The winter has been mild and we're having a cool February/March. I noticed some of my evergreen daylilies which had looked good all winter now looked odd. Began examining and there's a heavy aphid infestation which is not unexpected considering the weather conditions.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend any good systemic insecticides that have worked for you personally. I have Googled and get a host of different sprays and concentrates. I know that some insecticides can be harmful to daylilies and many of the labels don't specifically mention daylilies/hemerocallis. While I'd love to let natural critters take care of the problem, the infestation is heavy enough that I prefer being proactive at this point. Thanks for any suggestions you can provide!

I was getting some rust several weeks ago during a warm and rainy spell, so I sprayed with the only fungicide I had - Bayer 3-in-1, which contains the systemic Imidacloprid and a tau-Fluvalinate, a synthetic pyrethroid. A couple of days later, there were dead aphids everywhere, and I wasn't even aware that they were around yet.

CaliFlowers said:I was getting some rust several weeks ago during a warm and rainy spell, so I sprayed with the only fungicide I had - Bayer 3-in-1, which contains the systemic Imidacloprid and a tau-Fluvalinate, a synthetic pyrethroid. A couple of days later, there were dead aphids everywhere, and I wasn't even aware that they were around yet.

I remember seeing a post where someone mentioned Bayer 3-in-1 for rust. I know I can find that easily around here so that may be one to start with. I ordered some insecticidal soap concentrate which is helpful for those that can be reached but I figured a systemic would be the better way to go in order to get those hidden deep within the fans. I remember having a lot of problems with aphids last spring about this time. Milder temps & young growth, just what the aphids go for! Thanks again for the info.

I haven't used it personally, but some use acephate (Orthene) for aphids, which is also systemic. Some people don't want to use imidacloprid because it's a neonicotinoid (and therefore believed to be a particular problem for bees).

sooby said:I haven't used it personally, but some use acephate (Orthene) for aphids, which is also systemic. Some people don't want to use imidacloprid because it's a neonicotinoid (and therefore believed to be a particular problem for bees).

I don't normally use Imidacloprid on flowering plants - I keep it around for scale and mealy bug on my succulents and Fat Plants. Bayer claims 30 days of residual effectiveness, so I figured that a few applications in January wouldn't "bee" a problem.

I originally bought the 3-in-1 for the Imidacloprid. This is the first time I've sprayed for rust, so until now, the fungicide in 3-in-1 was a tag-along. I don't really care for multi-purpose garden products because they add unnecessary chemicals to the environment. I'd much rather use a single chemical to remedy a problem. Particularly insidious are the pesticide/fertilizer blends. I often wonder how many neophyte home gardeners are putting pesticide-laced fruit and vegetables on the table because of these multi-purpose products.

With regard to Orthene, I've been left with the impression that it's more hazardous to the environment than Imidacloprid. (unless you're a bee). If it was a choice between Orthene or aphids, I'd put up with the aphids, or just take a hose to them. They tend to be seasonal/transitory anyway. Insecticidal soaps work well, but the majority of aphids seem to be hidden out of the reach of sprays.

I bought some Honor Guard (propiconozole) which I'll probably alternate with Heritage if any significant rust pops up later. Because of our dry summers, rust is mostly a spring/fall problem, so spraying should be minimal.

In turf (for grubs etc.) the residual for imidacloprid is several months. Whether that's related to the concentration or something, I don't know. There's an article here about the environmental fate of imidacloprid:

http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/em...

I remember also reading that it can cause a proliferation of spider mites.

An interesting comparison of the toxicity of pesticides to one specific aphid species and their natural predators is here, and includes both imidacloprid and acephate, plus a few others:

https://www.researchgate.net/p...

Several different species of aphid can affect daylilies and how much variation in susceptibity to specific pesticides might relate to individual species I don't know. We can't use most of these "chemical" pesticides in home gardens here in Ontario any more under a provincial cosmetic pesticide ban.

Sue,
I remember reading some years ago about Imidacloprid's ineffectiveness on mites, which would explain the addition of the other insecticidal component to 3-in-1. I'm off to read your links now.

For some reason I've had an aphid infestation on the seedlings I'm growing on my kitchen windowsills.

I threw some (Ajax) dish detergent bubbles on the foilage while I was washing dishes and in a short amount of time the little buggers turned to powder. Haven't noticed any damage to the tender foilage so far.

Thanks for pointing out the bee problem , I was using imidacloprid with good results, but I have to reconsider this year, last thing I want to do is hurting any bee