After the frost we had in January, I was hoping it zapped the leaf miners, but they are back with a vengance. I can't keep up with the Spinosad spraying. My seedlings are getting hit too. I also don't like the price our local nursery has on Spinosad. Anyone know of a cheaper source?

Phillip

For non producing trees I use Bayer advanced tree & shrub treatment. Not a single miner on any of these trees. You can get it ant any HD or Lowes as well as Millets favorite shopping place Wal-mart...


http://www.bayeradvanced.com/product/Tree-Shrub-Insect-Control/concentrate.html

As I said "non producing trees" I do not use it on trees that are producing fruit. The trees that are freshly budded or seedlings that will not produce fruit for a while are the trees that get this treatment. It allows the new budding to flourish without the impact of leafminer attack....

Conserve SC is a more concentrated form of spinosad. I see it on ebay for for $99.00 a quart. You might be able to reduce that if someone would go in with you. I also saw a 4 oz container for $25.00.

I use it and it works very well, but you must time applications to growth flushes. You are limited to 6 applications per year.

http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/cwlb/labels/ConserveSC.pdf

Yes Phillip, the miners lay their eggs on the leaves when they are about 1/2 inch. I have never been able to spot the eggs, but I have seen the larvae-- I can now spot them with the naked eye just before I squash them!

I do use the spinosad when they get bad, but I rely on the oil spray more than the spinosad-- you just have to keep up with the new growth and keep it coated so the adults do not lay eggs on the young leaves.

Skeet
Do you spray oil only on the new sprouts each week? I tried the Bayer Advance a couple years ago and did not see the results that I had expected. It does take a while for the product to make its way throughout the tree so maybe I applied too late. However the second round of their attack much later was as bad as if I had not used it at all.
I called Bayer and they adamantly told me that Bayer Advance was not labeled for any Citrus. I thought that it was peculiar since other countries have use it on citrus.
Karl

Karl. I think you are thinking of Bayer Admire Pro which is listed for citrus.

http://www.bayercropscienceus.com/products/view:ADMIRE%20PRO/

Karl, Yes, I spray the oil only on the new growth and depending on weather or growth rate of the flush, I may spray 2 or even 3 times a week if it rains or if the growth is really fast.

I know that Bayer has imidacloprid which is the same active ingredient as several other products that are labled for citrus, but they cannot endorse any application that is not listed on the actual lable. There may be differences in the formulation, or they may have another product that is designed for citrus (more expensive probably) and did not want to include citrus on the lable for Bayer Tree and Shrub.

For me, given that the product is suppose to protect the tree from insects for a yr, it makes me wonder how long the product actually stays in the tree at a level I would not want to consume, but not sufficient to kill bugs.

Lazz
The product that I used was Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and Shrub Insect control with 1.47% Imidacloprid and 98.53% other ingredients
After reading this article at the LSU agcenter about Admire Pro, I jumped to the conclusion that the main ingredient “Imidacloprid” was the same in both products. This was my argument to Bayer, but they quickly told me that the problem was not the Imidacloprid, but in the other 98.53%. If you read the label on the Bayer advance you can see that it does not say inert ingredients but “other ingredients”.
I hope that you are not as confused about this as I was at the time, but since them I read the labels and I don’t deviate or make my own conclusions. I am not trying to scare anyone but just want you to have the facts, as I know them.
Karl
LSU article on Admire Pro
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/family_home/hazards_and_threats/recovery_assistance/agriculture/crops/Citrus+Leaf+Miner+Management.htm

I looked up some of the data on it--it is considered moderately toxic, but the bad news is the 1/2 life in aerobic soil is almost 3 years (997 days)--so nearly 1/4 of it could still be around 6 years later. It is not likely to be a carcinogen.

The mode of action is to turn on nerve synapse, but unlike OPs, it cannot be turned off.

Toxicity on that one is lower--over 2000 mg/Kg in mouse. It is probably safer than imidacloprid, and does have a much shorter half life.