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Hyde Park, Utah USA

Systemic insecticides such as Merit (impridclorid) will kill honey bees collecting pollen from male flowers, saw it first hand last year. Everybody needs to be careful. I would suggest after your pumpkin is growing cut off all of your flowers (male and female) before they open. I think it would save honey bees and also put more energy into your pumpkin. The label for vegetables and fruit instructs that you should not apply until after pollination and fruit set for tree crops. So use with caution and diligence on pumpkins.

4/28/2014 1:06:10 PM

New England

agreed 100%

4/28/2014 1:38:17 PM

Seattle, WA

Spinosad too. Check the labels on your pesticides. :)

4/28/2014 2:03:32 PM

The North Coast

It also weighs heavy on my mind when I see a buggy at the store loaded up with grubex (impridclorid). It is a remarkably effective pesticide that does not discriminate. It's marketing and it's availability to any uneducated person is a crime against nature. Very few know how to use the product ethically and properly. The result is of this perfect storm is very bad.

On many occasion I have educated people on the mode of action and it's potential for collateral damage. The majority of the population overuse or misuse the product and have no idea of the impact. Spread the word...

My apologies, I will get off my soap box and get back to who knows what...probably no good.

4/28/2014 4:09:24 PM

BC, Canada

BatCave
Wish I know your first name so that I could thank you properly. I don't mind the soap box at all when it is an issue that concerns us all. Manufacturers have one job, which they do well, and that is to sale product. Puppies, pizzas, or pesticides it's all the same. I have long been one to tell people "read the label". There are times when these very toxic chemicals are needed. But folks, they got side effects. Don't make one of those side effects your family or the environment. I am very against excessive legislation and a nanny government but there is going to be a need to restrict the indiscriminate use of some of these pesticides. I can't just shoot my gun wherever I want but I can spray chemicals in the neighborhood air all day long. ?
OK now I'll shut up
Read the label!!!

4/28/2014 7:21:53 PM

Bethlehem CT

No need to apologize Nate, I too think it is overkill to sell a product like merit for lawn grub control. Why use a systemic when a contact should work just fine? When I was a kid you couldn't walk on a lawn barefoot because you were sure to get stung by stepping on a honeybee working the clover. Not so much anymore. I know that the manufacturer's of merit claim that the toxin is in very low amounts in the flower, but even in their research they have proven that it does make it to the flower. So who's to say this stuff can't accumulate in the bee eventually weakening it and causing it's demise. Sort of like lead poisoning in humans. I know that merit has a long half life compared to many other pesticides. So it does stick around.
Also as a pumpkin grower, I think merit is overrated and gives pumpkin growers a false sense of protection. It does not help much in the prevention of an insect transmitted disease like Yellow vine. This disease is much more harmful to us growers than the insects themselves.
In my opinion merit should only be used on the pumpkin as a very young transplant. This will prevent bacterial wilt which comes from cucumber beetles feeding on very young plants.(before the sixth leaf) Older plants will resist the disease just fine. After the plant is off and running a good contact insecticide should be more effective and you won' t have all the concerns with the bees either.

4/29/2014 8:24:35 AM