Backyard Orchard News
Issues with Fuller Rose Beetle Foliar Treatments
One of the requirements of the Fuller rose beetle program for shipping fruit to Korea is application of a foliar spray by Oct 15. I am in the process of testing various products for efficacy against Fuller rose beetle to find insecticides to recommend, in addition to Actara. While several other products (Kryocide, Lorsban Advanced, Sevin XLR) show good efficacy, they do not have MRLs established or the MRLs for Korea are substantially lower than the US. There are two products I tested that include the active ingredient in Actara - thiamethoxam: Agri-Flex 8.5 oz (thiamethoxam + abamectin) and Voliam Flexi 7 oz (thiamethoxam + chlorantraniliprole). These products could be used as the foliar FRB treatment, if used at a rate that provides a similar level of thiamethoxam.
Numerous questions have come up about combining the FRB Actara treatment with a gibberellin spray or a Copper-Lime-Zinc spray. This morning a test was conducted at Lindcove REC and Gibb was not found to alter pH. In contrast, the lime treatment raised the pH to an unacceptable level (from 7.5 to 12.2) and so should not be combined with Actara. Additional tests are underway to see if these treatments reduce the efficacy of Actara against FRB in the field.
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Color Them Beautiful
A brilliant sunflower clinging to the red ring of autumn. And here comes a common sunflower bee,...
Sunflower bee, Melissodes agilis, on sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Hi, nice to meet you! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Time to leave! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Queen of the Queen Bees
Great to see the Wall Street Journal feature bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey in its Oct. 1st...
Bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
"Queen of the Queen Bees" Susan Cobey checking the hives at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
These are Carniolans, which Susan Cobey rears. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
To Bee or Not To Bee?
To bee or not to bee? That was not the question. There was no question. The answer was "yes"...
Jakub Gabka, a bee scientist from Poland, held this expression for a minute during the bee beard event at UC Davis. This photo appears on the cover of the current American Bee Journal. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
More Tulare Asian Citrus Psyllid Finds - Strathmore and Ducor
The Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner's office is announcing that two additional Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) have been detected on traps north of Eckert Field near Strathmore and northeast of Ducor. The latest interceptions were confirmed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) this morning. Maps and current information will soon be available on the Agricultural Commissioner’s website: http://agcomm.co.tulare.ca.us/default/.