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Start spraying Squash (Now) once a week

Posted on 5/18/24 at 12:16 pm
Posted by boudinman
Member since Nov 2019
5137 posts
Posted on 5/18/24 at 12:16 pm
Or they'll be dead soon from the squash vine borer. Bifenthrin 7.9% mix 2 tsp per gal water. Wouldnt hurt to spray entire garden each time, once per week, that is what i do.
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
55036 posts
Posted on 5/18/24 at 1:49 pm to
What time of day do you spray?
This post was edited on 5/18/24 at 1:50 pm
Posted by boudinman
Member since Nov 2019
5137 posts
Posted on 5/18/24 at 2:25 pm to
Early am or dusk. Not during heat of the day
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
55036 posts
Posted on 5/18/24 at 2:32 pm to
Dusk is the better bet to minimize impact on squash bees that will be actively pollinating in the morning. Avoiding overspray or drift onto blossoms will help, too. Blossoms close in the evening and new ones open in the morning.
Posted by Spankum
Miss-sippi
Member since Jan 2007
56134 posts
Posted on 5/18/24 at 9:49 pm to
I haven’t raised squash in years because of those bastards.
Posted by bbvdd
Memphis, TN
Member since Jun 2009
25097 posts
Posted on 5/18/24 at 10:14 pm to
I use seven dust on mine
Posted by LEASTBAY
Member since Aug 2007
14345 posts
Posted on 5/18/24 at 10:18 pm to
Sevin is Bifen
Posted by RetiredSaintsLsuFan
NW Arkansas
Member since Jun 2020
1598 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 2:14 pm to
quote:

Or they'll be dead soon from the squash vine borer. Bifenthrin 7.9% mix 2 tsp per gal water. Wouldnt hurt to spray entire garden each time, once per week, that is what i do.


Will this mixture kills ants also? Also is this safe for tomatoes, cucumbers and snap beans.
This post was edited on 5/20/24 at 2:16 pm
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
55036 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 2:27 pm to
quote:

Will this mixture kills ants also? Also is this safe for tomatoes, cucumbers and snap beans.

Any product you use that has the active ingredient Bifenthrin will tell you on the label the time you have to wait between spraying and harvesting. It varies for every crop, and it changes if you mix it weaker or stronger than the label suggests.

ETA: It turns out I was wrong on this. Don't use it on food crops. There are other options which do list food crops that the above practice pertains to.
This post was edited on 5/20/24 at 8:54 pm
Posted by notsince98
KC, MO
Member since Oct 2012
18099 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 2:31 pm to
be careful with endocrine disruptors.
Posted by TheDrunkenTigah
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2011
17347 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 2:58 pm to
There is no need to spray the entire plant, and that’s a great way to kill the pollinators that you need to produce squash instead of just blossoms. A little dust around the base of each stem, either bifen or diatomaceous earth if you’re going that route, is plenty to kill the larvae when they hatch and attempt to get to the stem and will last longer than a water based spray.
Posted by boudinman
Member since Nov 2019
5137 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 3:15 pm to
quote:

Will this mixture kills ants also? Also is this safe for tomatoes, cucumbers and snap beans.


Not strong enough for ants at that rate, but yes it is ok for garden vegetables. 1-2 teaspoons per gal water. You can spray today, pick and rinse them off with water, eat the next day. Ive been using it for years. I spray peas, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, squash, etc.

It is not absorbed into the plants. Rains wash it off. So spray again after any heavy rains.

Posted by boudinman
Member since Nov 2019
5137 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 3:26 pm to
quote:

There is no need to spray the entire plant, 


Wrong. Flying Moths lay eggs on the plant stems, leaves . Not every pest crawls up from the ground.

Bifenthrin is a pyrethroid. It kills insects by interfering wirh their nervous system. A Human's nervous system isnt like an insect's so it isnt as harmful, to us under normal use.

I wouldn't drink it or take a bath in it..
This post was edited on 5/20/24 at 4:24 pm
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
55036 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 5:36 pm to
quote:

Not strong enough for ants at that rate, but yes it is ok for garden vegetables. 1-2 teaspoons per gal water. You can spray today, pick and rinse them off with water, eat the next day. Ive been using it for years. I spray peas, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, squash, etc.

It is not absorbed into the plants. Rains wash it off. So spray again after any heavy rains.

If you're spraying 7.9% Bifenthrin on your garden regularly you should probably do more reading.

None of the brands, including the renowned original Talstar One/P, list it for use on food crops. Talstar specifically states "Do not apply to....food crops". Granted, it is buried on the twelfth page of the product label. Talak, another brand that is exactly the same as Talstar (both 7.9% Bifenthrin) with essentially the same label only lists "non-bearing fruit and nut trees", and states, "For use on plants intended only for aesthetic purposes or climatic modifications and being grown in interior plantscapes, ornamental gardens or parks, or lawns and grounds."

Talak, again the exact same thing as Talstar One/P and also 7.9% Bifenthrin, touts its imperviousness to water, and Talstar says it lasts "up to 6 months".

I'm not being an a-hole. I just believe people get far too comfortable with pesticides/herbicides and sometimes don't do due diligence.
This post was edited on 5/20/24 at 5:39 pm
Posted by boudinman
Member since Nov 2019
5137 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 5:54 pm to
I managed a nagri flying service for years. Spoke with crop consultants daily. Im confident in my use and selection of pesticides.
Posted by RetiredSaintsLsuFan
NW Arkansas
Member since Jun 2020
1598 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 6:15 pm to
I have the Talak brand of 7.9% Bifenthrin and I could not find anything about vegetables. I use this mainly for spraying around the house to kill insects.
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
55036 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 6:50 pm to
quote:

I managed a nagri flying service for years. Spoke with crop consultants daily. Im confident in my use and selection of pesticides.

As long as you know it isn't listed for food crops, and it is highly toxic to bees of all kinds. So, spraying it on actively blooming food crops that require pollination is, at a certain point, counter productive to harvest yield

Sometimes it is what you don't know that is most important.
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
38981 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 6:57 pm to
quote:

spraying it on actively blooming food crops that require pollination is, at a certain point, counter productive to harvest yield
and not just to the gardener who sprays, but to every other garden in the vicinity
Posted by boudinman
Member since Nov 2019
5137 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 7:03 pm to
Google " bifenthrin 25.1% ec label" you will find an epa product label listing all crops it can be sprayed on. Just scroll down the pdf file page.

Note this is for bifenthrin 25% that you cant buy. It's restricted use at this strength. But you can buy it at 7.9% strength which is 3 times WEAKER. So it can be used at 7.9% if its ok at 25%.

Use the 1-2 tsp per gal of water of the 7.9% and spray once a week.
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
55036 posts
Posted on 5/20/24 at 7:06 pm to
quote:

I have the Talak brand of 7.9% Bifenthrin and I could not find anything about vegetables. I use this mainly for spraying around the house to kill insects.


Correct, food crops are not listed for use.

Directly from the label:
quote:

LAWNS AND ORNAMENTALS
Application Instructions
Bifen 7.9 SC may be mixed with water and other aqueous carriers for the control of insects and mites on trees,
shrubs, foliage plants, non-bearing (perennial crops that will not produce a harvestable raw agricultural commodity
during the season of application) fruit and nut trees
, and flowers in interiorscapes including hotels, shopping malls,
office buildings, etc., and outdoor plantscapes, such as around residential dwellings, parks, institutional buildings,
recreational areas, athletic fields and home lawns.


Elsewhere within the label:
quote:

Attention:
• Do not apply a broadcast application to interior surfaces of homes.
• Do not apply this product in patient rooms or in any rooms while occupied by the elderly or infirm.
• Do not apply in classrooms when in use.
• Do not apply when occupants are present in the immediate area in institutions such as libraries, sports
facilities, etc.
• Do not allow people or pets on treated surfaces until spray has dried.
• Let surfaces dry before allowing people and pets to contact surface.
• During any application to overhead areas of structure, cover surface below with plastic sheeting or similar
material except for soil surfaces in crawlspaces.
• Do not allow spray to contact food, foodstuffs, food-contacting surfaces or food utensils or water supplies.
• Thoroughly wash dishes and food handling utensils with soap and water if they become contaminated by
application of this product.
• Do not treat areas where food is exposed.
• During indoor surface applications do not allow dripping or runoff to occur.
• Bifen 7.9 SC will not stain, or damage any surface that water alone will not stain or damage.
• Do not apply to pets, crops, or sources of electricity.
• Firewood is not to be treated.
• Use only in well ventilated areas.
• Do not use on edible crops.


The last one being the pertinent one. The others are geared towards food processing areas.
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