Shiva wrote:
On Fri, 27 Jun 2003 10:44:07 -0400, "Scopata Fuori"
wrote:

Sounds like whiteflies. They are tiny, almost like a bit of lint, and fly
off en masse when disturbed. I squish them like aphids.

This is them, I found some photos. Lint is exactly what they look
like! What exactly do they do, do you know?

What you originally described didn't sound like whitefly to me but if
that's what you have, they are more of a nusance than anything and
should be killed by your Orthenex. Sevin will work on them, too. There
are also some more enviro-friendly controls:
http://www.naturescontrol.com/whitefly.html

I take a daily walk through the rose beds, and
squish any colonies of sphids I might find, and sprinkle a bit of Sevin dust
as needed, and I figure that'll deter the whiteflies as well.

Does Sevin kill JBs? I know it can be used on edibles, so I imagine it
is not too terribly toxic, or at least not as bad as my standby
Orthenex.

Yes, Sevin (carbaryl) does kill Japanese Beetles and is often the
recommended insecticide for them. But remember that it is not a
systemic - it is not absorbed by the plant. Beetles (and other
insects) have to ingest it directly off the leaves (or absorb it through
direct contact (i.e. be present when you spray so they get hit with
it). Anything more than a light rain will wash much of it off. It is
not nearly as toxic to vertebrates as Orthenex (WARNING - handle
according to the directions on the label!).

Here's Cornell's profile of carbaryl:
http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles...baryl-ext.html

Also, it will do damage to Boston Ivy, Virginia Creeper and Maidenhair
Ferns and early in the season to Virginia and Sand Pines so if you have
any of those around, use extra care.

Because the name Sevin is a registered trademark, you'll have to look at
the active ingredient of insecticides to see it this is what they use.
Ortho, for instance, has carbaryl packaged under the name "Bug-B-Gon (R)
Lawn & Soil Insect Killer with Grub Control" but other Bug-B-Gon (R)
products use other active ingredients (Esfenvalerate or Permethrin
mostly). Again, read the entire label of whatever you buy.

--
Henry