All right, Mr. D. Let's talk about systemic
insecticides.
Real popular now, these days, a lot of people
are usin' 'em.
Some folks are not usin' 'em.
So, let's talk about 'em.
- They're just a, they're another tool, there.
In my opinion they're a very useful tool.
- [Chris] Yeah.
- Systemic insecticides are highly soluble
in water so the plants can take them up through
their vascular tissue and it enables you to
be able to treat extremely large trees that
you can't spray.
- [Chris] Mm-hmm.
- It also is very selective about the insects
that it kills.
You don't broadcast it out there so it's not
killin' a lot of different insects.
- [Chris] Right.
- It's killing primarily the insects that
suck sap.
- [Chris] Mm-hmm.
- And aphids and scale insects.
- [Chris] Okay.
- It's really good on those types of insects.
When you're in a situation like that and that's
what you need, then I don't think you can
go wrong by using systemics.
Many of 'em you could, will only take, you'll
only need one treatment a year.
- [Chris] Right.
- To break the lifecycle.
But they've been around for a long time.
Some of them are more toxic.
Have higher mammalian toxicity than others.
And so, as with any pesticide, be sure that
you follow, read very carefully and follow
the label instructions when applying these
products.
Some of them, the mammalian toxicity is not
any worse--
- [Chris] Mmm.
- Than some of the other pesticides.
But they're a very, very useful tool.
I believe in using technology and systemic
insecticides are a product of research, you
know, years and years of research and technology
and I believe in using it.
And the University of Tennessee also agrees
with me.
- [Chris] Yes.
- As do other research based universities
and institutions.
- Widely recommended.
Widely recommended.
- [Mike] Very, very widely recommended.
- Now, what are some of those systemic insecticides?
- Imidacloprid is one.
- [Chris] Mm-hmm.
- I've got a list of them here.
Let me make sure.
- And that's probably one that most folks
would know.
- Right.
- And Joellen, you're probably familiar with
a lot of these as well, right?
- Some, yes.
- Mm-hmm.
- [Mike] And some of the more common ones
is Orthene, Acephate has systemic activity.
- [Chris] Mm-hmm.
- [Mike] Imidacloprid, Merit, and Safari--
- [Chris] Mm-hmm.
- [Mike] Are some of the more common products
that are out there, insecticides that are
out there.
The active ingredient in Safari is, what?
- [Chris] Dinotefuran.
- [Mike] You said that real good.
Yeah, uh-huh.
- [Chris] Familiar with it.
- [Mike] And Imidacloprid, Bayer's Tree and
Shrub insect control.
And Merit is also Imidacloprid, also.
- [Chris] Yeah.
- And then Orthene.
I still think Orthene or Acephate does most
of its killing by stink so bad, smells so
bad I think they just die.
- [Chris] Yeah, that stuff is horrible!
- [Joellen] Yes.
- [Chris] It does, it smells bad.
- Really bad, has a bad smell to it.
- Now, can we explain again to the homeowners
how do these products work, again?
- The way they work is you put them on the
ground, you'll mix them with water according
to the label directions.
Spray, or are there are any, do you know of
any granulars?
- There are.
- [Mike] There are some granulars?
- There are some.
- So, the granular ones you do a little sprinkle
on the ground, according to the label direction,
under the plant.
When it rains or when you water it they are
readily water soluble, so they dissolve in
water and the roots then take the product
up and it goes through the vascular system
and then it's in the sap.
- [Chris] Mm-hmm.
- [Mike] And insecticide is in the sap of
the plant and, and...
You know, you're good.
The things you need to be careful about using
these under, and again, it's not gonna be
on the label, but if you're usin' the tree
fruits and tree nuts that we eat--
- [Chris] Yeah, sure, right, right.
- You know, you wouldn't want to do that.
There are some products within the commercial
pecan industry, systemics that are labeled
for use in pecans.
However, you want, they'll tell you not to
use that product after April, I mean August
1st or something like that, and that way,
because of that that product is completely
gone by harvest time.
You've got a harvest goal on those pecan products.
But, again, be careful if you have fruit trees--
- [Chris] Mm-hmm.
- And fruit plants around where you're putting
these products, you need to be very careful
with that.
But they work really well.
The plant takes it up.
You need to make sure that if it's raining,
if you've got a rain event, are getting plenty
of rain, then you don't have to do a lot of
watering.
But if you put it out there and it's not,
you're not getting any rain, then you do need
to irrigate, you'd need to water it, then.
Sure.
- [Chris] Right.
- But the label will tell you that.
- Yeah, the label will tell you that.
- The label will tell ya.
- Definitely do that.
And the Bayer product comes in a liquid or
granulated form.
- Both ways.
- Both ways.
- Yeah.
- And I've actually used both.
- Either one works.
- They work.
- Either one works.
- Well, and since we're talkin' about systemics,
are there any systemic fungicides that you
may know about?
- Some of the newer fungicides have some systemic
activity and we used to say always, 'cause
as a young extension agent we learned that
fungicides were prevented in nature.
- [Chris] Yeah, yeah, that's right.
- Protected treatment and you had to have
it out there.
When the spore landed on the plant it had
to land on some fungicide and die and if you
didn't have that it wouldn't work.
But some of the newer fungicides out there
do have some kickback activity, some systemic
activity.
It'll move, some of them only move within
the leaf.
- [Chris] Mmm.
- They won't move within the total plant.
But they may move from one part of the leaf
to the other--
- [Chris] Mm-hmm.
- Within the leaf surface.
It's not as systemic as insecticides and herbicides.
- [Chris] Right.
- Not at that point, yet, but there is some
kickback activity in some of the newer fungicides.
- Okay.
I wonder if any of those are available to
homeowners?
- They are.
- Yeah, the systemic fungicides?
- I don't know.
- I think some of them.
- I think some.
- Some of the, and I'm not gonna mention trade
names.
- [Chris] Yeah.
- But, first on my mind, but I think some
of the new ones have a little bit of kickback
activity.
Just, if it says that it has some kickback
activity, that means it's systemic.
Some systemic activity.
- Okay.
And you're familiar with those products, too,
I'm sure, aren't you?
- Yeah, but, like him, I have the commercial
ones and I used to use that in the flower
beds.
- [Chris] Right, yeah.
- And they would, you know, it took just a
very little bit, but it made a big difference.
- [Chris] Okay.
- It really, they did work.
- And I guess, too, using the fungicides,
I mean, you don't have to worry about beneficials
or anything like that, right, 'cause--
- Right.
- It's not gonna do any harm to 'em.
- No.
- They don't have any--
- Yeah, no activity on 'em.
- Pretty safe.
- Yeah.
- You don't have to worry about killin' beneficial
insects.
- [Chris] Right.
- [Joellen] No.
- With the fungicides.
