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Jul 6, 2015 12:43 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
What brands of insecticides are harmless to orchids but deadly on mosquitoes/flying insects? I am going to have to spray everything in the yard to control mosquitoes (we have had so much rain the last couple of weeks!), so I need something safe.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Jul 6, 2015 7:55 PM CST
Name: Jim Hawk
Odessa, Florida (Zone 9b)
Birds Master Gardener: Florida Hibiscus Greenhouse Charter ATP Member Garden Photography
Bromeliad Region: Florida Orchids Roses Tropicals Region: United States of America
I can't think of an insecticide that is known to be deadly to orchids but there might be one. The best advise is to read the label and use as directed. Just be sure to change types often.

Jim
"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- Steven Leacock
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Jul 6, 2015 8:00 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
Thanks, Jim. I don't use insecticides, at least not generally, except for roach control inside the house. I seldom see "orchids" ever listed on labels. I might not use insecticide again, at least around any of my plants, for a year. No worry about resistance.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Jul 8, 2015 8:07 PM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
Ken, it's not usually a great idea to nuke your whole yard to get rid of mosquitoes. You'll kill off all your beneficials as well. Have you been treating the standing water areas around the house with Mosquito Dunks?

I go around the house once a month and put pieces of dunks in all the low areas that puddle when it rains, gutters that hold water, and even all my plant saucers, rain barrels and I "anchor" a chunk of dunk in the storm drains out on the street as well. (tie a rock to it so it won't flow away downstream)

If you treat the standing water, the mosquito population will drop drastically and very quickly too. The dunks are non-toxic to animals and birds, as I can attest since my cat has been drinking out of the plant saucers for 15 years now with no apparent ill effects.

Here's the card - I use about 2 dunks a month, broken up into fairly small chunks. So this card costs about $10 at Home Depot or Lowe's and lasts me 3 months.
Thumb of 2015-07-09/dyzzypyxxy/538014
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
Last edited by dyzzypyxxy Jul 8, 2015 8:12 PM Icon for preview
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Jul 8, 2015 8:27 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
I don't have any standing water, Elaine. I do have a large rain-tub that I use those dunks in. What I do have are over 100 bromeliads that retain water. That's how they live. I also have chiggers (red bugs) in my yard. Why, I don't know. I was hoping for something that would rid my yard/landscape of noxious insects without a residual affect. Perhaps that doesn't exist. I wonder if these lawn businesses who spray for mosquitoes and guarantee there will be no mosquitoes for 30 days, kill all beneficial insects for those 30 days as well.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Jul 8, 2015 9:59 PM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
There must be standing water somewhere nearby, though. Mosquitoes don't fly very far from where they hatch, unless it's really windy. Take a walk around with your umbrella next time it rains.

You could call one of those lawn companies and ask exactly what chemicals they will use. But my bet is they're going to kill everything. I'd rather suffer the odd mosquito than breathe the stuff they spray around, myself.

I put a spoonful or so of my used coffee grounds in the cups of my bromeliads. Or if I have grains of Mosquito Dunk left over I sprinkle those in the cups as well. Sometimes it smells like a Starbucks out in the shady border around here . .. Rolling my eyes.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
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Jul 9, 2015 5:29 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
I was going to post this (at some point), but since you brought it up, I will mention it now. I just completed an experiment with a half dozen mature bromeliads (the classic "urn" type) that were in bloom. All the urns has mosquito larva. I put used coffee grounds in all of them, about a tsp., and checked one day and then two days later. The mosquito larva were thriving. I then flushed out all the coffee grounds/water and filled those urns with plain water. After several days they were all teaming with mosquito larva again. I then put one single drop of Malathion into each urn. After two hours there was not a single larva present. The Malathion had killed them all. This is not scientific by any means but anecdotally, it appears that the coffee grounds do nothing to control mosquitoes. I still use it for my potting mixes though. Thumbs up
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Jul 9, 2015 8:50 AM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
Oh darn, another great theory shot down in flames. How about crumbling up a Mosquito Dunk instead, and distributing the crumbs in your broms?

I'd never put Malathion in there, though. Birds drink the water from my broms, and that stuff is poison. Truth be told I wouldn't use Malathion anywhere in my garden for that reason. Haven't bought the stuff in 30 years.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
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Jul 9, 2015 1:13 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
I have actually had this jug for years. I too no longer use it (I did not like the smell) but just wanted to see if it was effective - it is. I have never seen birds on my bromeliads but that being said, at 1 drop per plant, I wouldn't think Malathion would be at all toxic. Even in high concentrations, it is only mild to moderately toxic. But it would be toxic to other (beneficial) insects and is highly toxic to many fish and aquatic organisms. But the way I used it, no other insect and certainly nothing aquatic, would come in contact with it. It has been used for many decades, and long accepted by the EPA, to control mosquitoes.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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