I guess I'm old school, but I get SOOOOOO tired of everybody warning growers against the use of commercial insecticides.
The last internet search I did made me want to do an Elvis Presley to my PC monitor. (Elvis supposedly shot his TV screen when Robert Goulet came on.)
I used to grow yellow crook neck squash by the tubful. But for the last few years, I have had a terrible squash vine borer problem. They kill squash plants. I barely got a mess of squash last year and the year before.
So I Googled things like "How to prevent squash vine borers".
All I got was organic tips like:
1. Plant more squash. They can't destroy them all.
2. Wrap the lower 6 inches of the stem of each squash plant with aluminum foil. Bury the edge of the foil in the soil beneath the plant.
3. Stick a little wire up the hole made by the adult borer in the squash vine and wiggle it to try and kill the larva.
4. Spread diatomaceous earth around each plant. You must reapply it after each rain.
5. Just don't plant squash.
So I Googled "Insecticides to prevent squash vine borers" and I GOT THE VERY SAME RESULTS.
I love bees, birds, and bunnies as much as anybody, but the !@#$%^& organic solutions are typically:
1. Too much work, and
2. Ineffective.
Gimme back my original Sevin.
(For those who don't know: A few years ago the Sevin® trade name was purchased by the pesticide distributor GardenTech. This year, GardenTech is switching the active ingredient in Sevin® Insect Killer from carbaryl to zeta-cypermethrin, a newer pyrethroid insecticide.)
Some insecticides have been discontinued voluntarily by the manufacturers. But the following have been banned.
1 Acephate
2 Acrolein
3 Alachlor
4 Aldicarb
5 Alpha-BHC; Alpha-HCH
6 Alpha-chlorohydrin
7 Amitraz
8 Anthracene oil
9 Arsen and its compounds
10 Atrazine
11 Azafenidin
12 Azinphos-ethyl
13 Azinphos-methyl
14 Benomyl
15 Beta-cyfluthrin; Cyfluthrin
16 Beta-HCH; Beta-BCH
17 Blasticidin-S
18 Borax; disodium tetraborate decahydrate (only if used as pesticide)
19 Boric acid (only if used as pesticide)
20 Brodifacoum
21 Bromadiolone
22 Bromethalin
23 Bromoxynil butyrate
24 Butoxycarboxim
25 Cadusafos
26 Captafol
27 Carbaryl
28 Carbofuran
29 Carbosulfan
30 Chlordane
31 Chlorethoxyphos
32 Chlorfenapyr
33 Chlorfenvinphos
34 Chlormephos
35 Chlorophacinone
36 Chlorotoluron
37 Chlozolinate
38 Coumaphos
39 Coumatetralyl
40 Creosote
41 Cyhalothrin
42 Daminozide
43 DDT
44 Demeton-S-methyl
45 Dichlorvos; DDVP
46 Dicofol
47 Dicrotophos
48 Difenacoum
49 Difethialone
50 Dimethenamid
51 Dimoxystrobin
52 Dinocap
53 Dinoterb
54 Diphacinone
55 Disulfoton
56 DNOC and its salts
57 Edifenphos
58 Endosulfan
59 E-Phosphamidon
60 Epichlorohydrin
61 EPN
62 Ethiofencarb
63 Ethoprophos; Ethoprop
64 Ethylene oxide
65 Ethylene thiourea
66 Famphur
67 Fenamiphos
68 Fenchlorazole-ethyl
69 Fenthion
70 Fentin acetate; Triphenyltin acetate
71 Fentin hydroxide; Triphenyltin hydroxide
72 Fenvalerate
73 Ferbam
74 Flocoumafen
75 Fluazifop-butyl
76 Flucythrinate
77 Flumioxazin
78 Fluoroacetamide
79 Flusilazole
80 Formaldehyde
81 Formetanate
82 Furathiocarb
83 Haloxyfop-R
84 Heptenophos
85 Hexachlorobenzene
86 Hexchlorocyclohexane; BHC mixed isomers
87 Isoxathion
88 Lindane
89 Linuron
90 Maleic hydrazide
91 Mecarbam
92 Mercury and its compounds
93 Methamidophos
94 Methidathion
95 Methiocarb
96 Methomyl
97 Methyl bromide
98 Mevinphos
99 Molinate
100 Monocrotophos
101 Monolinuron
102 Nicotine
103 Nitrobenzene
104 Nonylphenol ethoxylates
105 Omethoate
106 Oxamyl
107 Oxydemeton-methyl
108 Paraffin oils; mineral oils
109 Paraquat dichloride
110 Parathion
111 Parathion-methyl
112 PCP; Pentachlorphenol
113 Pentachlorobenzene
114 Permethrin
115 Phorate
116 Phosalone
117 Phosphamidon
118 Profoxydim
119 Propetamphos
120 Propham
121 Propylene oxide, Oxirane
122 Pyrazophos
123 Pyriminil
124 Quintozene
125 Silafluofen
126 Simazine
127 Sodium fluoroacetate (1080)
128 Strychnine
129 Sulfotep
130 Tebupirimifos
131 Technazene
132 Tefluthrin
133 Tepraloxydim
134 Terbufos
135 Thiodicarb
136 Thiofanox
137 Thiometon
138 Thiourea
139 Thiram in formulations with benomyl and carbofuran
140 Triazamate
141 Triazophos
142 Tributyltin compounds; triorganostannic compounds
143 Trichlorfon
144 Tridemorph
145 Vamidothion
146 Vinclozolin
147 Warfarin
148 Zeta-Cypermethrin
149 Zinc phosphide
150 Zineb
151 Z-Phosphamidon
The last internet search I did made me want to do an Elvis Presley to my PC monitor. (Elvis supposedly shot his TV screen when Robert Goulet came on.)
I used to grow yellow crook neck squash by the tubful. But for the last few years, I have had a terrible squash vine borer problem. They kill squash plants. I barely got a mess of squash last year and the year before.
So I Googled things like "How to prevent squash vine borers".
All I got was organic tips like:
1. Plant more squash. They can't destroy them all.
2. Wrap the lower 6 inches of the stem of each squash plant with aluminum foil. Bury the edge of the foil in the soil beneath the plant.
3. Stick a little wire up the hole made by the adult borer in the squash vine and wiggle it to try and kill the larva.
4. Spread diatomaceous earth around each plant. You must reapply it after each rain.
5. Just don't plant squash.
So I Googled "Insecticides to prevent squash vine borers" and I GOT THE VERY SAME RESULTS.
I love bees, birds, and bunnies as much as anybody, but the !@#$%^& organic solutions are typically:
1. Too much work, and
2. Ineffective.
Gimme back my original Sevin.
(For those who don't know: A few years ago the Sevin® trade name was purchased by the pesticide distributor GardenTech. This year, GardenTech is switching the active ingredient in Sevin® Insect Killer from carbaryl to zeta-cypermethrin, a newer pyrethroid insecticide.)
Some insecticides have been discontinued voluntarily by the manufacturers. But the following have been banned.
1 Acephate
2 Acrolein
3 Alachlor
4 Aldicarb
5 Alpha-BHC; Alpha-HCH
6 Alpha-chlorohydrin
7 Amitraz
8 Anthracene oil
9 Arsen and its compounds
10 Atrazine
11 Azafenidin
12 Azinphos-ethyl
13 Azinphos-methyl
14 Benomyl
15 Beta-cyfluthrin; Cyfluthrin
16 Beta-HCH; Beta-BCH
17 Blasticidin-S
18 Borax; disodium tetraborate decahydrate (only if used as pesticide)
19 Boric acid (only if used as pesticide)
20 Brodifacoum
21 Bromadiolone
22 Bromethalin
23 Bromoxynil butyrate
24 Butoxycarboxim
25 Cadusafos
26 Captafol
27 Carbaryl
28 Carbofuran
29 Carbosulfan
30 Chlordane
31 Chlorethoxyphos
32 Chlorfenapyr
33 Chlorfenvinphos
34 Chlormephos
35 Chlorophacinone
36 Chlorotoluron
37 Chlozolinate
38 Coumaphos
39 Coumatetralyl
40 Creosote
41 Cyhalothrin
42 Daminozide
43 DDT
44 Demeton-S-methyl
45 Dichlorvos; DDVP
46 Dicofol
47 Dicrotophos
48 Difenacoum
49 Difethialone
50 Dimethenamid
51 Dimoxystrobin
52 Dinocap
53 Dinoterb
54 Diphacinone
55 Disulfoton
56 DNOC and its salts
57 Edifenphos
58 Endosulfan
59 E-Phosphamidon
60 Epichlorohydrin
61 EPN
62 Ethiofencarb
63 Ethoprophos; Ethoprop
64 Ethylene oxide
65 Ethylene thiourea
66 Famphur
67 Fenamiphos
68 Fenchlorazole-ethyl
69 Fenthion
70 Fentin acetate; Triphenyltin acetate
71 Fentin hydroxide; Triphenyltin hydroxide
72 Fenvalerate
73 Ferbam
74 Flocoumafen
75 Fluazifop-butyl
76 Flucythrinate
77 Flumioxazin
78 Fluoroacetamide
79 Flusilazole
80 Formaldehyde
81 Formetanate
82 Furathiocarb
83 Haloxyfop-R
84 Heptenophos
85 Hexachlorobenzene
86 Hexchlorocyclohexane; BHC mixed isomers
87 Isoxathion
88 Lindane
89 Linuron
90 Maleic hydrazide
91 Mecarbam
92 Mercury and its compounds
93 Methamidophos
94 Methidathion
95 Methiocarb
96 Methomyl
97 Methyl bromide
98 Mevinphos
99 Molinate
100 Monocrotophos
101 Monolinuron
102 Nicotine
103 Nitrobenzene
104 Nonylphenol ethoxylates
105 Omethoate
106 Oxamyl
107 Oxydemeton-methyl
108 Paraffin oils; mineral oils
109 Paraquat dichloride
110 Parathion
111 Parathion-methyl
112 PCP; Pentachlorphenol
113 Pentachlorobenzene
114 Permethrin
115 Phorate
116 Phosalone
117 Phosphamidon
118 Profoxydim
119 Propetamphos
120 Propham
121 Propylene oxide, Oxirane
122 Pyrazophos
123 Pyriminil
124 Quintozene
125 Silafluofen
126 Simazine
127 Sodium fluoroacetate (1080)
128 Strychnine
129 Sulfotep
130 Tebupirimifos
131 Technazene
132 Tefluthrin
133 Tepraloxydim
134 Terbufos
135 Thiodicarb
136 Thiofanox
137 Thiometon
138 Thiourea
139 Thiram in formulations with benomyl and carbofuran
140 Triazamate
141 Triazophos
142 Tributyltin compounds; triorganostannic compounds
143 Trichlorfon
144 Tridemorph
145 Vamidothion
146 Vinclozolin
147 Warfarin
148 Zeta-Cypermethrin
149 Zinc phosphide
150 Zineb
151 Z-Phosphamidon