Forbid?

Controlling pests of bamboo

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Van-isle-bamboo
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Forbid?

Post by Van-isle-bamboo »

Has anyone here tried Bayers forbid for bamboo mites? Avid hasn't worked and I'm looking for a alternate solution.
ShmuBamboo
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Re: Forbid?

Post by ShmuBamboo »

My brother did not have much luck with any of the Bayer products. He eradicated his boo mites (gone for a year now) with a rotational spray mix of Avid, ag oil, insecticidal soap, and an Ortho mite spray (of which I forget the name). I would try Talstar, as it rated the best in tests by WSU. It is available for pretty cheap on Ebay. Some good mite spray info from WSU and OSU:

http://www.mountvernon.wsu.edu/ENTOMOLO ... Mite05.htm

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nurspest/Ba ... ptions.htm
Happy trails...
Van-isle-bamboo
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Re: Forbid?

Post by Van-isle-bamboo »

Avid hasn't worked for me. Three applications in the early fall before the rains came. Disappointing for sure. Talstar isn't a systemic which would be hard to cover everything. I do like the price point so it is going to be worth a try. Judo isn't approved in Canada and some reports have been good with it. So far these mites have really set me off, frustrating to say the least! I refuse to give in to the infestation. Thanks for the suggestion and links.
johnw
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Re: Forbid?

Post by johnw »

Is Talstar approved in Canada? There are several different types I hear.
johnw coastal Nova Scotia
Van-isle-bamboo
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Re: Forbid?

Post by Van-isle-bamboo »

I'm not to sure if Talstar is approved in Canada. I'm gonna have to do a little more research on that.
ShmuBamboo
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Re: Forbid?

Post by ShmuBamboo »

You may want to read the marijuana growing boards in BC, Canada for what works best for spider mites that is also available/legal to use in Canada. Yes, it is an odd route to go, but there are a lot of parallels between eradicating spider mites and bamboo mites. There are also 2 or 3 different types of boo mites reported in the PNW. From my discussions with several bamboo plantations with mite issues, multiple sprayings with multiple types of miticide seems to work best, especially this time of year when mite activity is low. A winter like this one should be beneficial in mite reduction from cold exposure. Also applying ag oil and ag soap with or alternating with miticide from Fall through Spring seems to also help (spray them when it is below 60 F. to prevent boo leaf damage). As for being effective, while Talstar may not be systemic or transfoliar like Flroamite and Avid, it is reported to be far more effective at knocking down mite populations. You also need a good professional spray applicator that can cover a high percentage of leaf area.

In my experience with dealing with boo mite eradication, I know 3 people personally that were able to get rid of them completely in Northern California, Southern Oregon and Northern Oregon. They had boo plantings in size from 8000 sq. ft. to 2 acres. The earlier the detection of the mite infestation, the better the odds of eradicating them. I also know of several plantations that have boo mites that have not been able to get rid of them, even after total spraying and eradication attempts. Some plantations here in Northern Oregon are exposed to re-infestation along rivers or from neighbors that refuse to have their bamboos sprayed for them. So they have to watch for them and spray continually to keep them in control. Birds, dogs and humans seem to be the main mite carriers over moderate distances.
Happy trails...
Van-isle-bamboo
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Re: Forbid?

Post by Van-isle-bamboo »

Thank you so much Shmubamboo for all your shared knowledge. I will definitely search more on mite topics on marijuana boards for that's a great idea. It's such a frustrating obstacle some of us face with these mite problems here in the PNW. Most people seem to just" deal "with it ( ignore the problem ). I just can't seem to accept it at the moment. I did purchace a quality backpack sprayer with stainless fittings. It will eventually be a problem targeting tops of the larger groves though. Interesting that there has been a couple differnt bamboo mites showing up. I wonder if some are immune to differnt miticides? I'm gonna try a rotation of Judo, Talstar, floromite, and Forbid. It might be pricy but I'm going "all in". I have recently tried neem oil and a surfactant with a diluted mix in my electic power washer as well. So from fall to spring is a good time to use the insecticides? I always thought that they needed warmer temps to react better with the mites ? I know it's best to use oils in the cooler temps but it does make sense that I could use a insecticide that targets eggs and juveniles in the cooler temps before they start really thriving.

Once again I really appreciate the advise shmubamboo. Thanks so much
ShmuBamboo
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Re: Forbid?

Post by ShmuBamboo »

In your area (Van. Is.) the mites will likely be active all winter. They become more active the hotter it gets. Here where I live in north Oregon, we have had many 50 degree days lately, between these super cold arctic blasts that have come though. That is more than warm enough for mites to be active. The idea is to hit the mites when they are less active this time of year, as in hot summer time they are extremely active. The hotter it is, the more active spider mites are, especially into the 100 degree range when they go on the rampage. If I did not spray for two spotted spider mites in my gardens in San Diego, they would defoliate my roses in a matter of days in 100 deg. F. heat. Also ag oil, soap and some types of insecticides can cause damage to plants above 60 deg F. Also leaves are fully open this time of year and there are fewer of them. So, this is the best time to hit the mites before the new leaves come out. Several mite sprays also help prevent other bugs from infesting your boos, like whitefly and mealybugs.

Oil is good as it kills mites by coating the eggs and killing them, and it also coats the mites (all stages) and kills them as well. Ag soap is similar, as it makes water 'wetter' by breaking down the hydrogen bond and drowning mites, and all mite stages. These sprays, along with contact miticides have to come in contact with the mites to be effective though. The mite nest webbing can be an issue with these to get to all the mites and eggs and kill them. So a timed re-spray is critical to get any mites that have survived the previous spraying. Using a systemic or translaminar (a locally systemic, or transfoliar) miticide is good in that you do not have to contact all the mites to be effective with the spray. Sprays like Avid are taken up by the plant, and when the mites dine on the leaves, they ingest the miticide, and they die. The trick here is to apply one or several of these mite sprays at intervals based on the cycle of the mites based on what stages the miticides are effective at killing. The mite cycle seems to vary among mite types and temperatures. Most recommend from one week to 10 days to 2 week spray intervals. You also need to spray when it will not rain in the nest 24 hours. So perfectly timing sprays in the PNW is not always possible.

I am not so sure about Floramite. While Floramite is the only miticide that lists bamboo mites, but the WSU miticide report shows that it was less effective than most of the other brands. It is also one of the most expensive. Avid is available as a generic now, and hence it is far cheaper than it used to be as a brand name. Talstar is pretty cheap. Ag soap sprays are good in that they kill the mites themselves, and they also work as spreaders for the miticides. That allows the miticides to spread out more on the plants once contact if made, and it helps it to penetrate the mite webbing under the leaves. I use an ag soap spreader with whatever I spray here. Systemic and translaminar sprays are better for spraying bamboos, as you do not have to coat the entire surface of the leaves, top and bottom. Just getting all the top sides of the leaves with a spray like Avid should result in 100% kill of mites. Re-spraying at one to two week intervals >with the same spray< should kill any crawlers that have hatched (or eggs that were laid) since the previous spraying. Then spraying with oil alone a week later and then applying another type of miticide to rotate their diet should give you a complete kill of the mites. All of these methods do not prevent re-infestation though. You may have to keep spraying ag oil on a regular basis and a miticide in rotation on occasion to keep the mite populations down. There are limits to the amounts of miticide sprayings that you want to do though (depending in type), and you need to be aware of runoff effects of these sprays into nearby rivers, lakes and streams.

Personally I use Avid with a spreader/sticker here as a quarantine spray on all my boos here. I also spray with Lilly Miller ag oil spray. I will be using Avid more this year as I had a massive white fly infestation on some of my boos here last year, and it is effective against them too. Supposedly there are some new types of white flies around here now, along with a new type of fruit fly from Japan that came in debris from the Tsunami last year.
Happy trails...
Van-isle-bamboo
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Re: Forbid?

Post by Van-isle-bamboo »

Shmubamboo Have you heard anything about Judo? Since I applied avid last fall I'm reluctant to use it again since there now might be a tolerance to it. I'm not to sure if it was the possible morning dew that had a negative impact on the effectiveness of the avid or if these mites are resistant to it. I also went with the highest recommended mixture so to ensure total kill off....but no success.

I'm also a little encouraged to hear that a couple friends of your have eradicated their infestations. Thanks once again for the help.

Snowing like crazy here at the moment :shock:
butchdon
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Re: Forbid?

Post by butchdon »

I just sprayed Forbid my yard today, using a suggestion I got from a Seattle grower to reach taller plantings. My tallest is maybe 25-30 feet. I also purchased some Avid, which I will spray in a week or so. Afterwards a regimen of oil every 2-3 weeks and hope I can get the mites under control.

His suggestions:
1. Use a gas powered pressure washer. (Makes a very nice fog that pushes the leaves up from below and the tops get wet too.)
2. Use a electric sump pump to feed the pressure washer. $49 at Harbor Freight Tools
3. I used a 5 gallon bucket to hold the liquid spray and another one to mix it in.

You are able to move this setup around the yard. The only hassle is mixing and refilling 4 gallons at a time since the pumps takes up some volume. The pressure washer can really go through the mix, but it beats a back sprayer.

BTW, I am not a professional grower of anything. We just have a fair amount of bamboo on our 1/3 acre property. Some Black, Rufa, Timber, and one I can't recall that grows to about 15'.
Van-isle-bamboo
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Re: Forbid?

Post by Van-isle-bamboo »

I really hope this works for you. So far so good for my rotation of sprays with avid and judo. I mix in normal cheap dish soap and oil in the sprayer too.

Good idea with your sprayer and sump pump. I used a similar setup myself.

Keep us informed how it works for you. Be vigilant as well.

Good advise is to trim up lower branches ( up to 3' ) and remove all the leaf litter below.
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DesertDweller
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Re: Forbid?

Post by DesertDweller »

I realize this is an old thread, but figured I would add my $.02 on Forbid 4F. Details can be found in my other pest thread, here.

Long story short, the stuff worked crazy good on my modest collection, at least on run of the mill spider mites. I found no webbing, so I assume it was not the bamboo mite, but I like to think it would be effective for them as well. I know the stuff is stupid expensive, but from what I can see and having tried everything else, it is worth it.
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