the most popular). The majority of the nation is left to try to satisfy their instinct for hunting and bloodlust by pulling out their own teeth with pliers.

 
Try a Google search of Dentists in the UK and see the sorts of newspaper reports....sadly this is not a joke

[Tony Willis]

Gerd I have given up on tigers but I would still give chase to a good looking woman (in my dreams)

Maggie I still have a NHS dentist for the moment but Mrs W.or as I usually call her plumtious lost hers last month. It now costs the equivalent of a good snowdrop per month to keep her healthy