I agree with Aaron on the subject of scale. Merit (Imidacloprid) is an excellent systemic insecticide. I had a major problem with scale last year and tried everything, to no avail. In the past I had used Latox (Carbaryl + another active ingredient I can't remember) but our PMRA (Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency) banned it about 4 yrs ago. Latox worked excellently on any pest that I found on any plant. It was highly toxic and I had to use a respirator, it would have likely killed me too!
What I found with using Merit was that I had to make 4 applications. The first 2 applications were one week apart. First I would drench the potting media, then use a foliar spray to the point of run-off. The 3rd and 4th applications were done 2 weeks apart using the same method as the first 2 applications. After about 2 months I started noticing a decline in my scale population. In about 3 months time, I had no scale whatsoever and continue to not be able to find any scale in over a year. My theory for the slow, but successful control of the scale is due to the fact that orchids are a rather slow growing plant and the uptake is much slower than your typical house plant or annual plant. I had no damage to either plant or flower either. Luckily at the time, I had a small orchid collection and I also worked as a pest manager in a greenhouse, so the chemical came at no cost. Merit is a bit on the pricey side, but if I were to get scale again, that is the first product I would purchase for scale control. One word of advice here however, it will not work on spider, broad, cyclamen or flat mites! Cody Cruise Pest Manager / Grower Wee-Gro Orchids Abbotsford, BC, Canada _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
