On 2013-02-28 13:43:42 +0000, Spider said:

On 28/02/2013 12:02, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-02-27 23:05:53 +0000, Bob Hobden said:

"Jeff Layman" wrote

, Spider wrote:
David.WE.Roberts wrote:
We have two lemon trees indoors by the bi-folds.

They are doing well apart from the aphids.

From recent Googling the biological controls are not available yet
this
year.

Spraying advice doesn't seem to include Citrus in the UK.

Any recommendations?
More importantly, anything NOT to use?

They can be considered ornamental at the moment because they are
showing
no sign of flowering.


Bayer seem to have the answer:-

http://www.bayeradvanced.com/insects...stions-answers



I have never used this chemical, so this is not a recommendation, but
hope it helps.

You've never used imidacloprid (Provado)? It's the active ingredient
in that product.


Isn't that one of the chemicals that is killing the bees?

Yes. Trying to avoid using these is very important.
http://www.soilassociation.org/wildl...holdpesticides



Gladly acknowledged, Sacha, but I thought it was **relatively** safe if
not sprayed directly onto open flowers, and preferably sprayed during
the early morning or late evening when bees are not active.

I have used it sparingly indoors on an orchid; also I imagine Dave
would be using it indoors, so bees would not be harmed in these two
instances. However, I believe the toxin takes a long time to degrade
so there may be issues with citrus and other edibles, which is why I
didn't suggest it to Dave.

I'm prepared to be wrong .. I am sometimes ;~).

Surely not?! ;-) I'm sure you're both using it indoors so the danger
then is minimal. The web site is approaching its from the sense of its
being used broadly on all sorts of plants. But I don't think the early
morning/late evening theory applies. Ime, bees forage from first to
last light on warm days, especially.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk